Eric Giordano wrote:
I would love especially to find people who are aware of permaculture and want their garden to produce food, herbs, or other benefits and care about how their garden uses the ecology of their place.
I think this is a super idea. Three thoughts:
1) If it were me, I'd wouldn't limit myself to people who already know about
permaculture. I'd do advertising that educated people about
permaculture and its specific benefits.
The reason is,
permaculture is still far
enough out of the mainstream that people who know about it, at least those I've encountered, seem to me likely already to be (or to have been) gardeners at some level and so maybe not the best market. But if you can connect with people who already know about the advantages of organics etc., and can tell them about the organic+ potential of permaculture, I think you'd be able to build a bigger market there (and, incidentally, appeal to any person aware of permaculture who would like
gardening assistance).
2) There seems to be lots of attention going into delivered boxes of food ready to prepare as a meal. This is because people are busy, or feel busy anyway (I'm a bit cynical because "busy" people often seem to be Netflix subscribers, too...).
There's an insight there: You could think about selling permaculture plants that aren't just standalone plants, that aren't just for use, but that you put there in specific groups so that people can make something to eat out of them without much thought: "Take some of that delicious basil you cut from your perma-container balcony garden, add some tomatoes from your other container, then..."
This could be all the growing there, or you could
sell them additional produce items -- conveniently grown by yourself, or by a cooperating grower. Meat is probably too complicated but raw veggies are less so. If you have access to a commercial kitchen you could even sell partially prepared veggies -- peeled and chopped. Or it might just be offering a bag of organic garlic and some pine nuts: "Take 1/4 c. of your basil, add this garlic and these pine nuts and blend in olive oil for your own artisanal pesto..."
This approach would take planning and
experience, but it'd be a way to do the "value adding" that can so increase your cash flow compared to straight veggies.
3) Back in the days when I worked for a corporation (lo these many years ago), there was a small company who cared for the live plants around the building. They were extremely detail oriented, in terms of things like the plants looking perfect all the time AND looking like the plants every other company had around, too.
If I were going for the ornamental market, I'd put a lot of
energy into finding the right plants, which should be different: you don't want to compete directly with a bunch of established companies. But if you can do something that is different and that looks different (and is organic etc etc) at a good price, you'll appeal to a different set of potential customers.
