
Ready to use your gardening experience and skills to get hired as a freelance writer?
Even if you’d happily write about gardening for free, gardening magazines and blogs are ready and willing to pay you for a variety of different types of freelance gardening writer jobs like:
- Practical how-tos
- Personal essays and real-life stories
- Profiles and interviews
- Light and fun lifestyle gardening articles
- Farming articles
Do I Need to Be an Expert Gardener to Write for Gardening Blogs and Magazines?
It helps if you have experience as a gardener (and hopefully you enjoy reading and learning about it too). But you could have expertise in only one type of gardening – like flower gardening, fruit and vegetable gardening, homestead gardening, potted plant apartment gardening, or designing beautiful gardens.
You could be a specialist in certain types of plants like succulents, orchids, or roses only. That is enough to get your foot in the door with a great gardening magazine or blog (and probably a recurring gig if you want one). If you know the lingo gardening lovers use, have a deep curiosity for the subject, and already read some garden publications, editors will likely want to work with you (so go for it).
How Can I Get Started Writing Gardening Articles as a Beginner Writer?
If you’ve got gardening experience and want to write for publications (but don’t have a writing portfolio yet), you can start with your local magazines and blogs. Many local publications pay writers – even less-experienced freelance writers.
Here’s what will help you get your foot in the door with local print magazines and their blogs:
- You need to live in the area (and it helps if you read their publication too).
- Check through their past articles for your area of expertise and see what they’ve already published.
- When you contact them, you need to mention your loads of experience and deep knowledge of gardening.
- Think back to when you were learning about gardening and brainstorm article ideas you wanted to read.
- Pick a few and pitch them to the editor when you send your intro email.
- Keep emailing them article ideas every month or two until you get a yes.
If you have a short list of local publications that include gardening articles, one of these editors will give you a chance eventually. You could include non-paying blogs or magazines if you want to get portfolio pieces faster (but it’s not necessary).
Freelance Gardening Blog and Magazine Writer Jobs
American Gardener

.American Gardener the American Horticultural Society’s primary publication is mostly freelance written. Good news for freelance garden writers. Their readers are amateur gardeners with lots of experience. Some of the topics they’re looking for are horticulturalist profiles, garden design, plant research, plant conservation, and much more. Read through the website and digital version of the magazine (you can read some articles without being a member). They only want pitches for stories.
- Homepage: https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-resources/gardening-publications/the-american-gardener/
- Contributor info: https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-resources/gardening-publications/the-american-gardener/writers-guidelines/
- Pay: From $150 to $200 for department articles (600 to 1000 words normally) and $300 to $600 for most features (1500 to 2500 words usually).
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: Yes, a very short one.
Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Better Homes and Gardens uses freelance writers for about 10% of its articles. The writer guidelines are on the light side. Our recommendation: make sure your idea strongly appeals to their readers (and isn’t already published). That means read the site and get clear on who their readers are. They’d really prefer that you send a query and not a finished article. Send your query to the “department where the storyline is the strongest.” And you’ll have to mail it to them. Really…snail mail it to them.
- Homepage: https://www.bhg.com/
- Contributor info: https://www.bhg.com/bhg/file.jsp?item=/help/writersGuidelines
- Pay: We’ve heard as much as $2 a word for print articles (probably less for online-only work).
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Fine Gardening

Attention freelance garden writers, Fine Gardening Magazine pays decent money for stories. They don’t really offer any guidance on what to pitch. You’ll have to do your own research by checking out their blog and magazine. If building design is your jam, you could check out their Fine Homebuilding Magazine too (same publisher, Taunton Press).
- Homepage: https://www.finegardening.com/
- Contributor info: https://www.taunton.com/gardening/
- Pay: We hear $35 to $400+ for features or shorter pieces.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No, but you get a writer’s page.
Green Prints

Tired of writing how-to gardening articles? Green Prints Magazine doesn’t want any of that either. What do they want? Great stories about gardening. Personal, moving, deep, funny, silly, or any other flavor is fine. Stories about you and your plants, your struggles, your successes, and what you’ve learned along the way, for example. Read a few on the website to get the idea. They’ll even consider fiction occasionally. Just remember to be patient. Chances are you’ll get an answer (just not quickly).
- Homepage: https://greenprints.com/
- Contributor info: https://greenprints.com/writers-guidelines/
- Pay: Up to $150 for 2000 word articles usually.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Hobby Farms

Hobby Farms (and its sister publication Chickens) helps small farmers with helpful articles about starting and maintaining a successful farm. Urban, rural, and even suburban farmers follow their advice. We hear they pay decent rates for freelance articles. But they’re not giving out advice about how to pitch them. You’ll have to get to know their readers through their already published material. Once you’ve done your research, pitch them something their subscribers can’t resist.
- Homepage: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/
- Contributor info: https://www.hobbyfarms.com/about-us/
- Pay: We hear $300 or more.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: Yes, a short one with a photo.
Homestead Blog

Got some practical advice for aspiring homesteaders? The Homestead blog might pay you to write about it. Send them an email with 3 pitch ideas. Before you do that, go over their already-published posts to make sure your ideas are fresh and new. Their writer guidelines give you plenty of details to help you do it.
- Homepage: https://www.homestead.org/
- Contributor info: https://www.homestead.org/write-for-homestead-org/contribute/
- Pay: $100 for 1000 to 2500 word articles.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No, but you get a writer’s page.
Horticulture

Horticulture Magazine is one of the oldest gardening publications around (over 100 years old!) and they hire freelance writers. You won’t find writer guidelines, so either snail mail them at first or use their generic email address to introduce yourself (and show them a few relevant portfolio pieces you have). This publication probably shouldn’t be your first freelance writer pitch – unless you’ve got some specialised knowledge. Make sure to tell them about any gardening experience you have.
- Home: https://www.hortmag.com/
- Contributor info: https://www.hortmag.com/page/connect
- Pay: We hear from $200 to $500.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners

Want to write about organic gardening? The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners quarterly magazine accepts freelance pitches. Check out the most recent issue online to see if your ideas fit (and you can look at past issues too). And make sure to pitch well in advance based on your seasonal topic ideas.
- Homepage: https://www.mofga.org/our-community/publications/the-maine-organic-farmer-gardener/
- Contributor info: https://www.mofga.org/writers-guidelines/
- Pay: 20 cents a word.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Midwest Living

If interior design, style, decorating, and gardens are your loves, this publication is your cup of tea. Midwest Living is a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine and a website about the Midwest United States (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas mainly). Instead of sending them your typical pitch email, they’d like an LOI (letter of introduction) with links to your clips and a few great ideas you have. Think front-of-book pieces (you know, those short bits at the beginning of the magazine). It’s their way to get to know you (if they like your LOI of course).
- Homepage: https://www.midwestliving.com/
- Contributor info: https://www.midwestliving.com/travel/around-region/midwest-living-writers-guidelines/
- Pay: Starting writers make around $150 for short assignments.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Modern Farmer

Modern Farmer publishes content important to both for-profit and amateur farmers. From people who just like to get their hands dirty in their backyard to small farm businesses looking for advice. You won’t find too much advice about how to pitch this site (but they do provide a list of editors which is a huge time saver). You’ll have to read the blog to figure out what kinds of queries to send them.
- Homepage: https://modernfarmer.com/
- Contributor info: https://modernfarmer.com/submissions/
- Pay: We hear around 30 cents a word for a 700 word story.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No, but you get a writer’s page.
Modern Gardens

Want to write for Modern Gardens Magazine? You’ve got some researching to do. We hear they hire and pay freelance writers. But they’re not giving away any tips on pitching them. We recommend finding their editors on social media and of course good old-fashioned reading the magazine articles for clues on how to pitch this publication.
- Homepage: https://www.moderngardensmagazine.co.uk/
- Contributor info: No guidelines posted on the site.
- Pay: We hear £300+
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: Yes, a nice one on a separate page with a photo.
Oregon Home

Oregon Home Magazine helps its readers get ideas and discover the talented designers and builders working in their area. Got access to beautiful home or garden projects in Oregon? This magazine might be interested. No writer guidelines to help you out, but you already know how to research, dontcha? And you do have a list of editors (yeah). So get to checking them, the magazine, and the blog out.
- Homepage: https://oregonhomemagazine.com/index.php
- Contributor info: https://oregonhomemagazine.com/contact-us
- Pay: We hear 50 cents to $1 a word.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No.
Tallahassee Magazine

If you’re in the Tallahassee, Florida area, take a look at the Tallahassee Magazine and blog for potential freelance writing gigs. Their Home & Garden section is looking for practical stories on gardening, updating rooms, and even urban farming for their Central Florida-Tallahassee audience. Read through the online magazine or blog for inspiration.
- Homepage: https://www.tallahasseemagazine.com/home-garden/
- Contributor info: https://www.tallahasseemagazine.com/contact-us/
- Pay: We hear $75 to $300.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: No. but you get a writer’s page.
Texas Gardener

Wanna write for Texas Gardener Magazine? Make sure you live in Texas (or know a ton about gardening there). They want practical stories about how to garden fruit, vegetables, flowers, ornamental plants, trees, and everything else. Feature articles about interesting gardeners are also welcome. Read their detailed writer guidelines and do your research before pitching.
- Homepage: https://www.texasgardener.com/
- Contributor info: https://texasgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Writer-Guidelines-2021.pdf
- Pay: Starting at $50 (for personal essays) up to $200 for feature stories.
- Contributor byline: Yes.
- Contributor bio: Yes, a short one.
This List Needs YOUR Help!
Have you written for one of these blogs? Will you tell us about your experience?
Or do you know of another blog that pays at least $50 per post on gardening topics?
If you’ve got a tip about a blog that pays writers $50+, please send it to teambafb@gmail.com in exchange for our undying gratitude — thank you for your service.