Landscape side gigs happen. Friends or neighbours approach you asking for help or a quick favour. And why not use your knowledge and experience to help people and generate some extra income? It makes sense.
Easy up-sell
Some gigs are born automatically. One client cares for his lawn while his neighbour is very busy and lets his lawn look like a meadow. Then the pressure gets to him as the meadow grows wild and stands out from the neighbouring manicured and fertilized green oasis.
Often the upsell happens very quickly and soon you’re mowing both properties. And both clients are happy.
Vas on a mission
My favourite client is a fairly recent widow with chronic back pain. When she gets home from work, the idea of mowing and weeding is singularly unappetizing to her. But not for me. I’m glad to help and feed my kids. The poor woman barely gets through her work day.
Compounding her problems is the location of her house. Her property occupies a busy corner lot and people driving and walking by soon start to point at the dandelions.
Start
First, I aerated her lawn which takes maybe 15 minutes to mow. If you don’t do anything to your lawn all year, definitely aerate it. Remember, aeration allows water and oxygen to reach the root zone which should lead to a healthier lawn.
It’s a good idea to apply lime at the same time. One bag was more than enough here. Cost: $7.
Chafer damage
There was limited damage from birds digging for European chafer beetle grubs. Since the actual area was small, the owner chose to buy landscape soil in bags and Scott seed from a big box store. That’s totally fine.
The hard part
Now for the hard part. It will take some time to upgrade the weedy, overgrown beds and uncover the plants struggling for light and resources. Once it’s all upgraded, I will do regular maintenance. Maybe for years. I hope.
It feels good to help out clients facing challenges.
