Important Guidelines in Starting Your Own Gardening Business

In every business you want to invest or start with there always be procedures and guidelines you must follow in order to succeed. Some are just go directly without any reliable information gathered that is why in the process they certainly cannot avoid mistakes and problem.

Gardening is a big business, and there are great opportunities for anyone to start up this kind of business. There are many types of gardening like flower gardening, vegetable gardening, herb gardening, water gardening, landscape gardening, and a lot more. Whatever type it may be as long as you know how to make it productive in its natural way then there is no problem about. All you have to do is gather important information on a certain gardening business. Try to focus on a one side first and if your expert enough to do multiple tasks in every different type gardening you should take more study in the field for a higher improvement of the business.

Think of what you are going to sell in your garden.

A good first step is to determine what you will sell. The garden center facilities may contain a permanent wood or steel frame building with retail sales space, office, work area, cooler, storage and restrooms. The area for each should be defined and then totaled to get the size of the building. As most garden centers include a greenhouse, the size and attachment of this is important for traffic flow and checkout. Also included may be a lath house for sun and wind protection of plants, a nursery, display gardens, picnic area and outside storage of bulky materials such as mulches.

Many growers sell other items that are allied with plants. Hardgoods, seeds, fertilizers, mulches and produce entice a potential customer to stop. Pumpkins in October and Christmas trees in December expand the season. Crafts and gift items expand the sales. I know of several operations that added an extensive Christmas shop that provides about half of their yearly income.

Have a proper location

Finding the perfect spot for a garden center may be difficult. It should be near a population center or on a road that has a high traffic count. If not you may have to do considerable advertising to draw customers to your place. Developing a good reputation for quality, variety or specialty products can also help.

A good site has a minimum of 5 acres. This allows for structures, parking and gardens. If production will also be included in greenhouses or outdoor beds, 10 acres or more should be considered.

The site should allow for removal of storm and surface water. A slope of about 2% is ideal as this allows natural drainage without erosion. Sites with steeper slopes will be more expensive to develop. Swales or curtain drains around buildings may be needed to keep the area dry. The floor of buildings should be 6 to 8 inches above surrounding ground level. Runoff from the parking and driveway areas should be diverted away from the buildings but not create problems for adjacent properties.

Acces to utilities and equipments

A minimum of 10 gallons per minute water supply is desirable unless a storage tank is used. This is needed to supply one hose for watering the plants. The water supply should be tested to assure that it is safe for drinking and does not contain any chemicals that will affect the plants.

An adequate electrical supply is needed to handle heating, ventilation and lighting equipment in the garden center and other buildings. A minimum of 100 amps should be installed.

Telephone service is important for receiving calls and connecting to the internet. If you live any distance from the garden center it can also provide a temperature and security alarm.

If the garden center is not located where a sewer system is available, a septic system will have to be installed. This requires percolation (perk) tests to determine soil suitability and the size of the leach field. Septic system installation has to be done by a certified installer.

A unique and impressive landscaping to catch interest of someone every time they drive by.

It's surprising how many garden centers have poor landscaping. Attractive gardens and plantings can draw attention to your business every time someone drives by. It gives the customer ideas on how to use the plants that you have for sale. It also helps to beautify the community.

You can also draw attention to you business by installing large glass windows on the front wall of the garden center building or greenhouses. Use this area to display colorful plants.