For the last six months, I have been saying it; the world is ripe for a return to Earth. We have gotten too far away from our roots (no pun intended), and returning to the ground is the only way to reset our core (and life) values.
Josh, what the heck does that mean? It does sound like gibberish, but it means that we need to learn how to manipulate the ground to live again. We need to know how to farm, raise animals (not pets), and make our own resources.
Americans started moving into city centers over 100 years ago, and now the transition is primarily complete. However, with this migration, we have become spoiled by technology and ease of use applications. We don’t even have to drive to get our “drive-thru” fast food.
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I just finished an article on harvesting beneficial insects for profit, and now I am back for another Earth-related topic. Many of the ideas that we learned in the former article ring true here. Using earthworms to make our compost is one such idea.
The best book to read about returning to Earth is “Dirt Rich” (farm). The couple explains how they moved out to a five-acre plot of land—ditching the hustle and bustle of city life. Then, they go on to explain how they monetized the crap out of their land. It is a treasure trove of income ideas, some passive, some active. I highly recommend you take a look at this book.
Another reason why I am so interested in these concepts is that Kris and I own two homes with three-acre lots—one in greasy Florida and one in desert Arizona. I will leverage these concepts once I get stationed back in the States (I am currently in Japan).
Now, let’s start with a U-Pick-It Farm. A U-Pick-It Farm is an area where you grow the crops, and other people pay a small fee to come and pick your wares. We went to a U-Pick-It Farm in Southern California, where we picked strawberries. I have seen farms for dates, blueberries, and, I believe, cherries. We went to another one in Japan, but I forgot what we picked.
U-Pick-It Farms are an excellent way for parents to entertain children, so this experience will always be top of mind. Once you have a reputation as a child-friendly attraction, expect to be bombarded with families.
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Don’t expect to make a ton of money solely running a U-Pick-It Farm. However, the extra income from other sources can genuinely add up to a fantastic amount. I will get into those in a bit. First, let’s cover a community garden.
What’s so good about a community garden? Most people don’t know how to grow anything but would love to give it a shot. I guess I have been spoiled because my Grandparents always grew fruits in the desert. Also, my wife runs a small garden annually. So I have always been close to Earth.
Even in the desert, we tried our best to grow fruits and trees; however, we were not very successful. We were able to get Kentucky bluegrass to grow, though.
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Today, most people grew up in the city, with parents who lived and worked in the city. They also had parents who both worked as well. This means that they never got a chance to experience the Earth. That’s where you, and your community garden, step in.
You can fence off an acre of land to make into your community garden; then, you can section the land into smaller plots. You won’t make much money renting out the fields—probably $25/month—but that is not the point.
By running a community garden, you will now become the hub of a more significant movement. Once you have an audience, that is where the true wealth comes into play. Let’s see what streams of revenue we can make in addition to our standard community garden and U-Pick-It fees.
Multiple Streams of Income. Once we have our land set up for community use, we will have a small but consistent stream of people coming to visit—this is where the fun comes in.
People will need classes on how to plant their gardens, produce, and help their crops and plants survive. You can also set up a community greenhouse.
You can demonstrate other ways to use the crops that people have picked, such as making strawberry jam. You can also help them can their crops as well.
As I wrote about before, making a separate part of your land into a dog park would be very lucrative. If you can make your land both child and pet-friendly, there would be no reason for anyone to leave.
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You can sell merchandise, souvenirs, season passes, courses, t-shirts, etc. You can run a gift shop on the premises because who doesn’t want to remember your farm?
You can also sell herbs from your herb garden, flowers from a flower bed, beneficial insects that you use to protect your flowers, etc.
You can run a small petting zoo, maybe with some pygmy goats or miniature ponies. How about reptiles or other small animals? Praying mantises are beneficial insects and would be cool to watch; perhaps you can witness the female eating the male. Side note, how cute is this goat picture?
Then, you get into all the online stuff that you can accompany with your community garden. This includes YouTube, blogs, and online courses. I have been saying that becoming a content creator is almost mandatory in today’s world. Yes, I actually meant it.
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There is too much to list. Whatever you can think of, you can monetize. The main thing is that both the community garden and U-Pick-It Farm will be enormous draws for families. Once you have them coming in, you can figure out how you want to add value to their lives. Creating value will eventually turn into profits.
Some of the negatives are that people will trample your land, especially kids and dogs. Also, you will have to be present at the farm physically. However, as discussed in our business automation article, you can hire a manager—it sounds like a job for my oldest son.
There is a lot to unpack here, but each venture will be vastly different because of zoning, size, and locations. Don’t forget you may be eligible for some tax breaks, depending on what you are growing and the animals you are raising.
What do you think about starting a community garden or U-Pick-It farm? Do you think it can be viable where you live? Could you downsize it to a community herb garden or rose garden? Tell me what you think, and don’t forget to explore more MFI goodness with our free-pdf books—great to read at work, during your “lunch breaks.” Enjoy and Happy Investing!
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. I am an Amazon Affiliate. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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