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Article: I have had so much mail from people wanting to know a sure fire way to sell products they could produce in a greenhouse. I get this same question from people I meet in person. The last one was "What 3 crops could I grow and make a quick profit?" Most of these people have never run a greenhouse even as a hobby, all have never sold plants commercially; a few have never grown anything more complicated than a bunch of purchased geraniums. Quick profits are not known in this industry. Your plants and greenhouses need tending 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. They do not take any days off. 15-hour days are the norm during season. The capital outlay to get enough greenhouse space to support a living wage is staggering. One does not just build a greenhouse, throw some seeds into a tray and voila, instant gorgeous plants. There is a lot of skill required to making everything come out right. Ok, you see all the ads pushing making your living in your own back yard. Ads are out there telling you absurd amounts of money you can make selling hydroponic vegetables. Just because you grow it does not mean you can sell it. You need a strong marketing background to get your product sold, and you better be sharp in order to sell it at a profit. If you are looking to run a wholesale greenhouse, your product better be perfect. Every plant in every tray the same consistent size and quality and ready for delivery at the correct time. Trays delivered to a garden center can go back on your truck as quickly as you unload it with subsequent orders canceled for the season. I can pop out a few bad six packs in my retail center, but this can't happen in my wholesale business Then there is the problem of pests, which seem to invade just before delivery time. Aphids come up here on warm winds from the South. I scout constantly after our first tropical weather day. The news gets worse, aphids bring friends, like thrips. If you are truly sincere about trying to be a professional grower, go and work at a successful commercial greenhouse for at least one year. They are always looking for help.(that statement should tell you something also). After that year, if you still want to do this, get any courses you can under your belt. At this point I hope you know your plants, their names common and botanical and how each needs to be grown. Get all the education you can on floriculture, attend seminars on business planning, accounting, trade shows; go to the Ohio Florists Short Course http://www.ofa.org/sc.html, if you can it is one of the best learning experiences there is. Get up to speed on this country's new plant import laws and free trade, it is an eye opener. Visit every commercial greenhouse you can drive your car to and see what they are doing. Read any of the commercial publications about greenhouse growing. Be aware of how the small to medium growers are being put out of business by the mass marketers. Last but not least, this is a labor intensive, money intensive, low profit margin industry. You have got to love it to last in it.
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