Backyard Organics
2008 - 2013, Leeds.
This was the gardening services business that I established about a year after finishing the Permaculture Design Certificate. The orginal aim was to grow organic fruit and vegetables for people in their own gardens. It quite quickly evolved into a more conventional garden maintenance business, as there was clearly more local demand for this kind of service. Because it took me away from the type of gardening I was interested in, meant that I was running a van and driving a lot more than I'd like to, and because I also started to develop RSI from digging, I felt that it wasn't a realistic long term option. So, I gradually handed some of my clients over to a fellow gardener, Stewart, who I knew from a local Community Supported Agriculture project. I let my last clients go in spring 2013. There follows some reflections on how Backyard Organics related to the permaculture ethics and principles. How I consciously applied them, and some of what the experience taught me in relation to them. |
A friend's daughters taste the first crop of apples from a tree I planted for them
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Ethics
People Care
I very quickly realised that working as a jobbing gardener is as much about caring for the clients as it is about caring for plants and the soil. Many of my clients were elderly, some terminally ill; as they became less mobile and physically able, several of them had a sense of frustration and helplessness at not being able to control their own environment in the way they previously had. The knowledge that burglars target homes with poorly tended gardens added a sense of insecurity & vulnerability to some of my clients' concerns.
At times this presented dilemmas: empower your clients by simply doing what they want, or try to persuade them that there's a more eco-friendly approach? When a client asks you to dig over a border and you want to mulch it, how do you proceed? Often this became a process of sensitive, delicate negotiation, and I gradually learned which battles to pick and which to concede.
Earth Care
I gardened organically. I didn't carry any chemical herbicides or pesticides. I used hand tools wherever possible/practical and encouraged clients to compost, use mulches etc.
Set limits to consumption & redistribute surplus
During periods when I was too busy to manage all of my clients, I outsourced work to another gardener - Stewart - who I knew through a local CSA scheme. I kept the relationship between myself and the end client, but passed almost the entire fee on to Stewart. This meant that he received a fair rate for the work, but I kept the relationship with the client so that when I was able to take the work on again, I could. Eventually, as I withdrew from gardening work, I passed nearly all of my clients on to him.
I very quickly realised that working as a jobbing gardener is as much about caring for the clients as it is about caring for plants and the soil. Many of my clients were elderly, some terminally ill; as they became less mobile and physically able, several of them had a sense of frustration and helplessness at not being able to control their own environment in the way they previously had. The knowledge that burglars target homes with poorly tended gardens added a sense of insecurity & vulnerability to some of my clients' concerns.
At times this presented dilemmas: empower your clients by simply doing what they want, or try to persuade them that there's a more eco-friendly approach? When a client asks you to dig over a border and you want to mulch it, how do you proceed? Often this became a process of sensitive, delicate negotiation, and I gradually learned which battles to pick and which to concede.
Earth Care
I gardened organically. I didn't carry any chemical herbicides or pesticides. I used hand tools wherever possible/practical and encouraged clients to compost, use mulches etc.
Set limits to consumption & redistribute surplus
During periods when I was too busy to manage all of my clients, I outsourced work to another gardener - Stewart - who I knew through a local CSA scheme. I kept the relationship between myself and the end client, but passed almost the entire fee on to Stewart. This meant that he received a fair rate for the work, but I kept the relationship with the client so that when I was able to take the work on again, I could. Eventually, as I withdrew from gardening work, I passed nearly all of my clients on to him.
Principles
1. Observe & interact
I wrote a business plan and carried out some basic market reaseach. This included finding out the going rate for gardeners in the local area, seeing how much competition was out there and - as being organic was my USP - looking at trends within the organics sector.
2. Catch & Store Energy
I did this in 2 main ways:
3. Obtain a Yield
I gained some very important yields from running Backyard Organics:
4. Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback
Over time I started to notice that I had a recurring pain in my wrist that would heal during quiet periods (e.g. January & February) and then start to flare up when I started gardening again. I took this as feedback from my body that working as a paid gardener shouldn't be a long term career plan, and that I should start to think about what to do instead.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources & Services
I used mainly hand tools when gardening. In particular, I used a scythe instead of a strimmer. I tended to use hand shears for trimming small and medium sized hedges. where power tools were preferable (e.g. hedge trimmers for large hedges) I used cordless power tools that I charged at home (electricity at home was supplied by Good Energy, 100% renewable electricity).
6. Produce no Waste
I encouraged all of my clients to compost as much green waste on site as possible. Sometimes they couldn't be convinced, and I often took woody material away and shredded it at home to use as mulch in my own garden - or other clients'.
7. Design from Patterns to Details
See the Church Fenton and Headingley gardens.
8. Integrate Rather than Segregate
I clustered jobs together so that I attended all the clients in a given area on the same day. This delivered time and fuel efficiencies.
Also, working for elderly people gave me a real insight into the value of intergenerational relationships.
9. Use Small & Slow Solutions
I build the business up slowly. This was a deliberate strategy as I wanted the business to be debt-free. I invested a small amount in the tools that I thought were absolutely necessary. My first few clients had most of the necessary tools so I could just use theirs. I used my partner's car to get to jobs at first, rather than investing in a van right away. Over time I reinvested profits into more equipement, including a van. The business broke even in the first year and made a small profit. Profits in the following years increased to the point that it became a significant part of my income.
10. Use and Value Diversity
This principles was reflected in these 2 business strategies:
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
Chance conversations and prospects that may not initially seem promising can turn into significant work opportunities, valuable learning opportunities and friendships that can bolster your business and enrich your life.
One throw-away comment along the lines of "My aunt could do with some help in her garden. She's a bit eccentric." blossomed into a tender friendship with an elderly client. What started out as a job taming an overgrown garden for someone who'd been ill became almost as much about palliative care as gardening. I saw joy on her face as her garden came back to life, heard her talk passionately about her favourite plants, and watched her revel in the extravagence of what she thought was probably her last ever tulip season. I hoped that my work in the garden gave her some joy and supported her during the battle with cancer that she ultimately lost. Our long conversations about the state of the world and stories about her childhood certainly helped me through a difficult period in my own life.
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change
As it became apparent that there wasn't a viable market for my original service idea, I adapted my offering to take on more conventional gardening and exploit the opportunities that did come along.
Also, as my RSI got worse, I responded with an exit strategy of handing clients over to a known alternative, which met the ethics in the following ways:
People Care:
Set Limits to Consumption & Redistribute Surplus:
I wrote a business plan and carried out some basic market reaseach. This included finding out the going rate for gardeners in the local area, seeing how much competition was out there and - as being organic was my USP - looking at trends within the organics sector.
2. Catch & Store Energy
I did this in 2 main ways:
- Reinvesting profits into capital items for the business.
- I saved a significant proportion of the profits from Backyard Organics and used them as part of my deposit for a flat at LILAC. In this way the energy that i'd expended on people's gardens was stored in the four walls of my new home.
3. Obtain a Yield
I gained some very important yields from running Backyard Organics:
- It was a useful income stream during a period of transition from working in the private sector to working for the Permaculture Association and freelance teaching.
- I learned a lot of practical gardening skills & techniques.
- I gained a lot of plant knowledge from my clients, books, the internet and other gardeners.
- Clients for permaculture designs: see Church Fenton and Headingley garden designs.
- The confidence to go self-employed: learning book keeping and basic small business administration. These transferrable skills (and the basic framework of being registered as self-employed) have allowed me to take on freelance teaching work. In future I could offer a range of services as my skills and qualifications continue to develop.
4. Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback
Over time I started to notice that I had a recurring pain in my wrist that would heal during quiet periods (e.g. January & February) and then start to flare up when I started gardening again. I took this as feedback from my body that working as a paid gardener shouldn't be a long term career plan, and that I should start to think about what to do instead.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources & Services
I used mainly hand tools when gardening. In particular, I used a scythe instead of a strimmer. I tended to use hand shears for trimming small and medium sized hedges. where power tools were preferable (e.g. hedge trimmers for large hedges) I used cordless power tools that I charged at home (electricity at home was supplied by Good Energy, 100% renewable electricity).
6. Produce no Waste
I encouraged all of my clients to compost as much green waste on site as possible. Sometimes they couldn't be convinced, and I often took woody material away and shredded it at home to use as mulch in my own garden - or other clients'.
7. Design from Patterns to Details
See the Church Fenton and Headingley gardens.
8. Integrate Rather than Segregate
I clustered jobs together so that I attended all the clients in a given area on the same day. This delivered time and fuel efficiencies.
Also, working for elderly people gave me a real insight into the value of intergenerational relationships.
9. Use Small & Slow Solutions
I build the business up slowly. This was a deliberate strategy as I wanted the business to be debt-free. I invested a small amount in the tools that I thought were absolutely necessary. My first few clients had most of the necessary tools so I could just use theirs. I used my partner's car to get to jobs at first, rather than investing in a van right away. Over time I reinvested profits into more equipement, including a van. The business broke even in the first year and made a small profit. Profits in the following years increased to the point that it became a significant part of my income.
10. Use and Value Diversity
This principles was reflected in these 2 business strategies:
- Building up a diverse client base; this made the business more resilient in the face of losing clients.
- Expanding the range of services I offered. By moving into teaching and designing as well as garden maintenance, I was able to withdraw from the gardening as my RSI became more problematic.
- Backyard Organics was also part of a wider poly-income strategy that included working directly for the Permaculture Association and latterly, the WEA (Workers Educational Association). This additional diversity added futher resilience to my livelihood.
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
Chance conversations and prospects that may not initially seem promising can turn into significant work opportunities, valuable learning opportunities and friendships that can bolster your business and enrich your life.
One throw-away comment along the lines of "My aunt could do with some help in her garden. She's a bit eccentric." blossomed into a tender friendship with an elderly client. What started out as a job taming an overgrown garden for someone who'd been ill became almost as much about palliative care as gardening. I saw joy on her face as her garden came back to life, heard her talk passionately about her favourite plants, and watched her revel in the extravagence of what she thought was probably her last ever tulip season. I hoped that my work in the garden gave her some joy and supported her during the battle with cancer that she ultimately lost. Our long conversations about the state of the world and stories about her childhood certainly helped me through a difficult period in my own life.
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change
As it became apparent that there wasn't a viable market for my original service idea, I adapted my offering to take on more conventional gardening and exploit the opportunities that did come along.
Also, as my RSI got worse, I responded with an exit strategy of handing clients over to a known alternative, which met the ethics in the following ways:
People Care:
- Helping to support Stewart's livelihood
- Allowing my clients to transition to a new gardener with whom they had trust and confidence
- Handing over to another gardener with a background in organic horticulture
Set Limits to Consumption & Redistribute Surplus:
- Not taking significant profits from acting as a middle-man for Stewart, and ensuring he got paid well over the living wage rate
- Redistributing my surplus work to Stewart
Jeanette's beloved tulips dot the borders in this traditional Yorkshire cottage garden
