Full-Scale container plant nursery
Run a nursery with greenhouses or shade houses and supply trees, shrubs and perennials to landscapers and retailers.
- $25k-120k
- Full-time
- Own premises
- Licence or permit needed
Estimates for a small start in the US, not guarantees.
Official data
4,105 US businesses with employees in this field, +5.6% in a year
NAICS 424930 “Flower, nursery stock, and florists' supplies merchant wholesalers”. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What it is
A full-time wholesale nursery on leased or owned land with irrigation, potting areas and a greenhouse or shade structures. You grow a wider range of container plants and fill regular orders for trade customers.
Your first three steps
- Visit several working nurseries and talk to local landscapers about which plants and sizes they buy, then draft a crop plan and budget
- Look for suitable land with a reliable water source and check zoning and agricultural use rules with your county
- Apply for your state nursery license and EIN, and set up a first section of the nursery sized to pre-orders from two or three buyers
Who pays
Landscape companies, garden centers, big-box and grocery garden suppliers, property managers, builders and municipalities.
How it makes money
Wholesale price per plant by pot size, plus contract growing for larger buyers. Delivery fees or minimum order sizes can add margin.
Skills that help
- Plant production and pest management
- Scheduling crops and labor
- Sales to trade buyers
- Managing seasonal staff
Watch out for
- State nursery licensing and inspection rules, check with your state department of agriculture
- Water rights, runoff and irrigation rules differ by state and county, verify locally
- Pesticide use may need a licensed applicator, check your state
- General liability, crop and property insurance, plus workers' compensation once you hire, ask a local agent
- Cash flow is slow: plants take months or years to reach sale size, so plan your funding
- Seasonal sales and weather damage can swing income from month to month
Deep research report · US
Everything you need to start: full-scale container plant nursery
Researched with live web search for United States: real startup prices, the licences and rules, what others charge, a break-even example, how to find your first customers and a 30-day launch plan. With sources.
- Startup costs with real prices
- Licences, registration and rules
- Pricing: what others charge
- Break-even example
- Finding your first customers
- 30-day launch plan
- Risks and how to reduce them
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a container plant nursery?
Startup costs are typically estimated at around $25,000 to $120,000, depending on whether you lease or own land, the greenhouse or shade structures you build, irrigation and how many plants you start with. Plants take time to reach sale size, so plan your funding.
How much can a wholesale container nursery earn?
Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $4,000 to $20,000, depending on your plant range, trade customers, pricing and season. Income can swing from month to month with seasonal sales and weather damage, and revenue is not profit.
What rules apply to running a wholesale nursery?
Check your state's nursery licensing and inspection rules with your state department of agriculture. Also check water rights, runoff and irrigation rules locally, whether pesticide use needs a licensed applicator, and insurance such as general liability, crop and property cover, plus workers' compensation once you hire.
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Photo: ThorstenF on Pixabay