Pick-your-own christmas tree farm

Families, couples and friends making a day out of it, plus offices, cafes and small businesses buying trees for display.

A price per tree, often set by height, plus add-ons like wreaths, decorations, tree stands and delivery. Almost all income lands in a few weeks before Christmas.

• Patience and planning for a long growing cycle
• Basic farm work: planting, pruning, weeding, irrigation
• Friendly customer service on busy days
• Simple marketing and social media

• Council planning and approval for visitors, parking and any on-farm sales, which vary by area
• Public liability insurance, plus a plan for crowds, tools and uneven ground
• Drought, heat and bushfire risk, and water access, so check your site and insurance cover
• Rules on chemical use and biosecurity in your state, including any training or licence for spraying
• If you sell food or drinks, check food business registration with your local council
• Trees take years before the first sale, so plan cash flow and consider the cost of land or lease

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $15,000 to $60,000, depending on your site, planting, irrigation and visitor facilities. Trees take years to mature, so also consider the cost of land or a lease and plan your cash flow.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue typically around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on tree numbers, pricing and visitor numbers. Because trees take years before the first sale, plan your cash flow carefully for the early years.

Check council planning and approval for visitors, parking and on-farm sales, plus public liability insurance and a plan for crowds, tools and uneven ground. Also check your state's rules on chemical use, and food business registration if you sell food or drinks.