What Are the Monthly Running Costs of a Garden and Landscaping Business?
In garden and landscaping costs run twelve months while income flows for four. Understanding cost here means reading the annual balance, not the monthly table. 🌿
Short answer: a mid-sized business runs at ₺35K to ₺110K a month — the upper end in season, the lower in winter.
Below: the cost table, the fixed-variable balance, three typical inflating lines and the break-even calculation.
Monthly costs
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- Fixed costs
- Variable costs
- The invisible cost: living stock loss
One at a time.
Fixed costs
Rent including open ground ₺10-30K, staff ₺18-55K (rising in season), vehicle fixed costs ₺4-10K, accounting and insurance ₺3-6K. This group runs the same way through winter. 📊
Variable costs
Irrigation and electricity ₺2-6K, fuel and delivery ₺3-10K, pots, peat and consumables ₺1-4K. These rise sharply in season and fall to almost nothing in winter.
The invisible cost: living stock loss
Unsold seedlings and flowers die; there are no returns. This line is written in no cost table but can take back a large share of the season’s profit. The only way to measure it is recording what’s discarded at season’s end.
Fixed or variable?
A structure that shifts with the season.
The weight of the fixed side
Rent and core staff run twelve months; between November and February that weight is carried without income, and a business without a cash plan starts eating its capital.
Three lines that swell the bill
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- 1. Buying at the wrong time
- 2. Keeping the same crew through winter
- 3. Neglecting irrigation and care
All three concern the calendar.
1. Buying at the wrong time
Living stock bought at season’s end and left unsold is a total loss; no discount saves it. Here the buying calendar matters more than the buying price.
2. Keeping the same crew through winter
Revenue falling to a quarter while staffing holds makes the dead season heavier still. A seasonal model lightens that load markedly.
3. Neglecting irrigation and care
Neglected plant stock is lost fast; that isn’t a saving but a direct loss. A daily care routine is the cheapest stock protection there is.
Where is the break-even point?
Winter income eases the threshold.
Let’s run the numbers
With ₺50K in monthly fixed costs and a 40% gross margin, break-even revenue is ₺125K. Maintenance subscriptions and landscaping services at a 50% margin bring it to ₺100K. Margin mechanics in the garden and landscaping margin article. 🧭
Who is this cost table for?
Those who can plan a season.
Where do these figures come from?
The ranges come from anonymised field records, published price lists and sector research combined. They give direction rather than certainty. Method in detail on our methodology page. 📐
📝 Field Notes
A business earned very well in season and ate into its capital between November and February. It added two things: an indoor plant corner and monthly maintenance agreements with local estate managements. Winter revenue rose to half the summer figure, and spring arrived for the first time with money in hand. In this branch the season gives you earnings; the winter gives you survival. 🌿
📖 Terms in Brief
Dead season: the winter months when demand drops. Living stock loss: the damage from plants that die unsold. Maintenance subscription: a regular monthly garden care agreement. Staged buying: building stock in parts rather than all at once.
⚡ The Short Version
Monthly running cost ₺35-110K. 📊 The invisible line: living stock loss. Three inflating lines: buying at the wrong time, keeping the same winter crew, neglecting care. Break-even: fixed cost ÷ gross margin.
🎯 Your Next Move
Let’s build your seasonal cash plan and break-even point: quote form · free digital audit. 🤝
Frequently Asked Questions
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Seasonal staff and staged buying add flexibility. Winter costs are fixed, so runway must be set aside for them — saving part of the season’s profit for winter should be treated as a rule here.
Earning for four months and managing for eight takes discipline; without a cash plan you reach spring broke. For steady revenue across four seasons, ironmongery; for avoiding living-stock risk, hardware and tools. The 17-branch table on the hardware sector page.
A seasonal employment model is common here and lightens the cost load markedly. Keeping a core crew is still necessary to enter the season prepared.
Staged buying and regular care are the two most effective methods. Shrinking orders towards season’s end keeps the remaining stock at a sellable level.
A few regular agreements can reach a level that covers the winter months’ fixed costs. Because that income is predictable, it also makes planning easier.
Source: Horticultural Trades Association