taken the plunge !
Last post 08-09-2009 9:16 PM by AlexS. 4 replies.
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07/09/2009 04:59 PM
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I dont know if I am crazy but,I have decided to start my own little gardening part-time buisness !I have worked in parks,incuding the botanical gardens in b'ham,and on farm estates,and for the past 25 years in our big garden at home.I cant get enough !
Has anyone else taken the plunge? I am really excited,and only wish I had the nerve to do this years ago....I am only going to do the things I feel confident at and be honest and say I cant do some jobs...like high pruning and tree stuff.I feel like a new chapter of my life has suddenly opened,and I am really happy !
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07/09/2009 11:00 PM
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- AlexS
- Reading
- 06 Sep 2009
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61
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Congratulations! I was 50 before I finally started gardening for a living, with no formal training. 9 years on I can say these've been the happiest years of my working life.
You'll find it's pretty seasonal, with January being the month to go on holiday. But you'll find that there is work around, even then. I've never been short of work in October or November, and it begins to tail off in December - but there aren't many hours of light then anyway.
Most of my work is general garden maintenance - mow, weed, prune, plant, trim, etc. I don't do tree work or high hedges. I've met other gardeners who are quite choosy about the work they do: one doesn't do any mowing, and another won't take on any gardens more than a mile from his home. Another won't do sloping gardens! They've all been making a living for years.
Good luck. Happy to answer any questions.
Alex
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08/09/2009 07:40 AM
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- edenhendry
- Yateley, Hampshire
- 04 Apr 2009
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42
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Hi, I started my own garden maintenance business 3 years ago. being a lady, I get lots of business from elderly people who feel safer with a lady doing their garden. I work 1st march - 31st October and earn enough during those 8 months to give myself wages during the Winter months too.
I don't cut hedges over head height as a rule, but I have another gardener friend who I recommend to do this job.
Working for yourself is sooooooo good. If you have an awkward customer, you can decide not to work with them anymore!
I used to be a Marketing Manager, but left work when I had my 2 kids. Aged 28, I set up my business and haven't looked back since (I have a waiting list of people wanting me as their gardener!)
Good Luck!
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08/09/2009 10:32 AM
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Thanks Alex...and Eden.dont know if I am feeling nervous or excited about this..(.I too am over 50 but still fit and fairly strong..).!What was the first garden you did like..was it for someone you knew,or not ? And did they stand over you or go away as you worked ?Thanks for your seasonal message too,rose
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08/09/2009 09:16 PM
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- AlexS
- Reading
- 06 Sep 2009
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61
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Hi Rose, The first garden was for a friend of a friend - nearly all my work has come from word of mouth and referrals. She told me what she wanted done and left me to get on with it. I worked for her from spring to autumn but we didn't really hit it off and she didn't ask me back next spring - but from that job came two others, and from them other referrals for whom I'm still working.
I wouldn't be comfortable having someone stand over me when I worked. And like Eden, I don't keep customers I don't get on with! There is one, an acquaintance when I started and now a friend, who always gardens with me, and that works. But as you're an experienced gardener who knows what you're doing, you shouldn't need to be watched like a junior apprentice. And if they don't soon learn to trust you to get on unsupervised, perhaps you'll be looking for someone else to work for. (Of course when you start you take any work you can get - but that won't last long.)
Let us know how you get on.
Cheers,
Alex
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