Selling home-grown produce in the UK: the rules, simply
Updated 5 October 2026
Yes, you can sell fruit, veg and herbs you've grown at home in the UK, and you don't need a licence. If you sell regularly, register with your council as a food business: it's free, quick and can't be refused. Raw produce is the simple case. Jam, cakes, eggs and plants each bring extra rules.
What you can and can't sell
The law treats raw produce very differently from anything you've cooked, cut or preserved. This table sums it up.
| What | Can you sell it? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Whole fruit, veg and herbs | Yes | Unwashed or simply rinsed. The simplest case. |
| Cut flowers from your garden | Yes | Not food, so the food and weight rules don't apply. |
| Jam, chutney, cakes, juice | Only as a food business | Registration, hygiene training and allergen labelling apply. |
| Prepared or cut salad, dried herbs | Only as a food business | Cutting, mixing or drying counts as processing. |
| Eggs and honey | Separate rules | Each has its own regulations. Check with your council. |
| Plants and seedlings | Extra rules | Plants sold online for planting need a plant passport and an authorised seller. |
Leaf Exchange lists raw fruit, veg, herbs and cut flowers only. That keeps growers in the lightest legal position.
Do you need to register as a food business?
Guidance online disagrees on this, so here is the detail. Food hygiene law has an exemption for primary producers who supply small quantities of their own raw produce directly to the final consumer or to local shops. A grower selling their surplus to neighbours fits that description, and so sits outside the main hygiene regulations and formal registration.
The catch is the word “undertaking”. The Food Standards Agency looks for continuity (selling roughly monthly or more often) plus some organisation. A grower who sells every week all season and takes pre-orders can start to look like a food business.
The safe line: selling most weeks? Register with your council. It's free, it takes a few minutes online, you do it 28 days before you start, and it can't be refused. Start at the FSA's register a food business page.
Either way, two rules always apply: the food must be safe, and it mustn't be misdescribed.
Hygiene basics for raw produce
- Pick into clean containers and keep produce off the ground.
- Brush off heavy soil. Rinse if you like, but don't cut or prepare anything.
- Keep produce cool and out of direct sun, especially soft fruit and leaves.
- Leave out anything mouldy, rotten or damaged by pests.
- Wash your hands before handling produce, and keep pets away from it.
- Say what you know: when it was picked, and whether it's been washed.
Selling from your garden gate or an honesty box
A table at the front gate with an honesty box is a long tradition, and selling your own produce from your own land is generally fine. Street trading licences cover selling in a public street, so keep the table on your side of the boundary, not on the pavement. If you're not sure where that line is, check with your council.
Be a good neighbour
- Keep the pavement and road clear. Don't let a stall cause parking problems.
- If you rent, or your home has covenants, check they allow it once it gets busy.
- Take the stall in at night and when it's empty, so it doesn't look abandoned.
Pricing an honesty box
The weight rules apply at the gate too. Put a clear price on items sold each (a lettuce, a marrow) or per bunch (carrots, radishes, some herbs). For bags of beans, potatoes or soft fruit, write pay what you think rather than a fixed price, unless you've weighed them on trade-approved scales. Show every price before people buy. A lockable box fixed to the table is worth the small cost.
If gate selling isn't practical, Leaf Exchange works as an online gate. Neighbours reserve what they want and collect at a time that suits you both, and they pay you directly when they collect. Nothing sits out in the rain.
Weights, units and prices
Selling by the kilo needs trade-approved (stamped) scales. Kitchen scales don't count. Without them you have four honest options:
- Each, for countable crops such as cabbages, lettuces, cucumbers, apples and plums.
- Per bunch, for crops such as carrots, beetroot, radishes, spring onions and some herbs.
- A bagful that's free, a swap or pay what you think. Food in a bag can't have a set price without weighing.
- A big box over 5 kg at a set price, for anything except potatoes.
The pricing guide lists which crops go in which group, with suggested starting prices.
Words you can't use: “organic”
“Organic” is a legally protected term in the UK. You must be certified by an approved organic control body to use it, and that includes “organically grown”, “organically produced” and “grown using organic methods”. The rule covers signs, adverts and online listings, not just labels, and it applies however small the sale.
Describe what you actually do instead: “home-grown”, “locally grown”, “no sprays, my own compost”, “picked this morning”. Be careful with absolute claims such as “pesticide-free” or “chemical-free”. The advertising regulator expects strong evidence for them, and a plain description of your own methods is safer and more convincing.
Tax: the £1,000 trading allowance
Occasional surplus sales usually aren't trading at all. If yours do count as trading, the first £1,000 a year of gross income is covered by the trading allowance, and you don't need to declare it. Most garden growers never come close. If you're unsure about your own situation, ask an accountant or HMRC.
Leaf Exchange doesn't take payments. Buyers pay you directly when they collect, by cash or bank transfer, whichever you agree.
Allotment growers: check your tenancy first
If your produce comes from an allotment, your tenancy agreement adds another layer. Many allow small surplus sales and some ban them. The allotment selling guide covers the law in each nation and the clauses to look for.
How selling on Leaf Exchange works
- Create a free grower profile with a few photos of your plot or garden.
- List what's ready now, what's coming soon as a pre-order, or what's swap only.
- Neighbours reserve. You confirm, and only then do they see your collection address.
- They collect in person and pay you directly, or swap, or take it for free.
Questions
Do I need a licence to sell vegetables from my garden in the UK?
No. You don't need a licence to sell raw fruit and veg you've grown yourself. If you sell regularly, register with your council as a food business, which is free and can't be refused.
Is it legal to sell veg from my front garden with an honesty box?
Generally yes, from your own land. Keep the stall off the pavement, avoid causing parking problems, price items each or by the bunch, and use pay what you think for bags. If you're unsure about street trading, check with your council.
Do I need to register as a food business to sell vegetables?
Small, occasional sales of your own raw produce direct to local people fall under an exemption. If you sell most weeks or take regular pre-orders, register with your council. It's free and takes 28 days' notice.
Can I sell homemade jam or chutney too?
Only as a registered food business, with hygiene training and allergen labelling. Leaf Exchange lists raw produce and cut flowers only, so jam and chutney can't be listed.
Do I pay tax on selling garden produce?
Occasional surplus sales usually aren't trading. If they are, the first £1,000 of gross income a year is covered by the trading allowance. Ask an accountant if your sales are larger.
Related: guides selling allotment produce · guides pricing home grown produce · guides produce swap · glut tomatoes · guidelines