474 - How to use what you're growing for extra income with Luke Hammond
6/2/202650 min
Struggling with rising grocery prices while your garden overproduces?
In this episode, you'll learn practical ways to turn extra vegetables into extra income without becoming a full-time farmer.
We cover backyard garden side hustles, CSA boxes, value-added products, and high-value crops for small-space gardeners.
Dirt Academy Kids: https://www.dirtacademykids.com/JWJ
Learn how to garden alongside your kids with step-by-step lessons and hands-on activities designed for families and homeschoolers. Use promo code JWJ for a discount.
If you've ever looked at your overflowing tomato plants or too many cucumbers and wondered if your garden could actually help pay for itself, this episode is for you. Market farmer Luke Hammond joins me to share realistic ways home gardeners can earn extra income from the space they already have. We talk through practical examples for small raised-bed gardens, easy ways to find buyers without committing to a farmers market, and how to think strategically about succession planting and high-value crops. Whether you want a simple side hustle or just enough to offset grocery costs, this conversation will help you think differently about your garden.
Key Takeaways
- Learn how one raised bed can produce surprising value
- Discover simple ways to sell produce without a farmers market
- Find out which crops offer the best return in small spaces
- Understand how succession planting supports steady harvests
- Explore value-added products like pickles, herbs, and jams
Chapters
00:00 – Can a backyard garden make money?
03:33 – What one raised bed can earn
07:27 – Growing lettuce through summer heat
10:28 – Best high-value garden crops
13:07 – Easy ways to sell extra produce
18:02 – Roadside stands and local sales
22:59 – Turning harvests into value-added products
29:57 – Balancing gardening with family life
34:20 – Starting small with a CSA
35:59 – Succession planting for steady harvests
39:33 – Best fall crops to sell
41:36 – First steps for beginner sellers
43:02 – Gardening with kids and Dirt Academy Kids
Resource Links
- Fall Salad Garden Planning Calendar: http://journeywithjill.net/fallsaladgarden
- Friday Emails Newsletter: https://journeywithjill.net/gardensignup
- Recommended Brands & Products: https://journeywithjill.net/recommended-brands-and-products/
- Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thebeginnersgarden
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. - Complete Garden Planner: https://shop.journeywithjill.net/
- Dirt Academy Kids: https://dirtacademykids.com/
- Seedtime Garden Planner: https://seedtime.us/
Disclaimer
Gardening advice shared in this podcast is based on my own experience in Zone 8a (Arkansas) and from the feedback I receive from others in different gardening contexts. Your results may differ depending on your location, climate, and growing conditions. Always check your local extension service or trusted resources for region-specific guidance.
Some links mentioned may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsJill McSheehy· Host0:01
Well, hey there, and welcome back to the Beginner's Garden Podcast. One day, I received so many emails in response to an email, more than I ever have before, and I knew that the question that I had asked had definitely hit a nerve. That question was, "Are you interested in earning a little extra money from your garden?" I just threw it out there thinking maybe some people would be interested, but I was amazed at how many of you emailed me back and said, "Yes, I want to be able to earn a little extra money from my garden. I don't wanna go sit at the farmers market, though, and I don't want my life to revolve around this." In other words, "I don't want to be a market farmer. I don't want to have to s- spend a whole lot of extra time, but I would like a little bit of a side hustle." Well, I took that to heart, and I was trying to figure out, how can I help you, if you're interested in that, to be able to find an on-ramp, a way for you to be able to earn just a little bit of extra money from the garden that you have already grown? And in that, I found someone that I realized could speak directly to that in ways I obviously couldn't, 'cause I have very limited experience going to a farmers market, and that was years ago with blueberries, so [laughs] I didn't really feel like it was a whole lot of experience in that regard. So today, I'm bringing on the show my friend Luke Hammond. You may recognize him from Seed Time. He is the director of brand management in, at Seed Time, and he's on a lot of the webinars that you may have