There is one occupation in the United States that hires over 1.5 Million people and those 1.5 Million people all need one product.  For pennies on the dollar, you could grow a bushel of money in no time.  If you read the menu in any decent restaurant, you will notice that nearly every description boasts fresh herbs.  Where do these deliciously aromatic plants come from that everyone seems to be using?  Well, why not from your garden?

Most herbs are easy to grow and a luscious herb garden will not only brighten the yard, but also bring in cash.  You can start by noticing which herbs are the most popular in your area.  Permanent favorites include parsley, mint, basil, rosemary, and cilantro, but there are many more herbs that are exotic as well, such as lemon grass.

You will need some info on how your chosen herbs will grow best.  Check out:

www.muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06470.htm, a university
website that explains what you need to know.

www.w3.aces.uiuc.edu/NRES/extension/factsheets/vc-44/VC-44.html – is a great
website that gives info on growing in containers, if you are short of space or share a garden with plant-eating creatures!

Once you know the best way to raise your plants, you need to find the seeds or starter plants.  These should be available in any gardening section or store.  Remember that some herbs like mint, love to spread, so don’t buy too many.  With proper care, your herb garden will explode on its own.

Now, once you have your lovely herbs growing everywhere, what do you do next?  There are several options.  You can sell straight to the consumer in a gardener’s market stand, or to restaurants.  Take samples of your best plants to the restaurants and be ready with pricing.  You should have researched prices ahead of time.

Another option is to sell wholesale to grocers.  Do the same as with restaurants, but you will have to lower your prices since the store will be marking them up to resell.  Or, you can sell starter plants yourself to other beginner gardeners.  This requires some advertising or a market stand if you have a local gardener’s market.  Alternatively, sell out of the back of a pickup; just make sure it is legal ahead of time.

Yet another way to use your herbs to bring in money is to create the product yourself.  This could be anything from herb vinegars and oils to dried herbs.  Your local library will have entire books on this subject.  Although the Internet is good, you usually won’t find a large number of recipes together and can save time if you have a book to work from.

With all these options, it’s easy to see how you can soon be earning the big bucks with just a green thumb!  As your business grows, so will your garden, so make sure you have lots of space to expand!