Resident realizes that their small balcony can be profitable by turning it into a small garden where they plant vegetables and make $300 a month: 'Small-scale niche produce can sell really well locally if you build a community around it'

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I live in a small apartment with a tiny balcony. For years I just grew some herbs for myself. Then about six months ago I thought why not try to sell some surplus. Nothing fancy just a few extra tomato plants and some specialty herbs that are hard to find in regular grocery stores. I started small with an honor system box at the building entrance. People pay via Venmo or just leave cash. Now I have a small email list of about 20 local customers. I notify them when new produce is ready. Most orde
Small garden full of produce.
Net Profit: ~$300/month My actual effort: maybe 3-4 hours a week mostly watering and harvesting. It's actually a fun hobby. The takeaway: you don't need a huge farm or fancy setup. Small scale niche produce can sell really well locally if you build a community around it.
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A garden full of vegetables and greens.
slimlickens29 Ah yes, time to harvest the devil's lettuce again GIF
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3rad Gardener here coming in with validation. Yes, this is possible with tomatoes and herbs. Yes, in a tiny space. More about finding 20 regulars and staying consistent through the season. 300/mo on the regular is an incredible starting accomplishment. Congrats op!
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ImaHalfwit I love this...particularly the fact that it's already a hobby that you were doing. For that reason, I'd call it passive since you aren't really doing much more than you were already doing. Keep it up!
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barbeque26 You can't do this in every state if you have pets. We wanted to do this in North Carolina and to sell some of my daughters bakery items and grow some stuff to sell, but NC has a strict rule that if you have any animals, you can't get a license too sell food out of your house. It's crazy because tons of homesteaders have dogs and cats and goats and everything. I still don't understand how they get around it. They have to have a separate prep barrier or something, but I don't have capab
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past-and-future-days In PA you have to get a cottage license to sell food items prepared / preserved at home, and even then there are exclusions. If I recall, if you have pets in the home, the kitchen has to be completely door'ed off from the rest of the house, with a separate exit of its own. And there restrictions on when children can have access to the kitchen. I was looking into getting a cottage license, and was relieved because we have cats, but we also have the exact kitchen setup I'd nee
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There are DOZENS of people on Facebook just selling away, regardless, and you'll get chewed to bits and called a hater for questioning if they have their license. Meanwhile they're posting pics of their kids admiring the cupcakes they're shilling, with a finger up their nose.
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zillionaire In Maryland, you can sell live herbs and vegetable plants without a food sale license. But the second you want to sell dried herbs, or any prepared food goods, you need to be licensed
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Natural_Tea484 "Some specialty herbs that are hard to find in regular grocery stores" GIF
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mjspeed95 I'm assuming you live in a place that's warm year round and gets good sunlight? I've struggled for years with my garden but herbs sound like they may be easier to manage. I live just outside Toronto
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jebbenpaul I'm waiting to hear about the passive income
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WikiWiki 18 if its already something you are the income part is passive doing, then
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Spartan Reach11 The honor box in the lobby is the most impressive part, my building would turn basil into a free-for-all in about ten minuts.
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