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Gardening as a side job.

CHF 30–40 an hour, a nine-month season, the money in the hedges and one rule — no spraying for clients without a permit. What to offer, when, with whose tools, and how a season adds up.

Published Last updated 5 min read
Painting of a young woman in a t-shirt and shorts pushing a battery lawn mower across a sunny suburban garden with flower beds, a wooden fence and a modern house
Friday, five o’clock, the third lawn of the route — nine months a year.
Before we start · In plain words

Gardens need the same hands every week from March to November. That is a CHF 30–40-an-hour side job with one rule: no spraying.

Mowing, weeding, hedges, leaves — nobody needs a diploma for them, and every street has three gardens whose owners would rather pay than do it. The season is nine months, the money is in the hedges, and the only thing the law forbids is spraying plant-protection products for other people without a permit.

  1. Offer the weekly lawn first.Friday, CHF 60, every week from April. Three gardens on one street is a route.
  2. Add the hedges.Twice a year, CHF 150–400 per visit. Learn to cut straight and it is the best-paid task in the trade.
  3. Use their tools, then buy yours.Battery trimmer and blower, CHF 300–600, once the clients are regular.
  4. Leave the sprayer in the shed.Pull weeds. Pesticides for clients need a Fachbewilligung — not worth it for a side job.
01 · Three numbers

Rate, season, and the one ban.

CHF 30–40
an hour for a private garden helper. A landscaping firm charges CHF 80–120 — tools, waste and travel included
myky [1]
9 months
of season, March to November. Lawn every week from April, hedges in June and September, leaves in October
calculated [1]
0 sprays
for clients without a Fachbewilligung. Weeds are pulled, not sprayed — the one line the law draws in a garden
ChemRRV · UFA [5]
02 · The year in a garden

What there is to do, month by month.

Bar length shows how busy the month is for a garden helper.

Mar
Pruning, beds, first mow
Apr
Lawn weekly starts, planting
May
Lawn, weeding, edges
Jun
Hedge cut no. 1, watering
Jul
Lawn, watering, holiday cover
Aug
Lawn, watering, holiday cover
Sep
Hedge cut no. 2, lawn repair
Oct
Leaves, last mows, bulbs
Nov
Leaves, winter prep, tools away
Dec–Feb
Snow, fences, nothing green
03 · What is free, what is not

Three lists.

Free to offerMowing, edging, weeding by hand, hedge trimming, leaf clearing, watering, planting, simple pruning, cleaning terraces and furniture. Everything a careful amateur can do.
Only with a permit or trainingSpraying plant-protection products for clients (Fachbewilligung), chainsaw work for others (training), felling trees (municipal permit, and rarely a one-person job). [4] [6]
Agree who pays forGreen-waste disposal (the municipal Grüngut collection or the client’s bin), fuel or battery for the client’s machines, plants and soil. Not in the hourly rate unless you say so.
04 · A season in francs

Lawns, hedges, odd hours.

05 · Tools, prices, paperwork

Six things that make a garden helper a professional.

  • Tools: start with theirsMost clients own a mower and a hedge trimmer; agree on the first visit that you use them and who sharpens them. Your own battery tools come once the clients do — CHF 300–600 buys a trimmer and a blower.
  • Price per visit, not per hour“Lawn and edges every Friday, CHF 60” sells better than CHF 35 an hour. Clients know what they pay; you decide how fast you work. Keep the hourly figure for odd jobs.
  • Hedges are the moneyA hedge cut pays CHF 150–400 per visit and happens twice a year in every garden on the street. Learn to cut straight — a string line and a steady ladder — and you have the best-paid task in the trade.
  • Paperwork: household wage or own invoicesA family that employs you regularly deducts AHV from the first franc and insures you against accidents for about CHF 100 a year. Several clients on your own invoices: register with the Ausgleichskasse above CHF 2 500 a year and take business liability insurance. [7] [9]
  • Safety: glasses, gloves, earsHedge trimmers and blowers throw things. Safety glasses, gloves and ear protection cost CHF 40 together. Never a trimmer above shoulder height — move the ladder instead.
  • Winter: the quiet quarterDecember to February there is almost nothing. Fill it with indoor tasks — assembly, repairs, moving help — or agree a yearly contract that averages the pay over twelve months.

Which tasks need a permit: Which side jobs need a licence or certificate. Insurance: Insurance for side work. The ten weekend tasks: Weekend side jobs: 10 tasks you can offer now.

06 · Questions people ask

Short answers.

How much does a garden helper earn in Switzerland?

Private garden helpers earn CHF 30–40 an hour; landscaping firms charge CHF 80–120 with tools and waste included. Hedge cuts pay CHF 150–400 per visit. The legal minimum for household staff from 5 hours a week is CHF 20.35.

May I spray weeds for clients?

Not without a Fachbewilligung Pflanzenschutz. Professional use of plant-protection products needs the permit, and from 2027 you cannot even buy the products without it. Pull weeds by hand or with a hoe.

Do I need my own tools?

Not at first. Most clients own a mower and a hedge trimmer; agree to use them. Buy your own battery tools once you have regular clients.

When is the gardening season?

March to November. Weekly lawn from April, hedges in June and September, leaves in October. December to February is almost empty — plan indoor tasks for it.

Who insures me?

A family that employs you must insure you against accidents at work. On your own account you need business liability insurance and accident cover in your health insurance.

Painting of a gardener trimming a hedge in front of a Swiss house

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References

Where the rules come from.

  1. [1]
    myky — Stundenlohn Gärtnerin/Gärtner — private garden helpers CHF 30–40 an hour; firms CHF 80–120 incl. tools and waste. www.myky.ch
  2. [2]
    Blick — Haushalts-Report — household help incl. garden work averages CHF 25.80 an hour. www.blick.ch
  3. [3]
    SECO — State Secretariat for Economic Affairs — NAV Hauswirtschaft 2026 — minimum wage CHF 20.35 an hour for household staff from 5 hours a week (garden helpers included). www.seco.admin.ch
  4. [4]
    Bauernzeitung — Pflanzenschutzmittel-Verkauf an Private — professional users need a Fachbewilligung; from 2026 purchase requires it; products harmful to bees and water no longer sold to private persons. www.bauernzeitung.ch
  5. [5]
    UFA-Revue — Neue Fachbewilligung Pflanzenschutz — digital permit, valid five years, buying requires it from 1 January 2027. www.ufarevue.ch
  6. [6]
    Suva — Ausbildung Pflanzenschutzmittel — training requirements for employees using plant-protection products. www.suva.ch
  7. [7]
    AHV/IV information centre — Merkblatt 2.06 — household employees: AHV from the first franc, accident insurance by the household (2026). www.ahv-iv.ch
  8. [8]
    Suva — BU/NBU — accidents at work insured by the employer from the first hour. www.suva.ch
  9. [9]
    Helvetia — Private liability conditions — paid work excluded; business liability needed on your own account. www.helvetia.com

Checked against the sources above on 5 October 2026; figures are for 2026 and change each January. The “last updated” date at the top changes whenever a figure is refreshed. Rates are market observations; the season model is typical for the Swiss Plateau. This page is general information, not legal advice.