If you're interested in plants and love gardening, then you can certainly try your hands at starting your own nursery. What you need is plenty of interest, some space and a source of water. But that's not all. Starting a nursery is like any other business where there is a bit of risk and capital investment involved. There are many other factors which would affect this business.
Firstly, it is understandable that things will be easy for one who is better prepared. A formal horticultural education and training would certainly give knowledge about the ins and outs of all kinds of plants. Or one can acquire the required skills by reading books, through internet or talking to local landscapers and farmers. Having done that one would be in a position to make a plan, a suiting budget and adopt a systematic approach, otherwise the results can be disastrous. Remember you just can't grow anything you like. The soil, season, climate of the region and the needs of the market will determine the kinds of plant you can have in your nursery. You would be more successful if you specialize in plants that are in demand.
Secondly, you need to know the laws of the land and find out if you need a business license, if the regulations permit you to use the land for commercial purposes and to have construction done on it. You might need to check what kinds of insurance you would need, and any other kind of special permits required for proper functioning of the nursery. If you do not have sufficient land of your own, then you need to look for a suitable site and either purchase or take on lease.
Thirdly, you need to understand the market potential and decide what kind of plants you will grow and in what quantities. You've the option to be a wholesale dealer or venture into retail operation. If opting for the former, then you might deal in only a few varieties but will have to grow a large number of plants. Retail nursery people deal with smaller number of plants of a wide variety, having more customers than the wholesaler. To be a retailer, you would need to refine and strongly use your marketing skills, and should've the complete knowledge of everything related to the plants you sell, in order to convince the customers.
The next step would be to build up the nursery. Many kits are available in the market known as the greenhouse kits which can be purchased to start the nurseries. You have an option to harvest the seeds and seedlings from the wild, or buy these from a nursery supplier. Variety of equipments ranging from shovels, containers to a tractor or pickup truck would be needed depending upon the type and quantity of plants you grow. Some plants are strictly grown in greenhouses for the 'start' or initial phase and later they are grown out in containers or in fields. Those who do not have greenhouses purchase the 'start' plants from specialized propagators and raise them.
Small retail nurseries often prefer to specialize in dwarf conifers, trees and shrubs known as bonsai. The landscape and garden centre nurseries target the homeowners and showcase the flowering plants, shrubberies and other small trees suited to the area while the former also provides landscaping service. These nurseries mostly get their products from the wholesale nurseries. Starting and maintaining a nursery is a hard job and requires most of your time but once its up and running it gets easy and you'll enjoy growing your own delicious organic vegetables and herbs or beautiful flowers.
