Growing and Selling Specialty Plants
By Eric Hammer
First of all relax, when we refer to specialty plants we mean
legal ones. If your interest in growing drugs, please look elsewhere
since we won’t be discussing it. Now that we have that out
of the way, there are a number of specialty plans that you can
grow and earn a tidy profit from. Especially popular are decorative
plants that people might like to put on their windowsills.
The thing is, the seeds and the raw materials to grow these
specialty plants are really very inexpensive. It does take some
time and of course, you need to know what you are doing, however
it is perfectly possible and even feasible to grow specialty
plants and to create a nice business from it.
You don’t even need much in the way of special equipment.
While a greenhouse would obviously be a big help in making your
backyard nursery into a successful business, it’s really
not necessary. There are many plants that can be grown out in
the open using ordinary pots, seeds and soil.
How Much Can You Make?
How much you’ll make depends largely on what you plant
and how much time you want to put into your business. Consider
however that your raw material cost for a plant (after your initial
investment in starter seeds – don’t forget that plants
provide you with seeds to grow more plants) that you grow will
probably be under a dollar a piece and that most plants you buy
from a nursery cost anywhere from $5-$25 and you can see the
potential here.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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Another possibility is growing flowers in your backyard. Not
only will they look beautiful, but you can also harvest them
and sell them to people who want to buy a bouquet for special
occasions.
Keep in mind that the kind of plants you can grow will depend
largely on where you live. Consult a good gardening book to figure
out which specialty plants can be grown in your climate and then
start growing them.
You may also want to consider planting a fruit tree or two
if you have the room for them. Fruit trees, once they start sprouting
fruit should continue to fruit for many years, providing you
with year after year of profits. While they may not be as profitable
as some specialty plants, they do have the advantage of being
easier to maintain.
Qualifications / Requirements
Check with your state board of health to find out if there
are any legal issues regarding running a small nursery at home.
Beyond that, you don’t need any kind of degree or even a
high school diploma. You just need to know how to grow plants
and keep them healthy.
First Steps
Start by planning your garden. Find out what kinds of specialty
plants can be grown in your area. Then, stop by local nurseries
and see how much each plant is selling for. Pick the most valuable
plants to grow in your garden and then read everything you can
about them.
The key here is to start small – don’t invest thousands
of dollars at first. Spend a few hundred dollars to start up
and see where things go. Once you’ve gotten your new business
off the ground, you can always expand. Also, consider starting
to grow just for the busy spring/summer season. See how things
go and then, if it goes well, you can move to a full year round
growing cycle.
Resources
Profitable
Plants – This web site is actually designed more to
sell you something than to give you good information. It’s
designed to sell you their guide to specialty plants. However,
there is some good basic information here.
New Terra Natural Food: Make Money Selling Plants
from Your Backyard Nursery – More information available
here than at the previous site, though you’ll still need
to do your own research on which plants you can grow in your
backyard and how to grow them.
Growbiz
– Another web site trying to sell you something, but they
have some very good information here as well on getting started
with specialty plants.
About.Com: Make Money from Your Herb Gardens
– Another related idea, to sell fresh cut herbs. These also
have tremendous markups and can be grown easily at home.
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