How to Make Money Growing Plants: 10 Most Profitable Picks

The specialty plant market in the US is worth over $16 billion, and backyard growers are claiming a bigger piece of it every year. Some make $90,000 or more per acre.

You don’t need a farm. A backyard, a basement, or even a spare bedroom is enough to get started.

A few hours per week can generate a solid side income, and more time can turn it into a full-time business.

Here are the most profitable specialty plants to grow and sell, ranked by earning potential.

Profit Comparison Table

Plant	Startup Cost	Space Needed	Time to First Sale	Potential Income
Microgreens	$100-$500	Indoor shelf/rack	1-2 weeks	$25-$50/tray
Succulents	$50-$200	Small table/shelf	2-4 months	$5-$50/plant
Exotic Mushrooms	$200-$500	10x10 indoor space	6-8 weeks	$15,000/yr
Lavender	$200-$1,000	20x20 plot	1 year	$2,000-$100,000+/yr
Bamboo	$500-$2,000	Quarter acre	1-2 years	$72,000/yr
Ginseng	$500-$5,000	Shaded woodland	6 years	$200-$800/lb
Ground Covers	$100-$500	50x50 plot	3-6 months	$20/sq ft
Trees & Shrubs	$200-$1,000	Backyard	1-2 years	$100-$150/plant
Bonsai	$100-$500	Small space	6-12 months	$50-$500/tree
Ornamental Grasses	$100-$300	Backyard	1 season	$10-$30/plant

1. Microgreens (Fastest to Profit)

Microgreens are one of the hottest trends in specialty farming. These tiny seedlings of vegetables and herbs are harvested 7-14 days after planting and sell for $25-$50 per tray.

You can grow them year-round indoors on a simple shelf with some grow lights and seed trays.

• Startup cost: $100-$500 for trays, soil, seeds, and lights
• Space needed: A spare room, basement, or garage shelf
• Time to first sale: 1-2 weeks
• Profit potential: $500-$2,000/month from a small indoor setup
• Best varieties: Sunflower, pea shoots, radish, broccoli, wheatgrass

Who buys them: Restaurants, juice bars, farmers markets, and health-conscious consumers. Chefs pay premium prices for fresh, locally grown microgreens.

Pro Tip: A microgreens starter kit on Amazon gets you everything you need for under $50 to test the waters before scaling up.

2. Succulents (Easiest to Start)

Succulents need almost no care, propagate from a single leaf, and have huge demand online. One leaf can grow into a plant worth $5-$50.

• Startup cost: $50-$200 for starter plants and pots
• Space needed: A sunny windowsill or small outdoor space
• Time to first sale: 2-4 months from propagation
• Profit potential: $500-$5,000/month selling online
• Best varieties: Echeveria, Haworthia, String of Pearls, Jade Plant, Aeonium

Who buys them: Home decorators, wedding planners, gift buyers, office managers. Wedding planners buy them in bulk.

Where to sell: Etsy is the number one platform for selling succulents online. You can also sell at farmers markets, plant swaps, and Facebook Marketplace.

Pro Tip: Buy succulent pots and planters in bulk on Amazon to increase your margins. Presentation matters - a $3 succulent in a cute pot sells for $15-$25.

Want to learn the business side of selling plants online? Take a course on Udemy to learn how to set up an Etsy shop and market your products.

3. Exotic Mushrooms

Growing exotic mushrooms like shiitake and oyster in your house can generate $15,000 a year from a 10x10 space.

Exotic mushrooms don’t withstand long travel times in commercial haulers, so local growers have a massive advantage over big corporations.

• Startup cost: $200-$500 for a mushroom growing kit, substrate, and supplies
• Space needed: A 10x10 area in your basement, garage, or spare room
• Time to first sale: 6-8 weeks
• Profit potential: $15,000+/year
• Best varieties: Oyster mushrooms (easiest), shiitake, lion’s mane, maitake

Who buys them: Restaurants, farmers markets, health food stores, and direct-to-consumer. Chefs will pay premium prices for fresh, locally grown exotic mushrooms.

You can also forage wild mushrooms to supplement your income, but growing them is more consistent and scalable.

4. Lavender

Lavender is a booming business in the US. Its soothing scent is used in body lotions, perfumes, essential oils, soaps, and insect repellents.

Many small nursery owners now exclusively specialize in this herb.

Purple Haze Farm in Sequim, Washington grosses over a million dollars a year with just eight acres of lavender.

• Startup cost: $200-$1,000 for plants, soil amendments, and raised beds
• Space needed: A 20x20 plot can produce several hundred bunches
• Time to first sale: 1 year
• Profit potential: $2,000/year from a small patch, $100,000+/year for larger operations with value-added products

Growing Conditions

Lavender thrives in climates similar to southern France: warm summers with plenty of sun, and mild winters. If you live near the Great Lakes or in the Pacific Northwest, you can do very well with hardier varieties like Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender).

• Soil: Sandy loam with excellent drainage. Use raised beds to improve drainage. Test your soil pH with a soil pH tester - lavender prefers slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.5-7.5).
• Propagation: Most growers propagate through cuttings (not seeds) for consistent color, quality, and oil production
• Climate zones: Lavandula angustifolia does well in zones 5-9, Lavandula stoechas is best for zones 7-10

Harvesting and Selling

• When to harvest: Late morning after dew evaporates, never after rain or in extreme heat (heat evaporates the essential oils)
• Drying: Rubber band the stems and hang upside down in a dark, well-ventilated area
• What to sell: Fresh bouquets, dried bunches, sachets, essential oils, soaps, body butter

Value-added lavender products like soaps and body butter have markups of 500% from the cost of raw materials. If you want to distill your own essential oils, tabletop distillers are available on Amazon.

5. Bamboo

Container-grown bamboo sells for $30-$150 per plant. In a quarter acre, you can fit 2,400 plants, which could net you $72,000.

Demand is outpacing supply. Buyers use bamboo for hedges, privacy screens, fencing, and stand-alone landscaping plants.

• Startup cost: $500-$2,000 for starter plants and containers
• Space needed: Quarter acre ideal, but you can start smaller
• Time to first sale: Spring of second year (when offshoots emerge)
• Profit potential: $40,000-$72,000/year
• Growing zones: Cannot grow where winters frequently dip below zero

How to Grow Bamboo

Bamboo grows fast - some varieties grow four feet in a single day.

• Start with 20 varieties to find what sells best in your area
• Grow in containers so sales are “load and go” - no digging required
• Use breathable containers for proper drainage and invest in a drip irrigation system
• Replant offshoots - by spring of year two, you can triple your stock
• Keep rhizomes moist during and after planting

Selling Options

• Direct to public - builds brand loyalty and you get paid immediately
• Landscapers - find what they need and provide it consistently
• U-Cut farm - inspired by Christmas tree farms, let customers choose their own plants
• Bamboo fencing - specialize in bamboo fencing materials for an additional revenue stream

6. Ginseng

Called “green gold,” ginseng is so valuable it helped fund the American Revolution. Mature ginseng root sells for $200-$800 per pound.

The catch: it takes six years for plants to reach maturity. But you can sell seeds and rootlets in the meantime.

• Startup cost: $500-$5,000 depending on scale
• Space needed: Shaded woodland area
• Time to first sale: Seeds and rootlets in year 2-3, mature roots in year 6
• Profit potential: $200-$800 per pound of mature root
• Growing zones: Only grows where winters are cold enough to break dormancy

Millions of people in Asia value ginseng for its medicinal properties, creating steady international demand.

7. Ground Covers

Ground covers are the easy-to-grow alternative to high-maintenance grass lawns. They reduce watering needs and never require mowing.

For small backyard nurseries, ground covers are one of the biggest income generators. You can make profits of up to $20 per square foot.

• Startup cost: $100-$500 for starter plants
• Space needed: Thousands of plants fit in a 50x50 plot
• Time to first sale: 3-6 months
• Profit potential: $20 per square foot
• The “Big Four” varieties: English Ivy, Pachysandra, Vinca, Winter Creeper

Use your original stock to propagate new plants to keep costs near zero after the initial investment.

8. Trees and Shrubs

Landscapers are always looking for reliable tree and shrub suppliers. You can make $100-$150 per plant, and trees like the Japanese Maple sell for even more.

• Startup cost: $200-$1,000 for starter plants and containers
• Space needed: Backyard
• Time to first sale: 1-2 years (some fast-growing trees like willows can sell within one season)
• Profit potential: $100-$150 per plant

Why Grow in Containers

• No digging required - saves labor costs
• 3x more plants in the same space
• Less water with individual drip lines
• Sell year-round - no seasonal restrictions
• Custom soil for each species means faster growth
• No transplant shock - higher survival rate

Pro Tip: A tree in a 5 or 10-gallon pot is worth 20x more than the same tree in a one-gallon container. Set aside a portion of your stock to transplant into bigger pots each year.

Best Varieties

• Flowering Cherry - prized for white and pink spring blooms
• Japanese Maple - stunning colors, sells for $150+
• Weeping Willow - graceful, thrives in almost any soil
• Tabletop Christmas Trees - huge demand from apartment dwellers (Italian Stone Pine, Elwood Cedar, Rosemary shaped into trees)

9. Bonsai Trees

Bonsai is the Japanese art of growing miniature trees. Individual bonsai trees sell for $50-$500+ depending on age, species, and training.

• Startup cost: $100-$500 for starter plants, tools, and pots
• Space needed: Small - can grow on a table or bench
• Time to first sale: 6-12 months for starter plants, years for specimen trees
• Profit potential: $50-$500 per tree
• Popular species: Juniper, Japanese White Pine, Norway Spruce, Trident Maple

Display them in hypertufa containers to make affordable plants look premium and command higher prices.

10. Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses are drought-resistant, low-maintenance, and incredibly popular with landscapers and homeowners. They come in hundreds of shapes and sizes for everything from ground covers to privacy screens.

• Startup cost: $100-$300 for mother plants
• Space needed: Backyard
• Time to first sale: 1 growing season
• Profit potential: $10-$30 per plant
• How to propagate: Divide root clumps from mother plants as they grow - essentially free new inventory

Where to Sell Your Plants

This is where most growers leave money on the table. Don’t limit yourself to one sales channel.

Online Platforms

• Etsy - the number one marketplace for selling plants online, especially succulents, bonsai, and unique varieties
• Facebook Marketplace - great for local sales with no shipping hassle
• Instagram - build a following by posting photos of your plants. Many growers make most of their sales through Instagram DMs
• Your own website - once you build a customer base, a simple website eliminates platform fees

Local Sales

• Farmers markets - one of the best ways to build a local customer base
• Direct to landscapers - find out what they need and provide it consistently. Put together a flyer with your available inventory.
• Local garden centers - visit to see what they stock, then offer to supply varieties they don’t carry
• Roadside stands - low overhead, high visibility
• Plant swaps and garden club events - great for networking and finding buyers

Pricing Tips

• Research what similar plants sell for on Etsy and at local nurseries
• Plants in attractive pots sell for 2-3x more than bare plants
• Offer bundle deals to move more inventory
• Larger, more mature plants command significantly higher prices - patience pays

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most profitable plant to grow?

Microgreens offer the fastest return on investment (first sale in 1-2 weeks), while lavender and bamboo offer the highest long-term income potential. A 10x10 mushroom setup can generate $15,000/year.

Do I need a license to sell plants?

Requirements vary by state and city. Most states require a nursery license if you are selling plants commercially.

Check with your local agricultural department. Selling at farmers markets may require a separate vendor permit.

How much money can you make growing plants?

It depends on the plant, your space, and how much time you invest. A small backyard operation can generate $500-$5,000/month.

Dedicated growers with more space can make $50,000-$100,000+/year.

Can I grow plants for profit in a small space?

Yes. Microgreens, succulents, bonsai, and exotic mushrooms can all be grown indoors in a spare room or basement. You don’t need land.

Final Thoughts

Specialty plants have far more money-making potential than standard vegetables. The key is picking a plant you enjoy growing, starting small, and scaling up as demand grows.

Start with one or two plants from this list, learn the basics, and reinvest your profits. Many successful growers started with a single shelf of succulents or a tray of microgreens and turned it into a full-time income.

For more ways to make money from your property, check out our guide on how to make money from your garden and making money in the wilderness.

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