Farming part-time for income
Updated Nov 11, 2025
Seeking
- 0-5 Total acres
- 0-5 Acres of cropland or tillable land
- 0-5 Acres of pasture
Desired locations
Looking for a small parcel to turn into a permaculture paradise (& eventually homestead) growing native & specialty veg.
Plan
I have been gardening most of my life, both in the ground and in a greenhouse. I plan to start gardening and building on weekends while keeping my full-time job, and transition to part-time @ my current job once I am generating enough income from my crop yield. My goal is to ultimately quit my current job to farm and homestead full-time.
Desired infrastructure
Equipment and infrastructure details
I can make do with basic gardening equipment like hoe, pitchfork, rake, shovel. The goal is to grow a lot of different food in a small space, so I won't need tractors, etc that traditional row-crop monoculture farming uses. It would be nice to have a greenhouse to start seeds and cuttings in & shelter vulnerable plants during the winter. Also if I could live on the premises, it would allow me to get out from under my rent bill so I could save/invest more into my own land, whether I find a lease-to-own type of arrangement or buy farmland outright. Eventually I would like to construct a rainwater catchment system but if there is a well or reservoir on the property I would use that first.
Preferred type of opportunity
Opportunity details
Ideally, I'm looking for a seller-financed or lease-to-own type of situation since I don't have the capital to put down 20% on any decent parcel in the piedmont triad area. I know a lot about gardening but have never grown food with the intention to make income from it, so I would really love to find someone who has done what I want to do (permaculture and regenerative agriculture) and apprentice under them while I make payments towards eventually owning the property. Running a small farm has been a lifelong dream of mine, and the only barrier to entry for me is the upfront cost.
Desired farming practices
Practices details
My vision is to design and plant a permaculture food garden that uses companion planting, crop rotation, terraforming, fungi and predatory insects to work in harmony with the natural landscape and eliminate the need for chemical pesticides & herbicides and greatly reduce watering. I want to plant native varietals & fruit trees that are well-suited to this region and varietals that are just delicious like Murasaki sweet potato. I plan to create a no-waste system that will transform all garden waste into fertilizer via compost & vermiculture. Eventually I would like to get an aquaponics pond going to raise fish and grow greens within the same system, freeing up garden space for more veggies.
Production goals
Goals details
Designing a permaculture garden takes time and intention. I want to get to know the land I will be working with so I can learn how to best steward it. To this end, I will begin by observing and composting. I will start amending the soil while I design the garden. Then I will begin piling rocks, planting hedgerows and forming swales to optimize the flow of water, wind and nutrients over & through the garden. I will start seedlings & slips inside, to plant when the time is right. Once the main crops & fruit trees are planted, I will go in & plant cover crops and herbs strategically throughout to deter pests and provide even more nutrition.
Farm experience
Years of experience
0 total years of experience
0 years employed as a worker (non-manager)
0 years as a manager
Education, training, and employment experience
Experience details
I used to grow a summer greens & vegetable garden in my parents' backyard in Florida while I lived with them: mustard, tomatoes, kale, chard, peppers, collards. I joined the Botanical Society (later became president) at my university to keep growing all kinds of plants in the greenhouse. Currently I live in an apartment in the city and am sad that I can't even grow plants on my patio because someone will steal them like they stole my money tree! But I have about a dozen houseplants. I really miss working with the earth.