Updated October 21, 2026
Where customers for gardeners live and work in Ghent
Ghent is a medium-sized city with a mix of residential neighbourhoods, student housing, schools and small businesses - all places that need garden work done. Paying customers are spread across the city rather than concentrated in one area. You will find them among homeowners with gardens, property managers who run apartment blocks or student housing, schools with grounds to maintain, cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating areas, and small businesses with courtyards or planted spaces.
People find gardeners in several ways. Some search online - they type 'gardener Ghent' or 'garden maintenance near me' and look for profiles that show prices, photos of work and online booking. Others hear from neighbours, friends or family who have used someone. Some ask their property manager or landlord for a recommendation. Word of mouth is still how many small jobs start, but online visibility helps you reach people who do not know you yet.
Schools, community gardens and municipal parks sometimes hire independent gardeners for seasonal work or specific projects, though these often involve formal tender processes rather than direct approach.
How to set your first prices in Ghent
Pricing your work is not about guessing - it needs to cover your time, tools, transport and the fact that you are self-employed and responsible for your own costs and tax. In Ghent, gardening work typically costs customers between modest and mid-range rates depending on the task, how specialised the work is, and how fast you can do it.
Start by working out what rate per hour or per half-day feels fair to you. Think about: the cost of fuel or public transport to reach the job, wear on your tools, any equipment you need to buy or rent, the time you spend quoting and communicating, and the income you actually need. A job that takes two hours on-site might need four hours of your day when you add travel, admin and gaps between bookings.
Look at what other gardeners in Ghent charge - ask informally, check online profiles and local Facebook groups - but remember that every gardener's costs are different. You can adjust prices as you learn how fast you work, which jobs pay better, and what customers in your city will accept. Taking time to price fairly at the start avoids burning out or undervaluing your work later.
Legal steps for independent gardeners in Belgium
Before you take your first payment, you need to be set up as a self-employed person (independent or freelancer) under Belgian law. This is not optional. The legal requirements are: register with the social security fund for the self-employed, get a business number, keep records of your income and expenses, and handle your own tax and social contributions.
Register with your local municipality and with the competent social security fund - in Belgium, this is the system for independents, and requirements vary slightly by region. Speak to your regional chamber of commerce or the Belgian social security office (INASTI/NSSO) to confirm exact steps in your area and whether you need additional permits.
For payments, you will need a business bank account. Websta works with Stripe to handle card payments from customers - the money is paid out to your own bank account, and you receive the full amount minus Stripe's transaction fee. This means no middleman holding your earnings, but you are responsible for tracking all payments and declaring them to tax authorities.
Your first ten customers usually look like this
Your first paying customers in Ghent will probably be a mix of people. Some will be neighbours or friends of friends who ask you to tidy their garden or cut their hedge. Some will be homeowners who searched online and found you. A few might be regular clients who want work done every month or season - weeding, mowing, pruning. Early on, do not expect all jobs to be long-term.
Your first customers often ask for small, defined tasks - clearing leaves, trimming a shrub, laying out a small space - rather than comprehensive garden redesign. They may be uncertain about what you can do, so showing before-and-after photos and having clear descriptions of your services helps. Some will want to chat on the phone or meet you first; others will book online if your profile looks reliable.
The first few jobs rarely come at once. Building a flow of regular work takes months. Some gardeners find that word of mouth starts to grow after they have done five to ten jobs well and people start recommending them. Others rely more on online search and keep their Websta profile updated with new photos and services to stay visible.
What tends to go wrong in the first months
New gardeners often underestimate how long jobs take or how much wear on tools and energy they cost. A job you thought would take three hours takes five, and your profit shrinks. Transport to jobs in different parts of Ghent adds up when you are not yet busy enough to plan a route. Gaps between bookings mean you have quiet weeks where you earn nothing.
Not keeping clear records is a common mistake - you forget what you charged, when you worked, or what expenses you paid. This catches up with you at tax time and makes the whole business harder to run. Taking on jobs outside your skills or too urgent to do well damages your reputation when it is still young.
Some gardeners struggle with the admin side - replying to enquiries, writing clear quotes, following up after jobs. If you are not online or hard to reach, customers book someone else. Having a profile on a platform like Websta with photos, services and online booking solves part of this because customers can see what you do and book directly without chase.
How a Websta profile helps you earn in Ghent
A Websta profile is a page that works like a small website for your gardening business. It shows your services, the prices you set, photos of your work, and a contact form or online booking system. When someone in Ghent searches for 'gardener' or 'garden maintenance', your profile can appear in the marketplace results if they are near you. You send the link to anyone who asks - friends, family, people who find you by word of mouth - and they can see exactly what you offer and how much it costs.
Payments come through Websta's system using Stripe, a payment processor. Customers pay by card, and the money goes straight to your own bank account. You are not waiting for an invoice to be paid or handling cash - it is automatic and you keep the earnings. Websta takes a small amount for processing, but the rest is yours.
For a gardener in Ghent starting out, this means you have a professional-looking presence online without building a website yourself, customers can book and pay without you having to coordinate by phone and email for every job, and you have a clear record of payments for your tax records. It is a tool that works alongside word of mouth and personal contact - not instead of them.
Building steady income takes patience and real work
Earning money as a gardener in Ghent is realistic, but it is not quick. The first few weeks or months you might take two or three jobs. As you build a name and collect photos of work, more people find you. Some become repeat customers. Seasonal work like spring tidying or autumn leaf clearing can bring bursts of income. Over time, if you do good work, stay reliable and keep your prices fair, your calendar fills more steadily.
This can be a side income alongside another job, a full business, or somewhere in between - that depends on how much work you can take and how much you need to earn. There is no guaranteed number of clients or timeline. Your success depends on the quality of your work, how visible you are online and locally, how you price and communicate, and how much time you invest in finding and keeping customers.
Start by setting up legally, pricing fairly, and getting visible - both online through a Websta profile and through the people around you. Do good work and keep records. The money will follow.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a business number and social security to work as a gardener in Ghent?
- Yes. You cannot take payment for gardening work in Belgium without registering as self-employed. You need a business number and social security contributions. Contact your local municipality or the Belgian social security office for independents (INASTI/NSSO) to start the process.
- What should I charge for gardening work in Ghent?
- There is no fixed rate, but it needs to cover your time, tools, transport and tax. Research what other gardeners in Ghent charge, calculate your own costs, and set prices you can work with. You can adjust as you learn how fast you work and what customers will pay.
- How do I get paid through Websta?
- Customers pay by card through Stripe when they book or after work is done. The money goes to your own bank account automatically. Stripe takes a small transaction fee, and the rest is yours to keep.
- How long does it take to build a steady income as a gardener in Ghent?
- There is no set timeline. Your first customers may come within weeks, but building a flow of regular work takes months. It depends on how visible you are, the quality of your work, word of mouth and how much you invest in finding customers.
- Can I run gardening as a side income while keeping another job?
- Yes, many gardeners start this way. You take jobs around your other work and build gradually. The legal requirements are the same - you still need to register as self-employed and handle tax and social contributions.
About the numbers
Counts in this guide were read from the Websta catalogue when the text was written and are refreshed above from the live catalogue. Part of the catalogue was built from the public business register and is marked as such on each profile.