Start a garden maintenance round

Use this guide if you are practical, enjoy outdoor work and want to build a round of regular garden customers, part-time or full-time. Have a list of any tools you already own, access to a suitable vehicle and a map of the area you would like to cover. This guide is general information for England; rules on waste carriers and licences differ slightly in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Step by step

1. Decide your services and test the numbers

   Start with work that needs ordinary tools and recurs: lawn mowing and edging, hedge trimming within reach from the ground or a low platform, weeding, pruning shrubs, leaf clearance and one-off tidy-ups. Leave out tree felling, climbing or any work at height in trees, chainsaw work without recognised training and certificates, spraying professional weedkillers without the required certificate of competence, and any mains electrical work such as garden lighting. Before you buy anything, estimate your cost per working hour: add yearly costs for vehicle, fuel, insurance, tools and servicing, waste disposal, phone and advertising, plus the income you need, then divide by realistic paid hours (allowing for travel, quoting, bad weather and admin). Decision rule: if the local going rate cannot cover that hourly figure, plan a tighter area and more regular contracts rather than lower prices.