making money from horticulture / nursery gardening

[Buxus]

Hello there - my first post ... I've recently started renting a small piece of land which I will be using to grow some Christmas trees. However, I have some left over and wish to diversify into some other horticultural activities for profit.

I profess to knowing very little about horticulture but I do have 300 box plants elsewhere and what I do know is that I can become an expert if I concentrate on just 2 or 3 types of plant / activity. I also know that as quantities of plants / compost / pots etc increase, prices plummet when buying in bulk.

I like the idea of buying young plants, growing them on to maturity then selling them for more. I know that some gardeners simply can't wait for a plant to grow / spread and will pay a premium for a mature plant. On the downside they are bigger / heavier to deliver.

I also like the concept of container growing, particularly using pots which are submerged in the soil, where pH, nutrients and water can be controlled.


I posted within "fruit" as I quite like the idea of blueberries, given their increasing popularity, but I'm open to ideas. I'm also going to the Four Oaks and GLEE trade shows in September. So I'm looking for suggestions...

[Llamas]

Tea trees. Camillia sinesis that is. I've no earthly clue if/how it would work but if someone could supply me with a tea bush and be able to tell me a)where it came from (i.e. Darjeeling, India, Yunnan provence of China, etc) and what sort it was ( Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, or Assam tea, Camellia sinensis var. assamica I'd jump for joy. Don't know how many others would though Tregothnan estates in Cornwall grow their own tea anyway, so maybe others will start too once global warming has toasted us up a bit. Best of luck!

[zazen999]

I've removed your link just in case you were only joining to post it [called spamming].

I'm sure that's not the case though.

[veggiechicken]

Hello Buxus and welcome to the Forum. I can't help you with your project, sorry. If I knew how to make money from growing plants, I'd be doing it!!
I can't stand the smell of box, so I'll never be buying any of your plants However, if you had the time and patience, clipped box and bay sell at a premium over basic plants - added value for little effort.

[orangepippin]

I would try to find a niche product (perhaps those suggested in previous posts) and set yourself a goal of becoming an expert in all aspects of that particular plant or species. Blueberries are certainly popular today, but maybe you need to think about what will be popular in 5 years's time.

I would also say that running a horticulture or nursery gardening business is actually just like any other business - dealing with customers, suppliers, your website designer, your courier company etc. is almost as important as being able to produce the products you are selling.

[Buxus]

Thank you for your replies so far, and for the welcome. I planted the box plants a year ago with the intention of turning them into topiary. They are very appealing since, with care, they increase in value each year as well as providing pleasure. I can buy for £2 each bare root and after 5 years they can be worth £25.

My day job encompasses running a website for part of a national company, looking after third party carriers, packaging, customer service etc. And I know all about product margin, ranging etc. All I need is to find that elusive niche in the market. I had thought about hedging - after all, it all but guarantees the customer buying 10 or 20 of the same plant, and sometimes people need an instant hedge for security or screening. It's not "get rich quick" but I'm not doing that - I'm actually trying to generate some money in a few years' time to support my children's education

[sugar]

Kiwiberry (siberian kiwi, Actinidia arguta).
The plant has been for sale for some years in Belgium (and Holland), and is getting increasingly popular. The plant is extremely hardy and delivers nice, exotic fruit that you won't find in stores (or at a high premium). There are a lot of cultivars of the plant
As far as I've understood, the plant is still rather unknown in the UK, and not for sale.
You (or somebody else) could try to establish yourself as a specialist/distributor of those plants.

[alex-adam]

Hello Buxus and welcome to the forum.

It might be worth exploring some more unusual or expensive vegetables if you have a local greengrocer or veg-box scheme willing to support you.

Worth considering are, Globe Artichokes, Swiss Chard, Jerusalem Artichokes, Asparagus, even Rhubarb fetches premium prices in some areas.

a-a

[Jeanied]

Watch out for box blight, Buxus - it may be worth investigating alternatives to peg your hopes on.