So You Want to Start a Nursery

Chock full of information and should be required reading for anyone considering the nursery business. Although thorough enough for serious or large scale nurseries, the wisdoms so generously shared in this book are useful, and sometimes applicable to even the smallest backyard nursery. If you are even contemplating starting a nursery, of any size, the best business decision you'll make will be reading this book cover to cover with high lighter in hand. I learned so much from this book, I firmly believe it will pay for itself over and over: by helping me prevent common & potential oversights and mistakes, with time, money and heart ache saving advice, and tips to improve, promote and prosper my business.

Tony Avent owns Plant Delights Nursery, known for its sometimes offensive but always memorable plant catalogs, and the wild selection of unusual plants. Tony's brash, honest, and a straight shooter. If you want to be coddled and told how easy it all will be, look elsewhere as that's not Tony's style. But I laughed out loud nearly every page from his bitingly sarcastic wit and found myself nodding my head as we walked me through the many pitfalls in operating your own nursery, and his reasoning in choosing certain ways to operate over others. The general feeling I get from reading is that if you can make it through this book with your desire to own a nursery intact, then you might just have what it takes to actually operate one. Even if you're just curious about what it's like to own a nursery, like I was, it's an engaging read.

Although this book does contain a bit of information about cultivation of plant life, such as a basic run down of soil , nutrients, and pest/pesticides , it is more focused on the business aspect of running the nursery. Expect to hear about choosing land (buying vs. renting), water sources, laws regarding your land, organizations and licenses to be aware of, forming the company, making a catolouge , employess, insurance, financial figures and such. A decent read with some good points to consider. If you are going into commercial growing and selling it wouldn't hurt to give it a read.

I have been toying with the idea of starting a small nursery and this looked like just what I needed. I have not finished reading this yet but can already tell you it is full of info on dealing with different aspects of the business. It will definitely remove your rose colored glasses and make you see the reality of the business side of a nursery! I don't mean in a bad way but opens your eyes to all sides of a business. If you are seriously considering a nursery business, this may be one to consider reading. The author began and ran a hugely successful nursery business for years and knows the in's and out's.

So You Want to Start a Nursery is a must read for any one who has that little idea niggling at the back of their brain that a nursery might be the thing to bring a little extra cash. Don't think for a minute that you can just stick any old fruit trees into the ground and soon you will have mega money flowing in. WRONG! This book is an eye opener in that you have to find the right area on your property, find out what nutrients your soil needs, research the type of trees are suitable for your area, what kind of fertilizers to use (whether you want to organic or not), what kind of pest control you want to use and when and how often to spray, and one of the most important items is learning how to prune your particular kind of tree. Apple, peach, pear and plum are all different. Also, and not a must, is available water for irrigation. While the trees are small and you don't have too many, buckets with holes drilled in the bottom can be used but you will need to figure out something else if you decide to have very many trees and nice big healthy fruit. This little book goes through all phases and is an eye opener for the budding (no pun intended) fruit tree farmer. It has good sound advice and is a nice addition to your gardening library.

This book is the most well-written book I have come across in this area. Very informative and written as if he were sitting right across from you - sort of reading your mind that is full of questions. I have been researching the greenhouse business for several months and have not found anything even remotely as beneficial as the information he has covered. The good, the bad, and the ugly - are all found within. No fluff - the true-to-life experiences of how things can and do go wrong - with additional what has worked and what not so well.....Very insightful!

Anyone who is seriously daydreaming about starting their own nursery business should read this book. Things always look so easy from the outside, but Tony Avent (I love that guy for the BEAUTIFUL gardens he creates and then shares with all of us)lets us peek behind the Wizard's curtain and see that it's a LOT of work! Great book for those of us who see what Mr. Avent and his wife Michelle have created (Plant Delights Nursery) and FOOLISHLY think ...this doesn't seem too hard; maybe I can do this too!

Why only 4 stars: I purchased this book with the idea of STARTING a nursery. The classical would-be businessman who wants to start a business from scratch, being not wealthy enough to start a fully-fledged nursery with all the equipment installed and operating in a short while. My expectation was how to start a small business using the space in my yard, and learn to proceed from that point onward, step-by-step. To my surprise, the author has proceeded too quickly to the automation process, the climate control, the mansion-sized greenhouses and all the costly equipment of a factory employing dozens of employees. This has made me lose track too quickly and I didn't follow it up. Why 4 stars: After all, the book describes the challenges of running a nursery in a clear and realistic manner. The wealthier-than-myself reader who has enough land to set-up one, will find this book quite useful. I use organic approaches which largely eliminate most of the pests and diseases, but if you're the more conventional grower, the book may still help you to understand the challenges involved.