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Green Gardener/Green Gardening

We all know how expensive it is to feed our families- the cost of food has become more expensive recently. We need to find a way to lessen this expense and still be able to feed our families the fresh fruit and vegetables that are recommended. Gardening will stretch the family food budget, and growing enough to sell your surplus is a huge plus. Gardening as either, part of or the majority of your income can be satisfying. If you garden as green as possible, it is better for the environment as well.

What Skills or Training do I Need?

Having more than just a passing interest in farming or botany is almost required, especially if you want to know which crops will do best in your particular area. It is also a good idea to learn about organic certification requirements if you would like to advertise your resulting produce in that way. You cannot simply grow a tomato and call it "organic". You must know the proper techniques for fertilization and which pesticides or herbicides are allowed. Knowing the right soil pH level is also important. According to Entrepreneur.com gardening classes can cost $2 to $10 thousand.

What Licenses, Permits or Registrations is Necessary?

For a commercial operation, you must be in the proper zoned area. Depending on the size of the farm or the amount of sales that you will expect to produce, you may need a business permit or a food vendor's license. If you plan to list your products as organic, you must conform to the standards set by the National Organic Program, which is run by the USDA. (Wikipedia/organic food 2009)A green gardener's certificate could cost anywhere from $120 upwards.

Starting the Green Garden

Because there is a limited amount and type of pesticide or herbicide that can be used on these crops, there must be scrupulous attention paid to the preparation of the soil before the plants are planted. Choosing the right plants and knowing the right watering techniques are also important. Plotting the garden so that plants are beneficial to one another is also important.

Who wants to be a Green Gardener?

The target market for becoming a green gardener includes:

* those who would like to save money on their grocery bills,
* those who want to have more control over what their families are eating,
* those who enjoy working with the land and those who have the time and energy to devote to a garden of any size.

What are the Risks?

All gardening or farming ventures carry some risks including: total crop failure and limited crop success. After all of your hard work, you could fail to earn the NOP certification. You could spend more money on initial equipment and crop purchases than you bring in.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/organic_food

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