Need help on starting a tree growing nursery

Sep 24, 2006 10 Replies

I am retiring this year and hope to start my life long dream of growing trees. I have a 5 acre property in North Phoenix with water. While I am not expecting to get rich doing this, I hope I do not loose my saving and have a moderate income.



I have no experience and I need to learn fast. Could anyone guide me to some websites, groups... Or even if there are professional consulting..



thanks



Any idea where you live?

Any idea how to read North Phoenix, s*it for brains?

Thanks for the heads-up, Bert. What you noticed was called a "mistake".

The OP's first stop should be here:

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Second stop is to look about his area for existing working examples.

S*it for a brain Bill

I think growing cactus would be a better idea. Anyone can become an expert gardener fast if you select plants that grow well in your area and with the current conditions. Have the soil tested in several areas. I suspect your soil is sandy.

At first glance, I would suggest growing palms. Travelers or Triangle .

As an alternative, you might consider leasing your land to a local nursery, might be less hassle for you.

Try posting here;

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Arizonan gardeners and landscapers read here. Also, some local nurseries might be able to help you decide what the future demands could be.

I dunno

Carl

Then you need your extension service first.

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an appointment with the Maricopa Co. office:
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you need to find your small business advisory groups -- small business incubators, SCORE, etc.

The first things I'd start with on the growing side would be soil and water tests. The first things I'd start with on the business side would be a needs analysis. No point in raising a crop you can't sell because Monrovia or such is producing it cheaper.

Kay

great post - I'd say finding a 'niche' or leasing it is the way to go.

Lots of people seem to enjoy the 'pick your own'-type gardens around here. Perhaps you could stage a coupla different crops through the year and have folks harvest their own strawberries, peppers, whatever.

Carl

JoeSpareBedroom wrote: >Mehrzad" wrote: >I am retiring this year and hope to start my life long dream of > growing trees. I have a 5 acre property in North Phoenix.....

Any idea where you live?

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Every day when we feel that you couldn't make a post dumber than you have in the past, you surprise us and convince us that evolution has a long way to go. The OP pre-answered your stupid question in his SECOND sentence. Read before post a reply.

Step 1: get some experience. If you don't know what you're doing, what makes you think you can make a successful business? I suggest taking a job with a nursery and seeing things from the inside.

Many, many businesses fail within a year or two. The ones that succeed do their homework. And get a little bit lucky. And plan to lose money for awhile until they get things off the ground (no pun intended). Since you are dealing with a product that takes years to reach market, you may be looking at a longer window before seeing any sort of profit.

k

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