New Port Beach Business Daily

How much revenue can you make with a Nursery?

We are located in Orlando, FL and have been thinking about starting our own nursery business - either selling trees, plants, or flowers. We have 10 acres and would like to devote 5 acres just for the nursery. We've searched the internet, but haven't found any information as per doing a feasibility study, nor how much revenue nurseries can make. I'm looking for an answer to either, 1) Websites for information about how much money can be made with a nursery, or 2) You personally can tell me the information. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. It could make as much money as any store that sells something can but you will have to be mindful of costs of production and upkeep of this plants which makes it not an ideal business for you if you are just starting out. Possibly well more than enough to live on or nothing at all. YOU need to find out these things: How much rent you will pay How much insurance and a business license will cost How much your plans cost How much water you need a day to grow plants How much plants you can grow on that land How much your delivery truck and gas will cost How much employees cost How much Equipment to store plants and grow them. How you will dispose of your trash. Will it be paid to be taken away etc. Who your competitors are. Other nurseries in the area. What are popular and economical plants. Wether or not you will buy plants or grow them there Will your clients be business contracts contractors, architects etc or walk in people. Business Clients would make more because you could limit down your range of plants and you would know how much they wanted consistently while with walk ins you would have to wait or find data for how much people bought which plant.
2. I would say that in your location, you could probably make a pretty good prophet from opening a greenhouse. But just like the other gentleman said you do have to take into consideration expenses you will use starting out. You may also even consider a bank loan for starting a new buisness. I know that the do that, but you would want to contact one to get more info. I live in West Virginia and work in the Garden Center. One of the guys that we had actually ran a greenhouse before coming to lowes and did pretty well with it, but there wasn't any benefits so he came to Lowes. Something else that you might consider once you get started is starting a small landscape buisness on the side with it. You could most likely hire just a couple of people to do the landscaping. That could increase sales. A lady that was my Dept. Manager moved to Florida a few years ago. Her and her husband own a pool cleaning buisness and make really really good money. So I would say if they can make real good money with that, then a greenhouse could be a good investment in that area as well. You could possibly check out other small greenhouses in your area to check out prices so you know about what to price your plants out. In my opinion, the best way to grow your buisness is to have compeditive prices with other greenhouses the size of what you are wanting to have, loyal customer (don't just have customers, build a relationship with them so they will continue to come back to you), make sure to advertise the best that you can. Something else that you might think about doing: We have people who own small landscape buisnesses that come to us at the end of each season to purchase plants when they are marked down super cheap. Then they take care of them through the winter and etc, and use them for their prophet the next season.
3. I don't want to burst you bubble, but small family nurseries don't bring in much money, they do it because they love it, because they're obsessed with plants. Being a grower is very competitive and the ones that turn a profit are huge, which drives out the little guy. I'm from the north but I use to visit the growers south of you in Homestead, and so you should go visit many of these small operations to see how they live and what they grow and how they do it. That will be a reality check I'm sorry to say. I'm a small retail nursery with two small greenhouses and it's hard to make a buck. But I love it - - Good Luck.
4. if your in it for the money forget it. you should do it for the love of plants.