Pictured here are Erin and her kids, who hire out their green thumbs through Produce Partners of Kansas City! If you’re putting off growing a green garden, get digging because, in the future, once you’ve done some learning, those green thumb skills could be good not only for bringing food to your family’s table, but also for bringing in dollars, moolah, or maybe even a little gold.
The fact is that some gardeners are now setting up in business as gardening coaches, produce partners, and suchlike. Basically they are green thumbs for hire and, with gardening being in vogue now at The White House, you never know, hiring out your green thumb and creating green gardens could be a lucrative family business for you.
I first read about this a few months back when Erin of Produce Partners of Kansas City e-mailed me to let me know about her new business. Apparently Erin and her family love growing veggies so much that they want to share their skills, get people started in green gardening, and help put back yard produce on the table. The nice thing is that whatever level of help you need, Erin and her family are there to provide it.
I interviewed Erin a couple of months back about her business. Here is an extract of my interview with her, which appears in full at my blog at Mom2MomKC.
“Q. Is this a job that can make you rich? If not, why do you do it? What advice would you give to someone else considering doing this?
Probably not. However, it does afford us additional flexibility in our schedule, the ability to have the kids tag along sometimes and learn first-hand about life, and a deep sense of connection with the people we serve and with the earth. My advice would be to talk to farmers, gardeners, and people who love food. Learn as much as you can, but realize that no one knows it all, and that learning is part of the journey.”
While I’d not consider hiring a green thumb myself, I think it’s a very positive thing to see garden coaching and services becoming available in the suburban environment. And Erin is by no means the only person offering this. Do a Google search on garden coaching and you’ll get up a whole host of links. If you want more information there is a Garden Coach blog, or check out what The Hausfrau had to say on this. What I like about what Erin is doing though is that her focus is on helping people to get food from their own back garden. Not only that, she encourages the growth of neighborhood community by suggesting that neighbors work together.
One of my friends hired Erin and her family to plant a garden and I can’t wait to see how it grows! Had you heard of garden coaching? What do you think?
Photos reproduced here are copyright Erin Schmidt. You can visit Erin’s website Produce Partners of Kansas City, or read what another homeschool blogger has to say about her business. You can search for garden coaches in your area at The Worlwide Directory of Garden Coaches.
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a friend sent me a link a few months back to an article about a man in San Francisco who was doing pretty much the same thing. although, he not only planted the gardens but came on a weekly basis to weed and harvest, leaving the fruits and veggies by the back door.
it is an interesting idea. personally, i would love to learn from someone who knows what they are doing so that i could eventually do it myself. we have a very small garden this year – our first attempt and i’m excited to see what we can do with it. so far so good
Jenn, this sounds exactly like what Erin is doing. Her business, which she runs with her husband, will do everything for you from the design and planting to the picking, or they will do some and you do the rest.
If you come across that link again please send me it so that I can put it up.
Enjoy your garden. Let me know how it goes!