How profitable is a backyard nursery?
wildiris
20 years ago
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sandy0225
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agopamghatten
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How can we make this backyard space more 'elegant'? (pix)
Comments (5)Since you answered your own posting it didn't hang around at the top of the forum list and is moving down pretty quickly - and a lot of people don't look past the top ten, so you may not get much response. But also, others may share my confusion about what you've presented and what you're really asking for. I'm afraid your two pictures have left me baffled as to where the deck is relative to the view of the back of the house, what the topography is (are those piles of dirt or an actual slope?), what the back yard looks like from inside it, and where your property begins and ends. I can't get a sense of the space at all. Finally, I can hear that you're feeling frustrated, but not sure what your primary objective is for the yard - distance view, nice space to be in, something to look out the window at. All that is to say that people can't offer much help unless you can give us/them clear questions and parameters. But here are my general thoughts, for what its worth from a protected zone 8 to unprotected zone 5! Can you create a protected zone with fencing or a hedge (assuming you can find a hedge plant that would survive?) Are there planting techniques that can help with survival, say planting in spring not fall? Can you plant trees outside the zone of the house, say trees that grow to twenty feet, thirty feet away? Finally, while it may take some time to figure out what will grow, plan the layout and the hardscape first (those piles of dirt look like they need retaining to me, for instance). Something amorphous like a wildflower meadow isn't going to look like much other than "junky" or weedy without a frame and a context, which retaining walls would provide. They would also frame and tidy up the distance view of the house. Maybe a few more photos would help. Others may be able to help with plant selection and care, although you may also check in to specific plant forums - tree forum, conifer forum, regional forum for your area, etc - for that. KarinL...See Moreanyone heard of Mike McGroarty's Backyard Nursery
Comments (9)I have been a member of the Backyard Growers for the past 5 years. I even traveled back to Ohio for one of Mike's "Shindigs" (a picnic style get together at his nursery, for members of his group). As a retired attorney, I am wary of most internet offerings, but decided to join the group, knowing that I had a month to back out and get my money back if all was not as promised. Shortly after I joined, I traveled to Ohio to check him out in person. Well . . . he is the real deal, exactly who he says he is. There is nothing phony about that man. He is a genuine expert at growing and marketing what he grows . . . his system works. In person, he talks just like he does in his videos. And he really does keep his pet donkeys around. For me, one of the real benefits of joining the group is having access to the message board for the members. There are hundreds if not thousands of members, some more active than others. If I have a question, issue, problem . . . I can post it on the Board and get good advice from people who know what they are doing. Also, I have access to the Buy/Sell Board, where members sell small plants for prices you can find anywhere else unless you are buying in bulk (a few hundred plants at a time). I was able to build my nursery on a budget because I had access to many, many liner cultivars (young plants) which I potted up and took cuttings from to make more plants, rinse and repeat....See MoreStarting a backyard nursery
Comments (81)Thankyou Mylu for the comments. Yes I do have parking, off street on the road, and an extra two space pad on my driveway. It is tight but doable. From my driveway it is easy to load. I know the open only two days a week is not good, but it is the best I can do for now. Can't give up any more of the day jobs just yet. I have begun to stress that I will make afternoon appointments any day of the week. I cringe at the cost of major advertising. I have been doing classified and made a web site ( free with my DSL and bought a Domain name to direct traffic there ) and put the address in the ad. Then of course there are the business cards and flyers that I have put in some of the local stores that allow that. It isn't news to me, but I have been amazed at how lazy some people are. I live on what amounts to a flag lot on a hill,so you cannot see the nursery from the road. People will find the place and not come down the drive. I have made the upper bed and the drive as attractive as possible to help. Eventually I would like to move to a more suitable business location. I know I am offering people something they do not get elsewhere here, which is knowledge and attention. Once they find me they always come back for more. The cost of land on Maui is astronomical and rising by the second since we have become one of the second home capitols for the rich. In the meantime this is a good place to be for the learning curve and to develope the business. ilima...See MoreBackyard Nursery
Comments (9)I seem to be learning something new every day. Bakersfield is indeed hot and sunny most of the time. We're basically a desert here. I've recently noted that the concrete of the patio absorbs heat, heats the plants and is in effect responsible for withering some of my saplings and preventing germination of some seeds. That happens even with the window screen coverings blocking some of the sunlight. It's like you need to mist constantly to lower the temperatures, but I can't do that right now. I moved all the seed starter cups into shade and to my delight, some of them started sprouting within a day after the move. Just getting them into the lower temps of shade turned them on! You've got to be observant when you start planting seeds and especially with variety. Read up what others on the web have written about propogation of particular seeds on the web. It helps. If I showed you another picture today, everything except for established seedlings has been moved into shade along the fences, building and between those climbing rose bushes and remarkably, with better results. My Canna x Generalis seeds responded almost immediately after being moved to shade and before that, I just could not get them to germinate, even though other people seem to be saying that they are easy to germinate. I've read some stuff about certain seeds, for example, Cyclamen seeds, where the author of the article describes placing the seed starting medium in dark containers under stair steps in deep shadows to get them to germinate before bringing them out into the sun. And Cyclamen are not mushrooms! Go figure?...See MoreEmbothrium
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoian_wa
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
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13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoian_wa
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13 years agolast modified: 9 years agomyfamilysfarm
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoian_wa
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoEmbothrium
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agowildrosepines
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoboggardengirl
8 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
8 years agoRed Berm
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoloewenzahn
8 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
8 years agoloewenzahn
8 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
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8 years agoSarah Combes
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8 years agoGordo309 (Tallahassee FL Zone 8)
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8 years agoloewenzahn
8 years agoTom Petroski
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agozzackey
8 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
8 years agoMy Landscape Guide
8 years agoSuzanne Daly-Galvin
7 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
7 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
7 years agoNicola Bludau
7 years agoHU-20423566
4 years agoSherwood Botsford (z3, Alberta)
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4 years ago
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