One Kansas teen has figured out a new way to pay for college: Growing and selling pumpkins.
And he’s been doing it for five years after starting at age 8. We’re talking about hundreds of dollars, folks.
“Sometimes, the smallest plant produces the biggest pumpkin. It’s kind of fun to watch,” Boston Beck said. “You got to give it lots and lots of water.”
At first, it was a hobby, but now it’s a full-grown business. The teenager told ABC that he now needs a school bus to bring the pumpkins up to the “shop.” It doubles as his front yard.
Orange Dollar Signs
When he started, he thought it was something fun to do. Now he’s raking in the profits.
Beck said he made a thousand dollars this past weekend and saving all money earned for his college fund. KAKE said Beck sells out almost every night.
“We didn’t think we were going to make lots of money,” Beck said.
And soon, Beck and his parents decided the pumpkins would go to college fund savings.
“You never know what’s going to turn or what could go wrong,” he said. “You just got to have some backup plans and some backup money.”
But the payoff is coming even before he steps onto a college campus.
Boston says Kansas State is his goal for college. He would like to graduate from the Manhattan, Kansas-school one day with a veterinarian degree. Kingman is 45 miles west of Wichita.
Want To Follow Beck’s Lead?
A good-sized pumpkin patch can easily make $30,000 per year.
That’s according to Trullic, a limited liability company advice website. The website said soccer-ball-sized pumpkins could go for $5 while hand-sized ones can fetch $1.
As for expenses, water (and gas for a school bus in Beck’s case) could be all you need.
Starting by planting seeds in April or May, the pumpkins need time to grow. By late September, you should have some pumpkins to sell.
For 2021, five weeks of sales before Halloween could bring in the cash with the right location.
One website said an acre farm could produce 1,000 pumpkins.
Finally, pumpkins may only last 7 to 10 days if you carve it. So plan accordingly.
Saving For College
During the pandemic, financial advisors say the key to saving for college is two things: Start early and constantly invest.
According to CNBC, 16 percent of parents saving for college have paused their 529 college savings plan because of the pandemic. Backer, a college savings website, also said parents have reduced their contributions by 13 percent, while 17 percent of them said they would withdraw funds this year.
So maybe Beck has the right idea about a side hustle for college savings.
