Backyard orchid grower selling at markets and online

Gardeners, gift buyers and orchid collectors at markets, plant fairs, orchid society events and through online listings.

Sell each plant at a retail price, with higher prices for flowering-size plants and rarer varieties. Some growers also sell divisions or seedlings.

• Patience and attention to detail
• Plant care and watering routines
• Basic selling and packing

• Check with your local council whether a home-based plant business needs approval
• State rules on moving plants and plant material across borders (biosecurity), check your state's agriculture department
• Public liability insurance for market stalls
• Plants take months or years to flower, so cash flow can be slow at the start
• Weather risks such as heat, frost or storms damaging your stock

Startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $6,000, depending on the size of your shadehouse, the plants and pots you buy and any market stall costs. These are estimates, so start small and grow gradually.

Monthly revenue is typically around $300 to $1,500, depending on the orchid types you grow, when your plants flower and where you sell them. This is an estimate of revenue before costs, not profit.

Check with your local council whether a home-based plant business needs approval. Check your state agriculture department's biosecurity rules on moving plants and plant material across borders, and public liability insurance for market stalls.