Home-Grown bonsai sold online

Hobbyists, beginners looking for a starter tree, gift buyers and people who like houseplants.

Sell trees at different stages, from young starter plants to older trained trees, and add pots, tools, bonsai soil and care guides to raise the average order.

• Plant care and horticulture basics
• Patience, since trees take years to develop
• Photography and simple online selling
• Careful packing and shipping

• Rules on shipping live plants within Canada, and across the border if you consider it. Check with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Winter: many outdoor species need protection from the cold and shipping in freezing weather can kill plants
• Collecting trees from the wild may be restricted, so check local rules and use nursery-sourced stock
• Registering for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold, and check provincial sales tax rules

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $500 to $3,000, depending on how many trees, pots, soil and tools you buy and the growing space you set up.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $200 to $1,500, depending on how many trees you can sell and your pricing. Trees take years to develop, so patience matters.

Check rules on shipping live plants within Canada and across the border with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence. Also check restrictions on collecting wild trees, and GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules.