Landscaping & lawn care

Books and taxes for raised bed and edible garden installers.

A backyard build priced by the bed, cedar and lumber bought per project, soil and compost delivered by the yard, and a spring rush of homeowners wanting to grow their own food. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
AprilExample month
$7,700
what you made

April came in at $7,700. The bulk soil delivery for three builds this week is split across each job, since it is a bigger cost than the lumber on a small project.

  • Garden install jobsRaised bed installs
  • Maintenance visit billingGarden maintenance
  • Cedar lumber orderLumber and bed materials
  • Bulk soil and compost deliverySoil and compost
  • Truck fuelTrucks and fuel
Money in$24,600
Money out$16,900
Set aside for taxes$2,000
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Raised bed garden books go wrong around small jobs that add up fast.

A generalist sees a small landscaping business and a lumber bill. Your business runs on a spring rush of small, similar jobs, priced by the bed, using cedar and bulk soil that cost more per job than the labor sometimes does. When the books do not track that, a busy spring can feel profitable while margins quietly shrink.

  1. 1

    Soil delivery for several jobs gets billed to just one

    A bulk soil and compost delivery covering three backyard builds in one week gets charged against whichever job's invoice is open, making that job look overpriced and the others look artificially cheap.

    What we doSplits bulk soil and material orders across the jobs they served when you tell him the breakdown, so each job's real cost is visible.
  2. 2

    Cedar and lumber cost swings hit a small job hard

    Lumber prices move more than most materials, and on a small job where wood is a big share of the total cost, a price jump can quietly turn a normally profitable build into a break-even one.

    What we doKeeps lumber costs visible against job billing, so a price swing shows up before it happens on ten more builds.
  3. 3

    A season of small jobs hides which ones are worth doing

    A dozen similar raised bed installs a season can look like steady, easy income, but if job cost is not tracked per build, you cannot tell which configurations or sizes actually make money and which barely break even.

    What we doKeeps material and labor cost visible per job, so you can see which builds are worth repeating.
  4. 4

    Follow-up maintenance visits get lost against new installs

    A homeowner who pays for seasonal help maintaining their garden beds after the install is steady, repeat income, but if it is booked the same as a new build, that steady income is invisible.

    What we doKeeps garden maintenance income separate from new installs, so your repeat business is visible on its own.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a raised bed and edible garden installer.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Raised bed installsNew garden bed builds, billed per project.
  • Garden maintenanceSeasonal upkeep for beds you already installed.
  • Consultation and design feesStandalone planning visits billed apart from a build.
  • Community and school garden projectsLarger group or institutional projects.

Money out

  • Lumber and bed materialsCedar, hardware, and liner materials for each build.
  • Soil and compostBulk soil and compost delivered for install jobs.
  • Seeds and starter plantsPlant material provided as part of some installs.
  • Crew wagesInstall labor, kept apart from material costs.
  • Trucks and fuelFuel and insurance for delivery and crew vehicles.

What we watch for you

  • Job margin by size

    Material and labor against job billing, so you know which bed sizes and layouts pay best.

  • Lumber cost trend

    Cedar and lumber spending against job pricing, worth watching since prices move often.

  • Maintenance revenue share

    Repeat maintenance income against new install income, your steadiest base.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month, so a busy spring does not end in a tax surprise.

Ask Gus

Things raised bed garden owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

I bought soil for three jobs in one delivery. How do I know what each one actually cost?

Tell me the split and I will book each job its share of the delivery, so you can see the real material cost per job, not one lump bill.

Cedar prices jumped again. Is that going to hurt my margins on these small jobs?

I keep lumber costs tracked against job billing, so a price jump shows up clearly before it eats into a dozen more builds priced the old way.

I do maintenance visits for past clients too. Should that be separate from new installs?

Yes, and I already keep it that way. Maintenance income stays in its own line, so your steady repeat business is visible apart from new build revenue.

The tax side

The tax side of a raised bed and edible garden installation business.

Most of what goes wrong here is job costing on small, similar jobs: bulk materials mixed across builds, lumber cost not tracked, and maintenance income lumped in with new work.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Tools and small equipmentTools and equipment bought for the business can usually be written off the year you buy them. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
  • Standard mileage for the work vehicleA truck or van used for deliveries and site visits can use the standard mileage rate: 72.5 cents a mile through June 2026, 76 cents after.
  • Contractor 1099sAny subcontracted helper not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC if paid $2,000 or more in 2026, due January 31.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. It comes out right when the books are right all year.

Deductions raised bed and edible garden installers miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • Cedar and lumber
  • Soil and compost delivery
  • Seeds and starter plants
  • Hardware and bed liners
  • Truck fuel and delivery costs
  • Liability insurance
  • Hand tools and small equipment
  • Uniforms with your logo
  • Local ads and referral costs
  • Card processing fees

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A raised bed garden year, kept every month.

Your rush comes with spring planting season. Your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Plan the year

    Last year's return gets started and you get a monthly set-aside, so the spring rush does not come with a tax surprise.

  2. April

    Filed. Done.

    Your return is filed and signed right as spring install season picks up.

  3. July

    Halfway check

    Where you stand after the spring rush, what you will owe, and whether lumber cost changes affected pricing.

  4. October

    Before fall planning

    Before the season winds down, Gus looks at equipment you might buy and anything worth doing before December.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for raised bed and edible garden installers. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions raised bed garden owners ask first.

I buy soil and lumber for several small jobs at once. Can Gus split that cost fairly?

Yes. When you tell him the breakdown, he books each job its share of a bulk order, so a delivery covering three builds does not make one look overpriced.

My jobs are all fairly small. Is Goatkeeper worth it for a business like mine?

Many owners running a season of small, similar jobs find that seeing real cost per build, not just total income, is exactly what helps them price the next dozen right.

Cedar prices keep changing. Can Gus help me catch that before it hurts my margins?

He keeps lumber cost tracked against job billing, so a price change shows up clearly, and you can decide whether pricing needs to move before it happens on more jobs.

I offer maintenance visits after the install. Does that count as new business income?

It is tracked separately from new installs, so you can see your steady maintenance income apart from project-by-project build revenue.

My books are behind from a busy spring. Is that a problem?

No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in landscaping & lawn care

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever