Topic: working in other people's gardens???

[aquilegia]

Hi Folks!

Please forgive me for my recent absence. I've been lurking, but it's just that time of the year when I don't feel particularly sociable and I've been thinking about a lot recently...

Mostly pondering....

How much do those of you who do charge for working in other people's gardens?

I've been thinking about offering my services a few days a week to my neighbours - just to do stuff like weeding, pruing, hoeing, digging, maybe planting small beds, etc. Nothing too huge (unless the money/project was right!) Probably starting next spring.

A lot of them do occassionally get gardeners in for the odd job, so I know there's a market. I have no professional experience or qualifications, although of course, I can show them my garden!

As we don't have a mower, I wouldn't do lawns and out of principal I wouldn't use chemicals.

Mr Aqui thinks it might be a bit awkward, working for the neighbours. But we're not hugely friendly with any of them, just say hello and maybe a few words when we pass.

I'm just fed up of being stuck in the office, but can't afford to reduce my time at work unless I have another source of income. And I'm fed up of just dreaming about things...

thoughts? experiences? etc? welcome!

Oh and what would the tax man have to say about me have a part-time normal job and working part-time self-employed?

[kenkew]

Eh! Aqui'...been thinking on the same lines. Being close to being old and fed-up of being turned down by regular employers, I thought I might use my love of gardening to earn a few bob. Looking at what house cleaners are asking I thought something like £5 an hour not out of the way.

[EmmaLou]

Hi Aquilegia!

Go for it! I gave up my IT job to do gardening. Best move I ever made!

I started off working in the Gardens at Ashridge College, but when my daughter was born I went out a did a little work for people I know. I charge £10 an hour, but I know other people in this area charge £14 if not more!

It might be a good idea to look at the adverts in local shop windows to see what other gardeners are charging.

Good luck!

[kenkew]

Blood* *ell...£14 quid an hour!
Eh! Aqui'...amend the fiver to a tenner....and don't forget the free cuppa's.

[Juliet]

you wouldn't need clothes

 :o  I know what you mean, Wardy, but I had an image of those naked gardeners for a minute then!

Aqui - my parents have employed gardeners from time to time & have paid £10-£14 per hour.  The gardeners who dug out the wilderness which was here when we moved in & put the first lot of plants in for us don't charge per hour, they charge per job, depending on how much they are going to do - their minimum is £60 per job, if I remember rightly!

[undercarriage plan]

Hey Aqui!! Nice to have you back, matey!! 110% agree with everything said really!! I charge £10 an hour, but I did go to college at night to get qualified. Like Wardy, I'd never earn enough at the min to support us, give me time! I've never been so happy, and speaking of cleaning, did that at night to fund college!!  ::)I rarely go out, rarely miss it, live in jeans and DMs, and I can't imagine doing anything else!
Lottie  ;D
Forgot to add!! Won't use chemicals either, and most people when shown the "harmful to"- bit on chemicals, are mortified!!

[Juliet]

I meant to say - in relation to the awkwardness of working for neighbours - one of our next-door neighbours is a builder & he does odd jobs for us from time to time - no awkwardness on our side, don't think there's any on his!  From our point of view, it's very useful having a builder to hand whenever we need one, as it were - much less hassle than ringing round to get quotes - & he can do the work to fit in with whatever else he's doing.

[rosebud]

Hi Aqui, lovely to have you back  ;D, there is an advert in our local shop for gardening ,and i phoned them to ask how much an hour they charge just to give you some idea, £10 was the answer, but could charge extra if a very heavy job. No experience only the love of gardening and he has 11 customers in only 8mths. I hope that might help you. :D

[undercarriage plan]

Hey Wardy!! Please exscuse smell, have been shifting pig poo!!   ::)  Erm first course got Advanced National Certificate in Horticulture in Principles of Lanscape and Garden Design and Practices thereof, then National certificate in ID and use of plants, then went on to do RHS General certificate, and yes, I did have to go check cos names so blessed long winded!! So glad I did it though, am quietly confident I can do someone's garden without killing things now.....fingers crossed.. ;D ;D ;D ;) though is early days.... :-\
Lottie

[undercarriage plan]

No, you rant away, Wardy!!! Agree totally, reason I did the RHS, was the Design covered nothing to do with upkeep, positioning etc of plants, and practicals were just laughable!!! I did like the RHS course though, cos it covered so much, and really felt like I'd learnt something....but if being honest, have learnt more here than anywhere!! By the way, have just covered 2 beds with compost/pig poo mix, and left without backwards glance and no diggin!!!! My dad thinks I've lost the plot, but he should have realized that years ago.... ::) ::) ::) ;) I blamed you anyway...... ;D ;)Can't wait to lift cover off in spring!!
Lottie  ;D

[aquilegia]

Thanks all for your input.

£10 definitely sounds good - it's more than I got when I was temping, although of course the work wouldn't be as regular.

I was thinking about reducing my job to three days a week (I currently work four) and using Fridays as my garden work day. (I was even thinking of calling myself on my fliers - which I've been writing in my head! - Green Fingered Girl Friday!)

Mr Aqui's still concerned about the awkwardness of working for other people - but I'm not so bothered. And he's worried I'll knacker myself out so much working in other people's gardens I won't want to do my own. (not blooming likely!)

I'm really going to try to do this. I'm fed up of dreaming about stuff and never doing it...

Wardy - thanks for that - I'll have to contact the CVS.

Rosebud - thanks for calling them for me!

[Delilah]

Hi there Aqui - I also work for myself but not in the gardening field.  The best advice I can give is if you need your income to pay bills etc only reduce your days, don't give up work altogether.  Income can be sporadic, people can often cancel you going at the last minute. Don't advertise, I spent vast amounts of money on advertising and every single one of my regulars came to me through word of mouth and finally don't be put off if you have a bad week, stick at it and eventually even if you are not financially secure you will be emotionally balanced and a much more content person to escape the superficial stressed out rat race and the bitchy office environment.

[Derek]

If my neck of the woods is anything to go by you will soon have more work that you can shake a stick at.

My son-in-law started garden work including the construction side (decking/walls/turfing etc.) and two years later he is employing someone and still turning work away

Good luck

Derek

[beejay]

Don't forget that if you are just doing gardening (ie no hard landscaping) then in Jan/Feb work is minimal to non-existent. Although that does have advantages it does affect your income over all.

[Mrs Ava]

Hi Aqui, welcome back! 

I have just started gardening for other peeps and charge ten pounds an hour.  Hoping that one day I will be turning work away, but at the moment, things are quiet, although it is a quiet time of year.  One other thing to consider is insurance.  If you damage something accidently in someone elses garden, will you have to cough up and pay for it??

[undercarriage plan]

Def agree with EJ on this one. I have taken out personal liability insurance, mainly cos if there was an accident and I was sued, it could mean losing the house!! And in the culture of today's constant claims, I think it's really worth getting covered. I pay £198 a year, and am covered for up to £2,000,000. Now if that doesn't pay for a broken pot...... ::)
Lottie  ;D

[aquilegia]

I hadn't thought about insurance.

Mr Aqui mentioned it last night. I hadn't realised it would be so expensive.

To be honest I think this is rapidly turning into a non-workable plan.

I would want to keep my current job at enough hours to pay the bills still, which would mean only dropping half a day a week (I'd do three days one week, four days the next). So I'd only be gardening one day every fortnight. That would mean it'd be at least two months before I'd even covered the insurance. Then there's income tax and probably not working half the year. So basically I'd probably end up losing money.

Or maybe it's just the weather today making me feel less enthusiastic!

I think I just want more time to spend working in my own garden!

[simon404]

Hi aqui, I too charge 10 pounds an hour, have been self employed for about 10 years now. True there's little or no work in jan and feb but I don't mind having a rest, as the workload means I can't take any breaks in the summer!

[CotswoldLass]

Hi Aqui,

Just to chip my bit in! A few years ago I did some grdening locally for a very nice lady who just needed a hand with a huge patch. I charged 8 per hour then. Thought about doing more but at the time had that huge garden in my previous house so weighed up that I'd be too tired to do my own heavy stuff.

When I started there I hired an extra pair of hands for a while but the guy didn't know a shrub from bramble and wanted a tenner an hour so I decided to do it myself.

I've always freelanced and you can get desert periods but the freedom is unbeatable!

Good luck whatever you decide, CLxx

[aquilegia]

Thing is we already earn the pretty much the minimum we can live on - most of our money goes on the mortgage, utility bills, food, council tax, etc. We don't go out or buy extravagant things (unless you count riding lessons, but they are a necessity!), since I already reduced my hours and got a less stressful, less well paid job. Mr Aqui doesn't have a particularly well paid job either, so I can't rely on him to pay the bills without me. He's not at all ambitious in terms of career either!

Last night I got all excited when he said that what I really want to do is work fewer hours and have time to have an allotment. But I can't do that either (it would be much too scary to have to feed us, rather than the slugs, from home grown stuff!)