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To the right buyer, a thriving vegetable garden can add tens of thousands of dollars in value to your home. One of the biggest benefits of a vegetable garden is how environmentally friendly a garden can be – something more and more home buyers are interested in being. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that self-sufficiency is important and that access to healthy fruits and vegetables is not always possible or affordable. We’ve seen $10 cauliflowers and broccoli for $13 a kilo and empty veggie shelves in some supermarkets. We’ve seen shop closures, shopping restrictions and travel bans, and a serious need to turn the humble home into a self-sufficient dream staycation that can support our changing needs.

When introducing a vegetable garden, however, you need to consider all things from the buyer’s perspective. 

Gardening for the buyer

When selling your home, your vegetable garden needs to be pleasing to a wide range of buyers. You can achieve this by creating a garden that’s environmentally friendly, well defined, and aesthetically pleasing. Your garden should also appear low maintenance where possible to appeal to those who don’t have a green thumb. This might mean water conservation methods and technology tools, clear boundaries where your garden starts and ends, diverse planting, and splashes of color. 

Water conservation

Many gardeners wonder what droughts mean for their gardens. We’re facing a drier future, and therefore we must consider water conservation. Deep watering will train roots to grow deep in the ground and a drip irrigation system will deploy water where it’s needed. It can also potentially reduce your water consumption by as much as 50%. Another consideration may be a well-designed rain collection system.

Technology

In the modern garden, nature and technology are working together to grow healthy and sustainable food. New technologies can help Mother Nature raise her crops and a ‘geeky garden’ can offer serious appeal for some potential buyers, helping to control weeds and minimize the amount of work a vegetable garden takes.

Clear boundaries

Buyers need to be able to distinctly recognize what is part of your vegetable garden and what is not. This allows the buyer to separate the space in their minds as they think about the property.

Walls, fences, hedging, and edging helps to set the scene for features and plantings within it. Eyesores such as compost bins can be hidden behind wooden panels or a trellis. If you need a screen between the more ornamental parts of your garden and the vegetable garden, put your screening to work by making it productive. Fruit trees lend themselves beautifully to this purpose and will provide a lovely blossom in the spring.  

Plant variety

The more variety you have in your vegetable garden the more buyers will be able to envision the dream of their future farming. Work out a list of the types of vegetable families commonly purchase and which varieties allow the produce to be seen. You want potential buyers to take notice of your crop. Herbs are a great inclusion as they are clearly visible and can be expensive to buy in the shops. Insect-friendly flowers also look nice and will attract pollinators and predatory bugs (to eat the baddies). 

Colour

While a vegetable garden’s primary goal is to be functional, it pays for it to be beautiful too. A colorful garden offers instant appeal and by choosing unique varieties of some of your classic vegetables you can add instant fun too! Purple cauliflower, yellow beans, and Glass Gem corn are great examples. Swiss chard is not only delicious and easy to grow, it can come in red, orange, yellow, dark purple, pink, and even white. For more color, tuck annual edible flowers like marigolds, zinnias, and alyssum into the beds. 

Summing up

How you use your outdoor space is really important when envisioning home life, especially now we’re spending more time confined to our houses. Defined areas, such as lawn, patio, pool, and vegetable garden creates zoning in the mind that’s perfect for reflection and envisioning everyday living. The good news is that your garden doesn’t have to sprawl over hectares to make a statement. A neatly trimmed, private oasis with vegetables and herbs on offer might be all it takes to increase your home’s value and appeal.

A vegetable garden might not be the easiest addition for your garden when selling, but it’s an investment of time and money that’s worth making. In fact, a beautifully designed, carefully curated garden that taps into the green revolution can often cultivate as much interest in a property as a new kitchen or bathroom! And unlike a kitchen or bathroom, which depreciates in value over time, a garden will grow in value as it becomes more established with each passing year. 

Help from Houseace

If you’re thinking of making these or any other improvements to your property, consider using Houseace to streamline the whole process for you. Our easy-to-use platform allows homeowners to understand the exact price of their project, including materials and labour in minutes. We are also dedicated to providing personal service each step of the way to make home renovation projects simpler and more enjoyable. 

Start your project today with an instant house extension quote, or use our renovation calculator to get an idea on your project’s budget.