Yep, we're building a garden center on our place! I've got quite the collection of plants and have been practicing propagating them. I'm getting pretty good at it! Now, we've just got to build the rooting area ~ it needs to be away from everything, the ground covered in plastic and mulch so I don't have to tromp through mud and the bermuda doesn't grow into the pots, and we have to install an automatic sprinkler system.
We've almost got the sprinkler system in the display garden beds, which means we'll be able to plant them soon. And the best part ~ I'm currently designing the koi pond that'll go smack in the middle of it all! I'm thinking of making it long ~ one big pool at the main entrance that goes under the front walkway (cute little bridge over it ~ well, cute WIDE bridge over it ;), then narrowing to snake through the entire display garden and widening into another big pool at the end. That'll be an all-year project.
Speaking of koi, I've been reading up on them for about two years now (actually longer than that, but almost two years "intensively"). We'll be going into town soon to get a few to "practice" on. I've located a seller that sells imports from Japan for a reasonable price that we'll order from once the big pond's done, both butterflies and regular fin. But I'd be more comfortable if the first ones are $5 apiece instead of $50 apiece! LOL!
I've also been reading up on breeding them and raising the fry ~ what to feed them, temperatures, culling, etc. Sounds labor intensive, but fairly simple and straightforward. Heck, I've already had success with the golfish and wasn't even trying. LOL! I'm designing the big koi pond to make that easier. It'll have a big tank at one end where I can put the eggs 'til they hatch and the fry get a decent size (I've got an idea for floating "cages" using window screen and pvc pipe "float" devices to keep the different hatches separate). When they get a bit of size on them (an inch or so, maybe smaller), we'll put them in a mud pond in the pasture, just across the fence from the rooting area. We'll build the mud ponds in such a way that it makes for easy seigning so culling won't be worse of a chore than it is naturally. We'll start out small, with just one hatch maybe, or two small ones, and practice 'til we get in the groove. Worst thing that can happen I figure is we'll make a lot of money selling them as bait! *Snicker!*
Since I've been into water gardening, I've found out that lilies are super easy to propagate, too. Atleast in my SUNNY climate. So I'm amassing them. I've got eight different varieties so far ~ ten more coming in the mail. About half are hardies and the other half tropicals. I've also been collecting other water plants ~ have about 25 different kinds of them. My latest acquisition is the GIANT papyrus ~ the one that gets 8 or 10 feet tall. COOL!
I've also located some wholesale outlets for plugs, liners, pots, etc. Been doing that for about a year now ~ reading through market gardening forums, looking in the Watchdog here, comparing prices, etc. I found a good one for water plants just in case I can't propagate quickly enough ~ lilies for $6 apiece and other water plants $1-$3 apiece (minimum ~ 12 of each variety and $300 total order).
We'll also sell tomato and pepper plants. We might sell seeds and bulbs one day as well. Kenny also wants to sell homegrown tomatoes and peppers, so we may do a little of that as we have extra.
It'll be small at first. I don't want to get in over my head. I figure we'll grow with time and experience. But I'm excited! I've been wanting to do this for five years now, been reading about it and researching that long. I even got a job for almost a year in a local nursery, so have that experience under my belt, too. Even though, I'm nervous. I can't wait 'til the first year's over. By then, I figure I'll know if it's a success or not. I'm thinking success since our overhead will be so low and, not meaning to toot my own horn, but think all my reasearch and experience will pay off ~ I went to a new nursery the other day and fully half of what they had wasn't labelled and half of what was was wrong! It surprised me how much I knew! So I think we'll do good. I hope, I hope, I hope!
