What kind of nursery business should I start?
There are many questions to answer when thinking about beginning a nursery business in Oregon. In your initial planning stage, you will want to determine what kind of business you are going to start. In order to begin to answer that important question, it is necessary to review and understand some of the various types of nursery businesses.
Should you grow only one type, a few types, or an assortment of plants?
As a specialized grower, you have the advantage of becoming an expert in all phases of producing and marketing a few types of high quality plants. Specialization may be a less costly way to start your business. Specialization allows small growers to compete more readily with larger nursery operations (most of which tend to diversity). Also, the small grower is more likely to be growing a particular plant in sufficient quantity to fill buyer orders. The disadvantages of specialization are the advantages of diversification. If the market for your specialty plant(s) becomes "soft," you have nothing else to pick up the slack. As a new grower, you may find an advantage in growing a few kinds of plants at first, expanding this and becoming more diversified as you gain knowledge, experience, and financial strength.