My sister has opened a plant nursery in her front yard, so this is a good time to mention the money making potential in plants.
For me, part of the idea of making money from plants is that I enjoy working with plants. They're so kewl. Seriously, it is quite relaxing work for those of you who, like me, are somewhat of a spaz when we're not working on something that relaxes us. Whatever, the point is that working with something that makes you feel good is totally awesome, only to be out-awesomed by something you enjoy AND you can make money doing it. That's the subject of a future post, finding that sweet spot where your talent, your passion, and financial viability come together ... stay tuned for, "Being on Mission!"
There's one drawback with starting a plant business though. Plants take time. It would really help if you plan ahead ... you know, like get started before you're dead broke. I mean really, plants don't grow overnight. So, start now ... fill that yard up with fruit trees and hardwoods and hedges and Seiko palms and ... all in pots of course. Haha, I just got that.
... listening to YouTube channel .. I'm gonna just go ahead and pulse this a minute ... ah never mind ...haha, never mind the mess. That's definitely "yeehaw". Wow, guess you had to be there ... it was a cooking show ... no, really, I promise.
I'm just throwing the idea out about growing plants. It is a quick little business you can start up with the hardest part being to find wholesalers willing to work with you and get you stock for a price low enough for you to turn a profit. That just takes leg work and research. I thought it was interesting some of the suppliers that my sister found. Houston is an amazing city in that it has no zoning laws. So, right up in a regular neighborhood, she found this really cool high-tech, but family run, grower/supplier.
If you don't live where you can just pop up a business in your front yard, and I assume most of you don't, there's always the option to sell online. You could root cuttings on the balcony of your apartment if that's all you have to work with. If space is limited, try to specialize in something rare / niche market and then market your items online through eBay, Webstore, Amazon, etc.
There's already tons of great YouTube videos out there on how to do plants. If you're too lazy to google it, here are some good links:
1. Grafting fruit trees
2. House Plants from cuttings
3. Rooting tree cuttings
4. Orchids
5. Starting a Plant Nursery
I'm working on a video to show just how easy it is to get some plants going. I have over 50 healthy hedge plants that I pulled up by their roots after a rain. To keep them fresh, I put 20 to 30 of them in a 1 gallon zip-loc bag with some wet paper towels. They kept fine for a couple of days like that until I could pot them. Now, all I have to do is plant them in ever bigger pots and water regularly.
In closing, I have three tips on where to get free stuff you can use in your nursery:
1. Free plastic pots from local landscape businesses. They often have tons built up over the years and if you make friends, you might get a customer and a source of free pots to start your new plants.
2. Free potting material. It's a kill two birds with one stone idea; offer to clean out people's gutters. The composted leaves in gutters is perfect potting mix. I've also thought of offering a clean out service for parking lots and gas stations, but I haven't actually tried that yet. The bonus potential of a parking lot drain is that there may be lost items in there also. Of course, if you can't find free mulch, plan ahead and start a compost pile in your backyard now.
3. Free tree / hedge / ornamental seedlings. While you're scouting for places that you can get free mulch, keep an eye out for plants too. Lot's of interesting things get started near streams. Also, I've noticed that office buildings that back up to a wooded area often have a landscape dumping area. These areas may have all sorts of cool plants that have been uprooted by the landscapers and tossed into the woods. Sometimes these plants survive long enough for a watchful opportunist to benefit.
For me, part of the idea of making money from plants is that I enjoy working with plants. They're so kewl. Seriously, it is quite relaxing work for those of you who, like me, are somewhat of a spaz when we're not working on something that relaxes us. Whatever, the point is that working with something that makes you feel good is totally awesome, only to be out-awesomed by something you enjoy AND you can make money doing it. That's the subject of a future post, finding that sweet spot where your talent, your passion, and financial viability come together ... stay tuned for, "Being on Mission!"
There's one drawback with starting a plant business though. Plants take time. It would really help if you plan ahead ... you know, like get started before you're dead broke. I mean really, plants don't grow overnight. So, start now ... fill that yard up with fruit trees and hardwoods and hedges and Seiko palms and ... all in pots of course. Haha, I just got that.
... listening to YouTube channel .. I'm gonna just go ahead and pulse this a minute ... ah never mind ...haha, never mind the mess. That's definitely "yeehaw". Wow, guess you had to be there ... it was a cooking show ... no, really, I promise.
I'm just throwing the idea out about growing plants. It is a quick little business you can start up with the hardest part being to find wholesalers willing to work with you and get you stock for a price low enough for you to turn a profit. That just takes leg work and research. I thought it was interesting some of the suppliers that my sister found. Houston is an amazing city in that it has no zoning laws. So, right up in a regular neighborhood, she found this really cool high-tech, but family run, grower/supplier.
If you don't live where you can just pop up a business in your front yard, and I assume most of you don't, there's always the option to sell online. You could root cuttings on the balcony of your apartment if that's all you have to work with. If space is limited, try to specialize in something rare / niche market and then market your items online through eBay, Webstore, Amazon, etc.
There's already tons of great YouTube videos out there on how to do plants. If you're too lazy to google it, here are some good links:
1. Grafting fruit trees
2. House Plants from cuttings
3. Rooting tree cuttings
4. Orchids
5. Starting a Plant Nursery
I'm working on a video to show just how easy it is to get some plants going. I have over 50 healthy hedge plants that I pulled up by their roots after a rain. To keep them fresh, I put 20 to 30 of them in a 1 gallon zip-loc bag with some wet paper towels. They kept fine for a couple of days like that until I could pot them. Now, all I have to do is plant them in ever bigger pots and water regularly.
In closing, I have three tips on where to get free stuff you can use in your nursery:
1. Free plastic pots from local landscape businesses. They often have tons built up over the years and if you make friends, you might get a customer and a source of free pots to start your new plants.
2. Free potting material. It's a kill two birds with one stone idea; offer to clean out people's gutters. The composted leaves in gutters is perfect potting mix. I've also thought of offering a clean out service for parking lots and gas stations, but I haven't actually tried that yet. The bonus potential of a parking lot drain is that there may be lost items in there also. Of course, if you can't find free mulch, plan ahead and start a compost pile in your backyard now.
3. Free tree / hedge / ornamental seedlings. While you're scouting for places that you can get free mulch, keep an eye out for plants too. Lot's of interesting things get started near streams. Also, I've noticed that office buildings that back up to a wooded area often have a landscape dumping area. These areas may have all sorts of cool plants that have been uprooted by the landscapers and tossed into the woods. Sometimes these plants survive long enough for a watchful opportunist to benefit.
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