How To Grow & Sell Herbs For Fun and Profit

You can turn your gardening skills into some extra cash. If you can garden then you can grow herbs; if you can grow herbs then you can grow a business. A small home based business that needs little capital investment but will require a regular time commitment. There is an increasing demand for culinary herbs. Herbs that are used for cooking are easy to grow and even in a small space you can grow enough for sale.

There are some questions you need to answer.

1- How much time do you have to devote to your business?

2- How much space do you have (indoors, outdoors, or both)?

3- What herbs do you want to grow and sell?

4- Who will you sell to; (general public, restaurants, stores)

5- What is your competition?

6- What will you charge?

7- Can you produce consistent quality herbs and on schedule?

There are a number of options to consider for the herb business. You can grow and sell herbs to local restaurants. You will need to be able to deliver quality herbs when the chef wants them and chefs can be very demanding in what they want. This can be a tough market to crack but if you are determined and professional in your approach you can develop a consistent market for your herbs.

Grocery stores, especially, the smaller locally owned ones can be a good market. I have sold herbs (basil) to several small family owned grocery stores and generated a small profit. It more than covered my time and the cost of growing the herbs.

Will you sell fresh herbs, plants (seedlings) or dried herbs?

Basil, chives, cilantro, dill, oregano, rosemary, thyme and parsley are the most commonly used culinary herbs. Lemon balm is also popular. Do some research and find out what herbs are being sold in your area.

If you have a site that lets you set up a greenhouse and allows ready access, including parking for customers, then you may want to consider selling herb seedlings for home gardens. Many people want to grow their own herbs but prefer to start the process from a seedling plant rather than from seed.

Regardless of you choice of what to grow and who to sell to, you will need business cards; it is also wise to find out the zoning laws where you are located if you are planning to run the business from home and look into insurance.

I recommend you take the time and create a business plan that maps out your strategy with a special focus on yoru marketing strategy. You can succeed but you do need a sound plan.