65¢ Per Square Inch. That’s $93.60 in One Square Foot!
And you can do it over and over and over.
Does the idea of growing and selling small plants in your backyard seem like an intimidating venture for you? I know for a lot of people it does because they look at what I am doing and think to themselves, that’s crazy! There’s no way that I am going to do all of that work, nor do I have room for all of those plants.
So I’d like to simply this for you and try and put it in perspective for you.
Mike and Pam’s Dining Room Table
Much to my wife’s dismay I have adopted the dining room table as my work station. We’ve got an office upstairs with computers and all the gizmos it takes to run a business, but when I’m writing or answering questions etc. I like the dining room table because . . . there’s a nice big bay window and from my seat at the table I can see the street, people walking down the sidewalk, three beautiful Japanese maples and my prized Lavender Twist Redbud tree. And all too often I have the dining room table all junked up with the “things” I need to work. Calender, calculator, pencil sharpener, tape measure, coffee cup etc.
I’m showing you our dining room table because on the table Pam has these place mats and I was looking for a point of reference so the place mats it is.
This place mat is 18″ by 11″. That’s 198 square inches. When I am rooting cuttings, each cutting gets about one square inch of space in the propagation box. That’s all they need, one square inch. They do just fine with only that much room.
I bought this bundle of Gold Flame Spirea from one of my newer customers down in Clinton, Tennessee. Actually I bought four of these bundles from Nathan and he asked me to let him know if the plants arrived okay. So here they are Nathan, you did a great job packing them and you did a great job rooting them. I paid Nathan 60 cents per rooted cutting, he set the price, I happily paid it. I bought a total of 200 of these from him and he shipped them to me in the small box that you see at the top of this page. Nathan just picked up $120.00 for a box of rooted cuttings that he grew right in his backyard!
One hundred and twenty dollars for what some would call twigs!
As you can see the cuttings that Nathan sent me are well rooted and I promise you, as soon as we pot these up they will take off growing like crazy. I’ll probably be able to sell them for $4.97 next spring. Are you beginning to see why growers like me love to buy from other growers?
This Emerald Green Arborvitae cutting was rooted in one square inch of space. The cutting gets one square inch, but the roots as they develop they share the space below the surface. So even though the roots may spread a little wider than one square inch, everything outside of that one square inch is shared with the cutting next door. So . . . you can root one cutting per square inch.
Mike, Do the Roots Get Tangled Up?
Good question and the answer is no. We always use a rooting medium that is loose, not dense, so as you remove the cuttings from their little propagation bed the rooting medium falls away and the cuttings are easily separated from one another.
How Long Does it Take for the Cuttings to Root?
Another good question. It varies from plant to plant but many things will root in four weeks, some things take six weeks, possibly eight weeks depending on what time of the year you stick the cuttings and I explain all of that in great detail in my Backyard Growing System training.
Back to the Place Mat on My (Pam’s) Dining Room Table.
I showed you a photo of that place mat so you can get a true visual of how much room you really need to do this. So here are the facts.
1. Each cutting needs one square inch of space.
2. Each place mat on our dining room table is 198 square inches.
3. So in an area the size of a table place mat you can root approximately 198 cuttings.
4. You can make a propagation box out of a plastic tote from Walmart.
5. Each cutting that you root and sell should sell for at least 65¢ per rooted cutting.
6. Growers like me buy hundreds and hundreds of rooted cuttings at one time.
7. In my Backyard Growing System training I show you many different ways to sell the plants that you grow.
8. Sorry, that training is not available in book stores, Amazon, or any other place because it’s part of a package that only I sell. I keep the information in that guide very close to my chest which is why only I sell it.
9. Arithmetic. In the area the size of a table place mat you can root 198 cuttings, each cutting sells for 65¢ each, that’s a total of $128.70. My training, “Backyard Growing System” is only $57.00!
10. You can do it over and over and over. If you have the room you can use a much larger area and root even more cuttings. I do thousands at a time. Often times making more than one thousand cuttings in a day!
11. If I’m so smart and know how to root thousands of cuttings at one time, why do I buy rooted cuttings from other growers? Great question! Because there are sooooo many plants that you and I can grow and sell I am always buying more so I can expand my inventory. I spend thousands of dollars per year on plants for my nursery. As a matter of fact, right now there is a box of plants in my garage that I paid over $2,000 for! As soon as I’m done writing this I have to take them over to the nursery and put them to bed for a few weeks. I won’t pot them up until it warms up. It’s still snowing here in Ohio. (march 17th)
Okay, those are the facts. You can grow thousands of rooted cuttings at one time and you can sell them for 65¢ each. You can make $128.70 in an area the size of a Table Place Mat and my training only sells for $57.00!
Can your system work in Europe? (I live in France) If you do have members in Europe – what, if any, are the disadvantages for them?
Sally,
People love and buy plants all across the world and Europe should be a no brainer. We’ve had many members in many different countries that have done well with this.
I tryed annebel in water totes cut a hole in b south side 8 inch sand in late september in October had roots let you know how that works in northern wisconsin
That’s awesome Louis!
Hi I try some Annabelle cuttings out in open in late September I have over 50% rutted I work at a nursery for over 25 years we do summer cuttings we only get that much to root with a lot of watering and we have a timer water system a lot more work all I did was see your post I cant thank you enough
Louis,
Don’t do them in September, do them in late November. September is too early.
Hello mike i forgot to ask earlier, i live south florida, what kind of japanese maple tree is good for this hot weather? Thank you
Arianna,
Here you go; http://japanesemaplelovers.com/growing-japanese-maples-in-hot-climates/
Hello Mike, i bought your $7 dollar book i think is awsome, thank you for sharing all that information, im very excited, im young 29 with 3 daughter’s and we are exited about this business, i love plants, all of them, i enjoy doing all day long, so why no traying this awsome business idea, some people have try to put me down with the idea, but i have high hopes and beside i love gardening anyways so i dont loose nothing. I live in miami so im hoping to do great, i have over 200 cuttings already i started 3 days ago, and more thank 300 seeds that already are coming up for perennials and herbs, tomorrow i got a lot more cuttings to do but im excited, and your ideas have really inspired me , thank you.
Arianna,
I think that’s awesome! You have to expect friends, family, co-workers and others to give you a million reasons why this won’t work and why it can’t be done. Yesterday I held my first plant sale of the season. Today I’m up at 5:00 to get ready for day two. Yesterday we had an awesome day and it was a Friday. Two weeks ago one of our 22 year old members from Tenn held his first plant sale and had a $7,000 weekend. Is that typical? No, I won’t say it’s typical because it depends on how hard you work at something. I’ve written about this young man before, he’s the one that sold me a box of Gold Flame Spirea two years ago. So anyway, make sure you test drive our members area. Any time you get discourage those people are there to help you and keep you on track. And I’m there just about everyday engaging with the members. Yesterday I had two members show up at my plant sale. Our Backyard Growers Members area is awesome! Learn all about it here:
http://backyardgrowers.com/join
Hi Mike,
If I bought the university is all this material covered in that course or this is in addition?
Mike,
The university is all you need and you’ll want to at least test drive the members area. Those things are exactly what you need. I come here and try and answer the questions that I can, but I spend hours and hours and hours in the members area answering questions and of course the other members are extremely helpful. Our Backyard Growers Members area is awesome! Learn all about it here:
http://backyardgrowers.com/join
Hi Helen,
If you happen to live in the greater Seattle area please let me know. I’d be happy to look at your plants.
Thank you
Mike, you inspire confidence! I have a yard full of bushes and plants that I know would make good cuttings. I just haveto make myself do it,since I know I have enoughto make big money. I have over 200 Rhodies but don’t have any luck starting them from cuttings. Kathy
I am interested in doing this, but does your book tell where I Buy the plants to get started.
Grace,
My program comes with a directory of wholesale suppliers where you can buy all kinds of plants at crazy low wholesale prices.
Mike, I am having problems trying to root blue berry bushes from cutting ingthe spring
I take a cutting about 6 to 8 inches long and dip ithe end in rutoneand put the cutting in a mixture of 1/2 sand and 1/2 peetmose. of a dozen cuttings only maybe 2 root. Whatmight I be doing wrong.
Thank you
Francis Begani
Francis,
Your cuttings are too long, make them 4 to 5 inches. Don’t do them in the spring, do them in June like this http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Where can I get the blueberry plants?
Hello Mike,
I would like to know where the secret plant sellers are located. Are they all in the U.S.A? Are they in Australia also?
Craig,
The majority are in the U.S., we have some in Canada. We have members in Australia but we don’t have a list of suppliers for Australia.
Thanks Mike.
I am enjoying your blog and video’s, thank you.
COMPOST…I have never before but really want to compost. My husband built me a bin to put the vegetable and fruit and tea bags and coffee and eggs and grass and twigs in …I am using a bin because we live on a farm and we have lots of wild life and I don’t want them in it.
we have horses and cows and a llama…how can I safely use this. manure?
I have one pile from last fall. and a new one from this winter? thanks lisa
Mike, I love the info on your posts! What I’d really like to do is buys some of those Japanese maples from Nathan. I’ve got @ 25 started myself, and ready to sell, but would like to purchase more. Do you have a list of available sellers?
Thanks,
Jerry
Jerry,
I only share wholesale sources with those who have my backyard growing system. Thanks for asking.
Mike It is amazing what you do! I love it. Thank you for all the inspiring things you have showed us thorough out the years. I can’t imagine someone giving you a hard time in what you share with us!! Bless for your hard work! Have a wonderful day!! And thank’s for showing us your lovely Donkey’s!! 🙂
Mike
I saw your blog about growing red Japanese maples from seeds . My question is when you look at the red Japanese maples at the nursery they just say red Japanese maple , are there more than one variety & if so how do you know that the seeds will be true red maples? I am planning to get your book as soon as I get the money, right now money is extremely tight.
Marshall,
If it’s a Japanese maple tree and it has red leaves all summer long it’s a good candidate to collect seeds from. There are many varieties of Japanese maples, somewhere between 250 and 1,000 different kinds. In the garden center you are likely to see Bloodgood, that’s a great tree to collect seeds from. But you can’t call the seedlings Bloodgood because they are just seedlings. If you want a true Bloodgood it has to be grafted.
Mike I usually read all of your material that I receive by email. I know its very possible to grow plants and make money. I’m sure your system is great and would love to give it a try but I just can’t make myself pay that $47 we can’t spare. I hope that at some time in the future you could have a sale on your book so we might be able to enjoy growing for profits also. Keep on writing.
Thanks, Rick
Rick,
I’ll answer that this way. How bad do you want to be successful at this or anything? As my grandmother used to say, “Honey, if there’s a will there’s a way.” You can easily earn $47 in just two hours doing yard work for a neighbor.
I bought the dvd set. I was wondering if there is any time line of what to do each month or season?? Thank you
Mike, I live in the Texas panhandle, drought zone. Can your backyard gardening be a successful project in this dry environment? And what do you think the prospects would be for people actually purchasing plants at this time? I know, I think it is pretty useless to plant anything new right now. I live in a small town and have to use city water. The water only seems to keep something alive, not make it really thrive. Our vegetable garden has been a bust the last few years, I think because of the extreme heat. We planted 20 tomato plants last summer and only got about 4 tomatoes….pretty discouraging for gardening. Your thoughts?
Sue,
We have a lot of successful backyard growers in Texas. Look at the garden stores in your area. They are certainly selling a lot of plants. you just have to grow what does well in your zone.
Can’t recognise some of the plants you talk about & as I am in am in an area just South of Perth Western Australia I wonder how the books etc you refer to can be of use. We do not have the snow you have but the summer gets up to 40C and where I am we lacked rain over about 90 days but some fell today – about 10 drops but they predict a start to autumn this week.
I am a keen gardener with veges and shrubs , mostly native to WA the latter. Am keen on propagation techniques but with our plants & conditions.
Thank you for the info for $47 on growing cuttings. I have a small Japanese tree in my front yard and delayed trimming it back until this spring so I could use the trimmings as my first venture in the rooting business. I have prepared about 2 card table sized areas in my patio to start. I am waiting for your information and where to buy my initial supplies for the estimated 2000 plants to start.
Thank you for sending me your frequent emails.
Jack Bond
Jack,
It’s great to have you aboard. Enjoy the ride, the rest of us sure are!
I like to read about your transplant and other things
How come my Peonies haven’t bloomed for two years? My Dad has had the same problem and I’ve heard others here near the Seattle area have had the same problem. Love your stuff! Keep it coming! THANK YOU, Jama Parsons, a brown thumb trying to turn green!!
I ordered your kit and all I received was the book Small Plants Big Profits from Home and the two DVDs.
Tanya,
Those are the physical products, everything else is digital, you should have gotten an Email with details about how to access the rest of the products. Contact me at [email protected] with your name and address and we’ll get you straighten out.
Hi Mike. I was just wondering if your book :Small Plants, Big Profit’s from home is still for sale. We are at our wits end with the bills rolling in and no extra income. I think this is our way out of trouble. I love my garden and have always propogated my own plants and layed my own seeds for our vegies but never to a large scale. You are truly an inspiration and if only more of us would do what you are. Living your dream would be my dream.
Cheers, Janelle.
P.S. We have had a terrible summer over here in Australia but i still managed to save all our roses,yeah.
Janelle, my backyard growing system will be available soon. It’s not always on the market, when we get busy with other things we pull it off the market.
Does the info in this book work in Alabama.I have hard time getting fruit trees to produce? Thanks,Tom
Tom,
Plants are plants and they respond the same no matter where they are growing. We have growers all over the U.S., many in Canada and a number of other countries. If your fruit trees are not producing, there’s probably a logical reason.
great idea but what about doing so outside USA
THANK YOU
Dear Mike,
I was reading above about DVD’s that are supposed to come with your book. I bought your book, but don’t remember getting any DVD’s. Am I mistaken, or did something not get sent to me?
Thanks
Gail Huffstutler
I ordered this years ago and went through a divorce right after getting it, so in the move it was lost.
I get your news letters and I would like to know if this is something I can do as a single mother to help make ends meet? I can’t afford to order something that will cost me a lot to start up, or take a lot of time from my daughter. She loves the garden so I think she would be a big help and can learn a lot.
Thanks
Deborah,
Only you can make that decision. I don’t make outlandish promises. I know that small plants sell and we have lots and lots of customers that sell them successfully. You can start at your own pace, grow it as quickly as you like, or as slow as it takes. Most importantly is where you want to be a few years from now.
What format is your book? Is it printable? I don’t have a computer that can download a ebook. I’ve been wanting your book for a while and hope you can extend your window for selling it. Or if you can let me know when it will be availableagain in the near future. Thank you!
Katherine,
The book that comes with my Backyard Growing System is a physical book as are the two DVDs, the other information products are pdf files.
I live in Vancouver, Canada. I wondered if you have places in Canada that I can purchase things like cuttings, from.
It is probably hard to get things that have soil, or even soilless mediums, across the Canadian border.
Can you enlighten me about that?
I also have a US address that I can ship to, but I still have to get the products across the border myself.
Have you done any work relating to forms that need to be filled out or certifications that I would need to produce that would help me import those plants or cuttings?
Thanks.
Gordon,
This comes up a lot and I do have sources in Canada that you can buy from as well as growers in the U.S. that routinely ship to Canada. There is paperwork when plants cross the border but these growers are very familiar with all of that and ship to Canada on a regular basis. But I am always looking to add more members in Canada so other members can buy rooted cuttings and other small plants in small quantities from other members. In the wholesale directory that comes with my system we do have a number of Canadian suppliers listed in the wholesale directory.
I live in Pinetop Az. an I’ve been told our growing season is very short. I am a beginner gardner and LOVE to do it but haven’t been very successful yet because we have lots of pines and only have a couple areas that get full sun. I work full time and have 4 kids. We receive about 1-6 feet of snow in the winter and have summer monsoons from July-Aug.. I live on approx. 1/2 acre. I am looking to supplement my income as well as landscape my own property. Do you think this system would work for me?
Nicole,
Of course it will work for you. Your climate probably isn’t all that different than ours.
Hey Mike, thanks for this great information. I just had a quick question. Where would I sell rooted cuttings? Where I live (Just north of Chicago), there isn’t really much interest in rooted cuttings, and I have asked people. Where could I sell these, or how could I market them to sell?
Thanks,
James
James,
There’s always a market for rooted cuttings and other small plants. That’s why I sell this system, so understand the industry better, how it works and who the buyers are. I promise you I have customers from different parts of the country selling rooted cuttings and other small plants to people in your area. I see it everyday.
What is this advanced email course??
Do you mean the digital offerings you have listed?
Ralph,
Those who buy my backyard growing system receive an Email course along with all of the other materials that come with the system. The email course contains a great deal of information that I do not share on my websites.
Well Mike, I finally took the plunge! I have considered doing this for years and have subscribed to your newsletter off and on. I am excited to begin my new venture. I plan to start small and see how it goes. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
DeAnna,
You are welcome and thank you for joining our ranks as a Backyard Grower. Have fun! This really is a blast.
Hi mike, I love gardening , but I’m going to have to wait until I have some extra money, most likely after Christmas . I’m on workmans comp, going on 2 years. Gag! I live in Reno which is like an upper desert. We have snow right now. I hope your stuff will be available next year. Merry Christmas Lynette
Lynette,
I’m not going anywhere, been here doing this for 15 years now.
HI Mike,
I would like to by the backyard growing materials but will not be able to do so until next week sometime when I get paid. Would you be able to set one aside for me? I will be paying by debit card…it will be before next Friday.
I have enjoyed your many videos and emails through the year I have been a subscriber. I have enjoyed getting to “know” you and a little about your family.
I think I actually met you one time when we came to the nursery in Ohio (I lived in Mentor, OH) when my husband and I bought plants from you. That was way long before you were doing this, I think, back in 2001.
I am getting ready to move to Georgia, and build a small greenhouse on our 14 acres and get going with growing plants! I can’t wait!!!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Joy Glasser
[email protected]
Dear mike, I have been following your website/newsletter/videos/blog for some time now, and I am a huge fan! My (80 yr. old) father-in-law suffered a stroke in November 2010 which left him with both speech and right sided impairments. After 3 weeks at the hospital and 2 months at the rehab center, he was finally able to come home to another 2 months of outpatient and in home rehab therapies. The construction company I was working for was in the middle of layoffs and downsizing and I took the layoff to be able to be there everyday thru it all with him. His yard had always been his sanctuary. Since his speech had been affected to such a degree he spent an even greater amount of time “tinkering” around the yard. This was around the time I found your site. He and I started taking cuttings from all of his many shrubs and trees and “rooting” them in one of your rooting box designs. Many of which did great and we were able to start potting them up and even planted some around his landscaping. This gave us many hours of enjoyment and wonderful therapy/rehab! Thank you for that. Unfortunately we lost him in Dec. of 2013. I am now caring for my mother-in-law as she is suffering from ever increasing dimentia. She too has taken to tinkering in the yard where he left off. My father just turned 77 is in average to declining health.( I think due to boredom). He lives just 5 minutes away from my in-laws house and owns 3 1/4 acres in the middle of town. He too has a garden and has been spending more time in itthis last year. Many of the extras that my father-in-law and I started have gone to his place. He has become interested in this backyard nursery stuff of yours as well. We had come to the decision that his property would be a great place to start this business rolling. I had been disappointed to see you we’re no longer offering your program, to then be delighted to see you we’re offering it thru Christmas. This was going to be what I got my father for Christmas. My wife has been the sole financial provider since I took over caring for our parents. Needless to say..the budget has been bent to damn ne’er broken. Her job pays at the end of each month. I have shared all of this, so you fully understand my level of EXTREME frustration when I happen to see your email this evening about today being the last day to get your Backyard Nursery program. And I hope you will understand when I say ARE YOU FLIPPING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!. I understand you have no idea what’s going on in the lives of your fans out her in cyber land and I do not know what your business plans are for the future, but may I just say DANGIT(only with an mm instead). I may be the only one out here that feels this way but when you say it’s here for us to purchase for Christmas….well it ain’t Christmas yet! Very disappointing Mike. Anyhow, thanks for letting me vent. I will continue to look forward to your emails , newsletter, blog and videos(at least in awhile). Honestly, have a great set of holidays, and God Bless!! P.S. I will be looking forward to you releasing your system again in the unknown future..or maybe to something “new” that you are working on to replace your current product. Thanks again for the good and the bad. Take care. A true fan, Troy
Troy,
As soon as you can swing it just mail us the $47.00 and make sure to include an Email address and I’ll make sure you get the product. Mail to; McGroarty Enterprises Inc., P. O. Box 338, Perry, Ohio 44081
I live in Quebec, Canada. If I buy your book and DVD’s, can I use the same information for my geographic situation ? Thank you !
Anne Marie
Anne Marie,
I have many customers in Canada and much of Canada has climate much like Ohio. You’ll be fine.
DEAR MIKE MY BEST WISHS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY I HAVE ORDERD YOUR BOOK TODAY AND INTEND ON STARTING MY RIVERWEST FARM. IN PORTERFIELD WIS ON 8 ACRE S OF THE BEST SANDYLOAM I HAVE EVER SEEN THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INSPIRATION AND HELP TBE BEST47 BUCKS I HAVE EVER SPENT!!! PEACE LOVE LAVALAMPS
Tomm,
It’s great to have you aboard! Wishing you incredible success.
Mike, every time I receive a e-mail from you I get a double one,just thought I`d let you know, YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, FROM THE SULLIVAN FAMLY.
PS/I ENJOY ALL YOUR WORK AND VIDEO`S MUCH.MIKE THIS IS FROM IRISH MAN TO ANOTHER MAN TO ENETHER. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK .
I seem your book on growing plants in your back yard recently Inowent thru brain surgery and can on longer drive so I can’t work we have a large garden lots of land and I think this can be just what we’re looking for God knows we’re not afraid of work. Thanks David.
David,
I think you’d be amazed at the number of people we have doing this that have all kinds of disabilities. You can start as small as you want and watch it grow.
When you say your taking it off the market in a few days, are you saying it won’t be available after the first of next year?
Jedd,
This product has been off the market since fall. I just brought it back for those who wanted it for Christmas. When exactly I’ll offer for sale again I’m not sure. We have a lot going on with plants and stuff and it’s difficult to do too many things at once.
Mike,
My son and I live off $882/month. I am saving to purchase your back yard growing system. I can’t wait, to have enough saved to get it until then keep the wonderful information coming. Its wonderful to read your emails.
A fan,
Julie
Hi Mike,
I have been following you for a little while now and I had the backyard garden book downloaded to my phone and it was stolen how do i go back and retrieve it again. was loving the wealth of information it had in it. I am also saving my money to get your Backyard Growing System hopefully soon.
Signed
Rea,
Just re-subscribe to the newsletter on this site and that will give you access to that book.
MIKE, WELL AFTER READING ALL THE ABOVE TESTIMONIES, I AM READY TO “TAKE THE PLUNGE”, AFTER BEATING AROUND THE BUSH FOR SEVERAL MONTHS!
WHEN AVAILABILITIES COME UP AGAIN, COUNT ME IN, BUT, IN THE MEANTIME I WOULD LIKE TO GO TO OUR LOCAL NURSERY AND BUY A COUPLE OF PLANTS TO GET STARTED BUT HOW DO I KNOW WHAT IS PATENDED?
WILL IT BE MARKED WITH THE “R” SIGN ? I DON’T WANT TO GET IN TROUBLE FROM THE START.
Hi Mike! I have read your emails for years and really like your advice. My question is ,do I have to have a nursury license and city business lic in order to buy and sell plants if I buy your program? I am 71 yrs old and am a Master Gardener. I have a home made green house with lots of stuff . If we have a lic then we need to keep records and file income tax on it ,right? I did buy your program once and chickened out and sent it all back to you. Hope you can reply to this. Thanks,Dee
Dee,
Keep in mind, income tax is paid on actual income. If you are reinvesting in your business you won’t owe any income taxes until you take money in the form of profit out of your business. At that time there would be income tax due. But just like any pay check that you’ve received in your life, you get to keep the bulk of your income and only pay a percentage for the taxes that are due. Record keeping is easy. Just keep track of how much money you spend on the business each year (expenses), then keep track of all that you sell (income). The difference is profit and that is the only part that is taxable.
In the United States and most other, probably all, other countries as well, we pay taxes on our income.
Right now you are buying all of your plants and other gardening supplies with after tax money. If you start a business many of those things if used in the business would be considered an expense and tax deductible. But of course, I am not offering legal or tax advice here, I suggest you speak to professionals about that. A tax professional can really enlighten you about much of that.
Hi Mike,
I am in India. I am reading your posts regularly. I suspect that your plants are all suited to the cold countries. India is warmer and will these nursery tips work here? I live in the southernmost part and the temperature ranges from 20 degree C to 36 Degree C. The climate is humid also. What should I do? Will the Japanese maples grow here?
Johny,
The gardening tips that I share where will work just about anywhere with the slightest adjustments. The plant selections will change, but plants all pretty much respond to the same things.
Hi Mike,
I am in India. I am reading your posts regularly. I suspect that your plants are all suited to he cold countries. India is warmer and will these nursery tips work here? I live in the southernmost part and the temperature ranges from 20 degree C to 36 Degree C. The climate is humid also. What should I do? Will the Japanese maples frow here?
Thanks
Johny E K
Hi Mike –
Let me start out by saying that I have been following your blog for quite some time –
& enjoy learning new things about gardening topics from a variety of sources…
With such a vast variety of plants, soils, bugs (the GOOD, the BAD & the EVIL lol)
& techniques… can anyone EVER know everything there is to know about gardening?!
I have considered buying your Backyard Growing System Collection
(& even previously attempted to, but had issues with the site…)
As a member of our County Master Gardeners & another non-profit Garden Club –
I donate HUNDREDS++ of plants every Spring for our Annual Fundraising Plant Sale as well as to Friends, Family, Town & Park projects throughout the season…
(Last Fall another MG & I started a sizable Butterfly Garden in the park as well –
all the plants came from my yard)
I LOVE sharing!
(and yet still have soooo many to spare)
BUT – wouldn’t mind raising some money for our Pond Restoration!
It is not maintaining it’s water level – so weeds & maintenance are a MAJOR problem –
which then equals MAJOR “eyesore”!
It is only 90 x 110 feet – but liners aren’t cheap!!
Soooooo Anyway –
Do you only buy rooted cuttings?
I have a variety of plants – (various stages of growth)
I also have Everbearing Raspberry, and HUNDREDS+ of Junebearing Strawberry plants…
Look forward to hearing from you!
Thinkin’ Spring, always
Brenda
Brenda,
What I buy most are liners which are rooted cuttings that have been grown for one season or the better part of a season. But I also buy a lot of rooted cuttings. Primarily I’ll buy just about anything that I can get for $2.00 or under so I can still sell them at $4.97. I only buy from those who have my system, really that’s only fair.
Mike I just have a question, I am ordering your Small Plants Big Profits kit and I was also about to order your Easy Plant Propagation soft cover book but do I need both? Is all of the info that is in the Easy Plant Propagation already in the Small Plants Big Profits kit because I seen that you do have a section in the kit on all of that.
Travis,
With the Small Plants, Big Profits from Home system you do get a digital copy of the Easy Plant Propagation Book. Many people prefer to have a printed and bound copy but that’s up to you. But it is in the kit in pdf form.
For kicks, I was looking around on the internet for Kousa Dogwood, and saw many other sellers of small plants. I don’t see how one can make it worthwhile financially, at least here. In addition, if one sells the plants from one’s driveway, you have all sorts of people coming to your house, “casing the place,” if you get my drift. Just thought I’d throw that out there…I tried selling something using one of the free sites and some of the people who showed up were pretty scary, imo. Mike’s site here is great and I really appreciate the info but sellers should be careful.
Hi, I am soo enthused by Mike & the plant rooting system. How do you get the word out to buyers, that you have plants for sale? I’m on disability & this is a hobby of mine, rooting, experimenting with everything I come in contact with, mainly growing & landscaping for my own yard. It’s fascinating collecting seeds from fruits, clippings from bushes & trees that I pass and find it fun. I can’t sell on sites like eBay or Amazon because of the new IRS tax rules on accumulating income as you’ll have to report it. So, where & how do I get this hobby of mine into action?
Thanks anyone…
Carrington, my system, http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm, is loaded with strategies for selling plants. And of course I’m not familiar with you disability etc. but a person is only taxed on profit. So the more you reinvest to grow your business you could offset the income so the amount of taxable income is reduced. Most people on disability are allowed to earn some money but I’m sure it varies greatly.
Where do I find the message board,to right comments, besides using one of your answers from a customer.
Paula,
If you have my Small Plants, Big Profits from home system then you should have all of that information if you gave us your Email address when you ordered. In the Backyard Growers Ecourse that comes with the system you get all of those details.
I purchased the Small Plants, Big Profits Growing System yesterday. However, the Ecourse was not included. Is that something I will receive later? You state that this is where we would be able access the message board. Just wondering how I can do that.
Linda,
The ecourse will come to you automatically starting in the next day or two and continues for a number of weeks. In those messages you will receive a great deal of information. Everything you need to get started.
Hi Mike,
i am 14 and live in the Isle of Man. I am trying to start a backyard nursery but all the plants i have to sell are marguerites and even they are tall and straggly (i am going to cut them back eventually). I really want your help i can’t find any supplier who supplies plant seeds and plants that are worth growing. Also i’m super low on cash so its hard to pay for stuff i need. Is it OK to ask friends and family if i can take cutting of their plants?. I have a friend (with a huge garden) who loves to propagate plants so would it be OK to ask her to propagate some plants for 50P each. Really want your Backyard Nursery Package but can’t afford it.
Tom Corlett.
Hi Mike,
This sounds wonderful but does the IRS eat up your profit?
Taxes? That depends on what tax bracket you are in. We all have to pay taxes on our income no matter how we earn it. But as a small business you can deduct your expenses and you can easily defer income by reinvesting in your business. If you sell $500 worth of plants and use that income to buy another $500 worth of plants that you can grow on and resell at a later date, you would have no taxable income until you sell those plants. And of course by then they’ll be worth a lot more than what you paid for them. This can be a fairly quick way to grow a backyard savings. I sure have!
Sorry Mike, didn’t see that you already left me a comment. Pam
Hi Mike,
I have been reading your website for some time now and always enjoy. My question is this….I only have a tablet (which I am getting rid of as soon as the contract is over in May of ’14) and cannot print from it. When I get my new computer will you resend all the digital stuff to me again at no charge? Thanks, Pam Mcnamara
Pam,
We can do that. But you’ll get an Email with the link, just save that Email in your Email account and you can access it any time you want. But if you need to write to the office make sure to include your full name and address so Amber can find you in the database.
Mike, since joining your email list and getting all of the info on plant propagation, I got the bug when I was seeing that plants I got on-line were overgrowing their locations. Being sandy soil, topped with rich humus, those small 2″ pot originals were now 18″ box size, and starting to get stressed in our heat here. They were all originally planted 24″ apart along our driveway, but after only two years had filled in. I dug them up, one by one, separated each cluster of roots, and ended up putting those in 6″ pots, at least 20 FROM EACH PLANT! These are Scabiosa, Coreopsis, and Forsythia. Had replanted almost half, adding to gardens that didn’t have them, and before planting them all, held a yard sale of only household items and tools I no longer needed. 5 people that came began to ask about all the potted plants I had sitting along the driveway and gardens. There was 300 still in pots! Then they started BIDDING! I ended up selling them all for $5.95 EACH!
Oh, the pots? They were given to me by my neighbor that had replanted their entire yard with Lavender, around 100 of them, added to those that for an unknown reason (now known) I had been saving even though my wife kept telling me to get rid of them. In my case, I had to start replanting and reusing the pots as I went to make them available again.
Now I’m planning on NEXT YEAR, and looking for more pots!! And my wife, well, she doesn’t question me when I save something garden related any longer! I’ll be removing our skylights in the next few weeks, weather permitting, and reusing them to make cold boxes! Lets see, each one is 20″ by 36″, that’s 720 square inches each, times 4 is 2,880 square inches. Bare root plants using one square inch each equals…….OH BOY!!!
Nice Job Larry! Good luck on selling all of those plants!
Hi Mike,
I’ve been trying to root clippings from a Dog wood tree for quite some time, with no luck. This particular tree has sentimental value, so I would really like to get some off springs. Any advice would be very helpful.
Thanks.
Gene
Green Cove Springs
Florida
Gene,
Make sure you do this now while the wood is still soft, and do a lot more than you need. It increases your chance of success. Make sure you put the prop box in a shady area. http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Why is it that you do not offer the Pay Pal service as that is the paying means that I deal in?.
Kenneth C Young
Hi Mike,
I have learned so much from you about plants it amazes me. I can’t. wait to purchase your backyard growing system. I hope to have the extra funds soon.
A great big thanks from me!!!!
mike I am in the same shape jeff ( above ) is in I have got I guess
a hundred red carnation rootings and I can not find any of the pots
jeff was talking about, I got the seeds an planted then an now I can not
find any pots,( the packet they came in said red carnation azaleas)
I thought I would see if I could get them to growing my daughter
helped me some with them I thought I might teach her some thing she
seemed to be real interested I can not do it alone I am not able.
keep up the good work mike I really enjoy your emails
Mike: I need to know how much space I need on my computer to download the ebooks, etc. I have tons of capacity and maybe still enough life left to tackle the cuttings and plants for sale. We already compost and garden, plus I have multitudes of grasses and ornamental’s in my yard that need to be trimmed and divided all the time. Let me know, please. I get your newsletter, so will check back here. Thanks
Virgene,
The digital files that come with my system, http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm, are very very small files. We ship you hard copies of the DVDs and a physical book. Thanks for asking.
Mike, I’m really excited about you coming to Georgia. That’s where we are. Although, no one as “famous” as you are ever comes here! We live at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the outskirts of a small town named Morganton. Thanks for all your wonderful advice I know it is going to come in handy as soon as I can get the land around our new house ready.
Liz
Also, there is a tree that I wonder if you could tell me what it is: It has dark green, slightly glossy green, ovate, slightly spade shaped leaves. Each leaf has a pair of lighter green leaves below the main leaf. Then there are these delicate, sweetly fragrant white flowers. The flowers are now dying. The fragrance can be smelled over the entire street. The shade this tree provides is magnificent, as the canopy is very lush and dense. The bark is a rough brown-grey and fissured. The height 80 feet. They are planted on the city tree lawn. Tried calling the city, but could not get through.
I think I identified the tree. I think it is a Linden tree or American Basswood .
I can’t seem to grow things like I used to anymore. I don’t know what happened. I used to be able to grow anything from cuttings or seeds. I can’t seem to get things to root, seeds don’t germinate(and I brought heirloom), bulbs fail; I have success only with established plants. I am truly perplexed. Could it be the soil, or the land’s energy? It is getting quite frustrating. I live in Cleveland OH and have been living in my house for 32 years. This problem started about 7 years ago. I am an organic grower. No problem with weeds I tell you. No one else around me is using seeds and cuttings, just established plants.
I’ve been trying to grow plants from heirloom seeds because Monsanto is taking over the food supply, genetically altering the seeds and soon we will not have original food plants. That will surely spell disaster.
Is anyone else experiencing the problem with seeds?
Sorry, for the many ‘typos’. I was unable to go back to correct them. Since
my eyesight has failed me lately, I do need to be able to ‘return’ to my
comments for corrections. Mine was blocked by your advertizing sign to order the Newsletter,
which I already receive.
Dear Mike,
I wrote to you many times, that i am not allowed to sell frommy
home/backyard, as I live in a residential area, not zoned for
commercial business. City Hall considers this type of ‘backyard sale’
commercial, therefore will not issue the required liscenses,
also very expensive.
Today, I did read from a person from British Columbia, Canada, her asking
for some advice as to go about it. Maybe the Province of British Columbia has
different laws. You mentioned, havin a few Canadians, that are either doing this already
or also interested in. I would love to know, where they live (what Province, also their local by-laws), not every city, town or village has the same, like where I live. Here I have to adhere to our local laws, not the Provincial. I know, as I, 26 years ago, was having a little Art Business (producing Art and selling at juried Art Shows), when suddenly the by-laws changed and I had to hand in my vendor’s permit and all the necessary paperwork that went whit it, because I ‘produced in a residential area, therefore I was breaking the law. Had I rented some commercial space somewhere in the city, I would have been allowed to continue. Most of the people you deal with, are USA citizens and I know there also from my ‘Online Gardening Club’, most members ar Americans and they practically have no rules to observe. If they want to make home made jelly from the over abundance of their crops and go and set up a table at their local farmer’s markets, that is just fine with their authorities. Not so here. Most farmers shy away from local markets here, because of the high permit- and tax costs. That’s why our prices at the local markets so high, the normal consumer can’t afford to shop there. Do to illness, I was unable to garden for the last 4 years, but tried this year to grow some veggies from seed (organic), but the weather has been so cold and wet until today, the seedlings are still in their infancy on my patio table, where I can only attempt to work, putting everything in little flower pots, as we don’t have any space on the property, unless we get someone to remove a lot of vegetation. I hope that all the people in the Staates are very successfull with your system, I wish I could live there, then I would hire someone to do the work for me. I gardene for almost 40 years, then tragedy struck. Wishing you all the Best and please let you letters coming, I so love reading them as well as watching your videos. Have a great Summer with your family. Thanks, Christa.
Hi! I want to let you know local laws in the states are undergoing major changes too. We used to have vendors on every corner here in Tucson (used to mostly be hot dog vendors trucks and sellers of oranges – I thought that was all people ate when I first moved here!) Arizona. Now if you want to sell home made jams, jellies, baked goods etc. you must be inspected, can’t cook in the same kitchen you prepare your meals, and you must be licensed. Same for local Farmer’s Markets – plus pay the fees to set up. Merchants with fixed locations are clamoring for the local government to shut down their street vendor competition, as our spending now reflects the economy, which is sinking lower and lower under this administration. Our previous ‘entrepreneurial’ spirit is being strangled – on purpose – because there is too much competition for ‘legitimate’ businesses. Sad things happening in the US.
Lynn,
Regulations exist to keep people and the environment safe. The economy is very strong, plant sales are booming and many plants are in short supply, creating more opportunity than ever.
Probably time to consider moving to a less restrictive State!
Hello Christa, my name is Cindy and I live in the Western mountains of Maine and the laws here are pretty stringent when it comes to our farmer,s markets. I have to have a license to sell anything processed which includes a kitchen inspection from the state. All my reciepes have be tested as well with a fee for each receipe. I have to have a nursury license to sell starts of any kind, a vendors license to sell anywhere other than my property. It is these restrictions that limit my income as I have a whole lot of plants that I could make a mint on.
I garden in my backyard and make use of a lot of space.
Cindy
Hi, I am sure there must be a loophole to allow you to sell plants . Maybe you can get a po box in a business center to use for a business address. You could sell from a service station parking lot or on the side of road ?
Around here you can sell up to $5000 as a hobby business without paying a license fee. How about selling in a commercial area right next the street ? You could ask a local business lawyer who should know about loopholes !
Alex is absolutely, 100% right. As my grandmother used to say, if there’s a will, there’s a way. You don’t even need a loophole, you just have to find a way to sell your plants. We have members,http://backyardgrowers.com/join, all over the world, some can sell from home, some cannot. But they all find a way to sell their plants.
Mike
I recently have retired due to a dissability that limits how much I can work. While visiting a friend in april I noticed a lot of seedlings coming up around their Japanese Maple tree and the driveway and sidewalk were covered with seeds. I asked if I could gather these and when I got home I had over 200 approx 4″ seedlings and a baggy full of seeds. I am proud to say I have a 96% germination of these seeds but am only sprouting them 36 at a time.
This ignited a desire to grow plants for possible supplimental income so I have now started rooting everything I can. I have fig trees, weeping willo, numerous roses, ferns, hydrangia and other assorted plants. I only work about 1-2 hrs a day at this and have hopes of being able to sell some plants in the next year.
I have not ordered your system yet but plan on it in the near future with the hopes of streamling and knowing what I should be planting.
Congratulations and good for you! The sooner you get my system the sooner you will have all of the information you will need to do this correctly. It’s easy to make a lot of mistakes if you are not armed with good information. Keep up the good work, you are well on your way to selling a lot of plants at a profit. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hi Mike
I’m just wondering if in your plants for big profits offer, is
there any information about growing and selling vegetable plants.
Teresa,
A lot of my customers grow and sell vegetable plants, but I don’t cover it in my program. I like growing things that have a long shelf life. Vegetables if you don’t sell them in a matter of weeks you have to throw them away. Our plants just get bigger and improve in value.
Mike … I hope you don’t mind me responding to Jamie through this post.
Jamie – This works in the UK … We are in Hampshire and have been working with Mike’s system for a couple of years now.
My advice … Jump in and have a go … Like any other business it requires dedications and application, but we’re making money .. Not huge amounts, but that’s temporary 😉
If you’d like to know more …or if we can help you in any way then I’m sure we can do something.
Good luck !
Tania,
Thank you so much, I appreciate you sharing your experience and knowledge.
HELLO, I DON ‘T KNOW IF I AM ALLOWED TO DO THIS OR IF YOU WILL EVEN GET IT, BUT I WAS SO EXCITED TO HEAR FROM SOMEONE IN MY OWN COUNTY OF HAMPSHIRE, U.K. I WOULD LOVE TO CORRESPOND WITH YOU. I AM JUST STARTING OFF IN THIS BUSINESS AND I NOW LIVE IN CALIFORNIA. I COME FROM FAREHAM, BY THE WAY.
Hi Mike,
I have been getting your emails for a few days know and have been reading your site and blog.
What I would like to know is how relevant your information would be to someone living in the United Kingdom. How much of your system would actually work for me bearing in mind all the legislation regarding the transportation of plant matter across international borders?
I notice that some of your product is printed matter and discs, does your price include shipping to the Uk?
Take care
J
Jamie,
Most of the information in my system is relevant pretty much anywhere in the world. We’ve had numerous members in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. The only thing that is not going to work for you are all of our U.S. Suppliers of plants, pots etc. You’ll have to source those in your country because freight charges make it impossible to buy those things across the border.
Plants? Plants can be and are fairly routinely shipped across the border by big growers, but for us smaller buyers and sellers it’s really not practical. For instance, I have been trying desperately to get somebody in Canada to grow and sell rooted cuttings and other small plants to our Canadian members. Everybody wants to buy, but it’s difficult to find somebody that is willing to step and say; “I see a huge opportunity here, I’ll fill that role.”
Shipping charges? We pay the shipping charges on my system, even if you’re in the UK.
You keep talking, showing, all these great plants and landscaping ideas . . . but what about us poor saps who live in zone 4? We don’t have all those great shrubs and plants.
Mary,
I feel your pain and we really need to get an article on this site for zone four plants. We’d be willing to pay for an original article written exclusively for this site. The article would have to be 500 or 600 words and well done. [email protected]
Dear Mike,
Sometimes ago I bought from you your System and I wrote back that my old computer does not have the capability of downloading the material. I never head from you. I did not realized when I order the material that it was not a
hard copy. what do I do now?
After waiting for your reply I got busy and did not realized it been months almost a year.
If you don’t have record of it I will check my credit card which I use to charge it to.
Hope to hear from you soon.
take care,
Willi O’Hara
146 Port Royal Ave.
Foster City, California
Willie,
Just contact Amber in the office and she will help you. [email protected]
Hi Mike,
A few months back I purchased your $47 offering…For anyone that will commit to a little effort to make the system work, it’s worth the price…
You mentioned in your book and again in an earlier post about many of the commercial nurseries not propagating their own plants since the 2008 economic slowdown. You also mentioned trying to look for emerging trends that would make this type of business more profitable. I’m no prophet but I can maybe see this situation happening again in the future.
Over the winter I have done hours and hours of research on the internet concerning plants and plant health. During this time a good friend of mine ordered me two Beach Plums, three blueberry varieties (Atlantic, Herbert,and Ivanhoe) along with three varieties of Comspur apples (Arkblack, Yellow Delicious and Red Delicious.) These were all purchased from a large nursery in New York. All will need to be pruned in the months ahead. And thanks to you, I know what to do with all the cuttings. (Got my “Sandbox” set up and ready to go today!!)
Back to the future economy. Just my 2 cents, but I think folks are going to start planting more things in their yards that are edible. Food prices are going up and the quality is going down. My son’s future wife runs a large greenhouse in our town and a lot people are going back to growing their own. She’s selling a large amount of veggies. I’m certain I can have her sell the products of my endeavors. (As an aside, my son has worked there for 15+ years.)
As I mentioned, I have done a lot of research on soil and the effects on plants. I have signed up with two user groups on yahoo, Brix and Compost Tea. Wealth of knowlege at those two sites. All the plants I mentioned above are going to produce fruit for my consumption. When I take cuttings, they will will be of the highest Brix value and strictly organic. (Note: High Brix plants are immune to pests, long story.)
Sorry this is so long Mike. If anyone is interested, I’ll continue my rant.LOL. I can’t seem to make a connection to your board but feel free to c&p my thoughts..
And if you’re interested, I post more of the knowledge I’ve gained through the winter. (Soil mineralization, mycorrizahial fungi, bacteria, and all the rest of the soil food web good guys that make our plants the best they can be.
Best regards,
Dan…
Dan,
I appreciate your input and contribution and I’m pretty sure you will have a blast doing this. Wish you the best!
Mike, I haven’t ordered your Backyard Growing System because I don’t have a back yard, and of course I have limited resources. I live in a senior citizens apartment building where we have not been permitted to plant on the grounds. There are physical limitations. too, from heart problems. Of all the things I miss about living in my own home, working with plants is very near the top of the list. Inspired by your emails and web site, I volunteered to ‘fix the problem’ when our manager complained about dogs peeing at the front entrance. We decided to ‘landscape’ the area with plants around an old statue from the top of a long-ago cracked fountain that I’ve hauled around for the past twenty years and by dividing hostas past due for division. The catch is that I’m working with starts given to me from friends. I did take some of the divisions to my apartment where they are doing just fine along with philodendron, spider plants, hens ‘n’ chicks, and herbs. A friend also gave me the iris she thinned out. But – how to grow enough to earn money with them eludes me in such a small space. I also talked her into allowing residents to grow veggie gardens in containers outside, so we’ll see how that works out. Any suggestions on container gardening ‘indoors’ for outdoor plants and veggies? It feels good just to be ‘trying’!
Mae,
Trying to grow outdoor plants indoors is really not the best thing to do. Can you join a garden club and find others that you can garden with???
Mike,
Who can I sell the cuttings and new plants to?
I need to understand this, to fairly evaluate the opportunity you present.
Thank you,
Ingrid
Ingrid,
You can sell rooted cuttings to other growers who have nurseries, or other members of our group who need cuttings to get started. You can grow the plants a little larger and sell them for $2.97 or $3.97 to retail customers. Lots and lots of our members would love to buy small plants that are bigger than a rooted cutting. In the system I teach where and how to find these customers.
Interesting thing is happening with nurseries right now, many of them when the economy got slow shut down their propagation divisions and just started buying all of the small plants that they need.
But here’s the thing. I’m not going to make you pie in the sky promises. Part of having a business is about taking risks. The size of the risk that you take is up to you. Look around your community. Who are the most successful businesses that you know? Think abut the risks that they took years ago to get started. Used to be that a job held few risks, guaranteed weekly pay check, paid benefits, nice safe, happy retirement. All of that has changed. If you are unwilling to take the small risk of growing a few plants and not being able to sell them, then I suggest you just keep doing what you are doing.
A big part of this is the joy of being able to work with the plants, watch them root, watch them grow, then see the delight in the eyes of the person that buys them from you. I hope this helps you in your decision.
Mike, I wonder if there is or are anyone in your system who are growing plants around here in Horseheads, New york or any of our sorrounding area?
Jane,
We have a number of growers in New York state, but I don’t remember all of the cities that they are in.
Mike,
I love the concept but where do you get a thousand pots when you sell the plants? do you also buy soil? How much do pots and soil cost?
Carolyn, all of that is covered in my system. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hi Mike,
I also have been following you for years, receiving and enjoying your every email and I thank you.
I am writing today because my neighbor gave me a couple cuttings from a peony tree. I split the stems and dipped them into a rooting compound and then placed them in a small jar of water. I am in Columbus, Oh and wondering if they will root in the water or if I should place them in a pot with some good compost? What do you think?
Thank you,
Gail
Gail, I don’t like rooting anything in water. It makes for very weak roots and only works on some plants. compost would be better, or potting soil.
Hi Mike. I am not clear about one thing. I have about 15 forsythias rooting in a tub. now what do I do? Do I need to transplant them into pots until they get bigger or just plant them where I want them. Can I root purple plum trees this way. thanks thanks
Missy,
Once rooted the forsythia can be transplanted right into your garden. Just keep them watered since they will have shallow roots. Plum trees? Most are grafted or budded, but some people do root them.
Dear Mike,
I live in Bay City, MI. I know there are lots of “Rules” for selling plants. Would I have to have an inspection of my garden to sell plants? By that I mean does it have to be approved by the state?
We have a pickle business and the FDA and the Dept. of Environmental Quality has to inspect our ditches, parking lot etc. and all we discharge is cooling water that is used in cooking. We do not discharge any waste etc. just water that cools the jars.
Lots of hassle, lots of paperwork and lots of busywork.
Thanks,
Jeanne
Jeanne,
Like any business, especially any agricultural business there are rules that we have to follow. Most of those rules are in place to prevent the spread of plant pests such as gypsy moth, Japanese Beetles and other not so nice plant pests and diseases. In my growing system I work you through all of that. Very little paperwork or effort on your part as the grower, you just apply for a license. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/03/how-to-make-65%C2%A2-per-square-inch-in-your-backyard/
Hi Mike, I bought a book from you about 7-8 years ago and then moved and hadn’t followed up until now. Just signed up for your course and am very excited as we have moved to a small farm with 3 acres of unused (what used to be pasture, but no longer) land. Guess what I’ll be doing? Hahaha. About 25 years ago, we were in dyer straights with a bay on the way & hubby laid off, so in order to pay immediate bills, I rooted several cuttings from many of my houseplants and ran a free ad in a shopper & posted notes on boards at grocery. It worked and I managed to pay our most critical bills until hubby got back to work. I probably would have kept it up except we were in an apartment in the city at the time and didn’t have much room; them baby came. No more need be said…
Now we are across from a big truck stop and auto auction, on our little farm. I have been selling pastured chicken eggs, but need something more. Anyway looking forward to potting up more cuttings asap and having a yard sale soon. Thanks so much for your wonderful info, Mike.
Ginger,
Thanks for coming back and getting involved again. You obviously realize how well this can work. 3 acres? My advice is to start with about 1/10th of an acre and do as many plants in that small area as you can before you spread out too much. It’s much easier to take care of a bunch of plants all in one place than it is plants scattered all over the place.
Mike: I really like following you on your videos, but I haven’t been able to put any of your advice to work for me because I just don’t know what to do since all I have around here is SAND. Sand, sand and more sand. How can I grow anything in sand? If there is a way, please let me know.
Tom,
Sand is better than clay. A lot better and it’s easier to amend sand with leaf compost than it is clay. Sure you can grow. You can amend the soil you have, grow in pots, or grow in raised beds. But for the most part, plant love well drained soil and sand provides that. My farm is pretty much sand as well. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hello Mike,
I very much appreciate your straight forward approach.
Here’s the question. I notice that most of your fans live in the USA. I live in British Columbia, Canada. Can your system work for me? I would prefer to trade within Canada for the most part, just to avoid the extra expense of duties etc. What do you think?
Best regards,
Zwaantje
Zwaantje,
We have a number of growers in Canada, but we really need more so you all can buy and sell from each other. Right now we have a few people in Canada selling to our other members, but more would be better to expand the availability.
Hi Mike! You talked me into it. I see I can mail a check into you for the backyard system kit. However I am unable to do the electronic download to my computer so can I just buy the one without the other one? Last time I used my credit card on line it got stolen reason I want to use a check. so will this work or not? Thanks.
Teresa,
Sure you can mail a check, but make sure you include an Email address because the Backyard Growers Ecourse is a series of Email messages from me and it’s how I communicate with our growers. Just order the regular system and you can read the downloads online.
I will try that next winter when I trim the roses. Thanks
Dan Z
Mike I have followed you on your emails and watched a number of your videos. I am having difficulty getting cuttings to root. I have been successful with taking along branch of a rose bush and scarring it and eventually it takes root. When I take a cutting from a rose bush I scrape off the outside bark and dip it in root starter and roll it in damp newspapers and that is about all the further I get and the cuttings don’t survive. What am I missing.
Thanks
Dan Z
Dan,
That technique for roses is really a winter thing. This is a summer technique that works great! http://www.freeplants.com/homemade-plant-propagation.htm
Greetings Mike, have been receiving your emails for quite some time. I just purchesed an 8’x 2′ elevated raised bed and am awaiting delivery as we speak. Currently living in a Del Webb development and they have some very strict rules about gardens. Planning to get your program but don’t know what to plant for profit. Any clues?
Thanks in advance,
Skip Simons
Skip,
In the book that comes with my system I have a list of plants that are easy to grow and sell like crazy, and those are really just the beginning of what you can grow. In the book I also discuss the situation you are in with an association etc. You have rules to follow so you have to be really careful about what you do. In short, you’re allowed to garden in your yard I’m guessing. But do it as a business? That’s different. But as my grandmother used to tell me all the time, “Honey, if there’s a will there’s a way.” So in other words, you may have to do things differently, but if you really and truly want to do this there should be no stopping you. -Mike McGroarty http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
mike i so much wish i was able to get around an tend to the plants reading your tips makes me want to get my hands in the soil again but i have developed a falling problem an i can not get around too good, fell into a rose bush 2 weeks ago that hurts so my wife gets onto me every time i think about ging outside, but i enjoy every thing you send me on email bless you mike an please keep up the good work.
Clyde,
I understand your situation and I hope that what I share with you makes you feel as if you are involved. You can stick cuttings sitting down, I hope somebody will help you set up an area where you can at least do a few cuttings.
Hi Mike! Soooooo love reading your posts and emails, and watching your videos. I bought your program a while back . . . right before my heavy seasonal work came upon me. Well . . . that is reaching it’s ending point, and I’m very anxious to get out and sink my hands in the dirt!
At the end of last Fall, I took a few dozen cuttings of various deciduous shrubs – and a handful of white pine. Stuck ’em all in a grow-box of sand. Kept ’em moist through the winter in a protected area outside.
The results. No roots. Nothing. Perhaps the box is just not meant to withstand the winter here in Ohio, because I DO have success with it in warmer seasons. I was just hoping . . .
I also placed several handfuls of various shrub cuttings up-side-down into sterile dirt under an overturned bucket sunk to ground level, and through a mound of straw over it. I’m super anxious to see if any root growth has happened with anything in there – but don’t want to open it too early.
I’d like to start the business slooooowly – so I don’t get overwhelmed. But I’m not sure where to advertise. We live “out in the country” near a small town. I don’t think hardly anyone reads their newspaper anymore. Would certainly be open to suggestions by you or anyone who had patience enough to read through my whole post here 😉
Love you, everyone! Keep on growing! 🙂
-Sal
Sally,
White pine are typically grown from seed, cuttings of them are difficult to do. The propagation boxes work fine over the winter, but the ideal time to stick the cuttings is June and July. That way they are rooted before fall. But for the most part you can stick cuttings pretty much year round, but I do most of mine June through September, then a few as hardwood cuttings.
You’re wrong about the newspaper. This spring (2013) I ran two newspaper ads and sold a little over $10,000 worth of plants from those newspaper ads. I shared the ads that I ran with my customers and several people copied what I did with incredible success. Newspaper readership is not what it once was, but if you run the ads that I show you, it still works great.
http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
I live in N. Ireland.
I would be pleased to hear from anyone else who would like to share information on how this system works here in Ireland and the U.K.
Mac,
If people in your area buy plants at a local garden center, and I’m sure they do, this system will work for you. Over the years I’ve had customers in Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand just to name a few. It will work, it’s just that you won’t be able to buy plants from U.S. Growers. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hi,
I’m from England and I’ve been following Mike for a few years now and last year I bought his Backyard Growing system. Did I think it was value for money? Absolutely!
I know how much time goes into producing the content which although feels as though it was written for the US market is also very relevant in the UK.
I found the videos the most valuable to me as they demonstrate how someone just like you or me really can start our own little nursery venture without too much investment. (even though they were recorded quite a few years ago now eh Mike 😉
My advice …. Yes you could find everything you need on the internet for free, but I didn’t want that. I wanted a single source of reference that provided ‘real’ world experiences from someone that had already been there and done it and Mike’s product provides it in spade loads!
Btw … I sold over £200 worth of plants in my first year without really trying. I now how have over 500 plants ready for my first Spring sale. Such fun!
Regards,
Ruralgardener.
Tania,
Thank you for this surprise testimonial for my growing system. I love to hear from people are able to succeed using my system. Wishing you the best of success and keep us up to date on your progress.
Thank you Julie for commenting. I love this idea, but I guess I have been burned one time too many.
Mike you do seem like a very open and willing to help person. I guess I just need to give it a try and see what happens.
Barb in St. Louis
Barb, you’ve been burned? Yeah me too. But if you allow past experience dictate your future, your future will be pretty predictable.
Not only am I good at selling plants, but I’m also good at what I do online. I started buying products on how to successfully sell information on or off line back in 1985 and I didn’t make a dime at it until 1999. During that time frame I bought hundreds of products. Some of them good, some of them junk, some of them a complete rip off, but I kept buying because I knew what I wanted.
You have to let go of reservations and trudge ahead. People who know me, know that’s how I am. I so aggressively approach whatever it is that I am doing that I often bite off more than I can keep up with and sometimes it costs me a lot of money. I never look back, I only look forward. I can’t change yesterday, but I most certainly can change tomorrow.
About me.
http://www.freeplants.com/who%20is%20mike.htm
I have been following you for some time now, and have always wanted to join. My problem however, is that I am currently unemployed and have no money to join your program, let alone buy plants. As soon as I find a job I will be signing up.
Having no money is a great motivator. Borrow a hedge trimmer and find a yard with overgrown yews, boxwood or arborvitae. Knock on the door and offer to trim their hedges for free.
Gather the trimmings and follow Mike’s Plants For Free directions for rooting cuttings. Someone’s discarded window boxes or even the trash recycle container will work.
Sell your rooted cutting to small local nurseries in groups of 12. Nowyou have money.
Rick,
Irene nailed it. My system is very inexpensive and if you really, really want to do this, you will find the money. Not only can you do as she suggested, by many people will pay you to trim their shrubs, edge the beds and mulch for them. You can easily earn over $100 a day, $200 a day doing yard work.
I know what it’s like to not have money. I’ve been there many times. But it never stopped me from pursuing my dreams, it just made me work harder at what I want. Anybody who is not willing to do what it takes to get what they want, really doesn’t want it very bad.
My inspiration to have a “front Yard Nursery” came from my brother in Argentina, but you have kept the inspiration flowing. for that and your great articles I thank you and appreciate all you do!
my best,
Genaro
Genaro,
I think a “front yard nursery” is a great idea! Especially in Argentina.
Hi Mike,
I see people posting who want to know if this is real or not, that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is and more doubting statements.
I have to say that I have been following you for 12 years now and personally know someone who bought your system, on my recommendation, and started with azaleas. That was two years ago and she now has a full-time nursery.
I know this system works and you can make good money from the information Mike presents in the package. But this is a business and you have to do the work. You have to get the state license. You have to label your plants properly. You have to make the system work. This is just like anything else, if you don’t read the instructions and do as it says, the whole thing will fall apart.
Mike is honest to a fault. He didn’t have to share all his knowledge about plants or any of the other things he does. But he shares constantly because he wants to help. He wants people to make an honest living doing what they love. Mike roots for the underdog and the mom & pop vendors. Mike isn’t into the corporate America — He is into making the middle class more comfortable. He wants to help you succeed and this program has all the tools you need to succeed. IF you do not, then you didn’t follow the instructions.
Just had to stand up for you because I know this system works and can start making you money within months.
Julie,
I so much appreciate your kind comments and I’m sorry it took me so long to reply. But as you are aware, I am busy and I have a lot going on. I do my best to answer questions and comments here on the blog, but some days I just don’t have any energy left at the end of the day. Which by the way, is exactly how I want to feel at the end of the day. I love what I do, I love plants and I love my customers!
As a matter of fact, in just about two weeks Pam and I are traveling to Georgia to meet customers that we’ve never met before. Then in August we are hosting an event here in Perry, Ohio for our customers so we can meet new ones and re-visit with customers that we’ve met before.
Again, thank you for sharing your opinions about me and my system.
http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Mike I keep hearing about your get together in august but when I bought your system and would like as well as my wife to come and se first hand and talk with others please give me the details of you open house
i been growing trees for a few years now and i let them get to about 8inches tall then time to plant them in the woods when its warm out and plant them in the right spot.
Hi “mike” (Darold Gingerich) shared this page with me so.
do you know much about weeping peach shrubs/bushes i have 5 sprouting’s from a weeping peach shrub.
im pretty good at growing most plants and tree’s what kind of tree’s could or should i grow so you can sale them anyhow i am growing some Osage orange trees for the wood right now and the peach shrub sprouting’s too are growing right now inside im in the planting zone 5 in southern Indiana
i really don’t know nothing about those inches and squares and stuff all i know is give me some planting space and i can grow some plants every ones always giving me plant seeds anyways because they can’t never get the seeds to sprout out and i can somehow
i have got a weak looking sick plant better before then it grew just fine and the person who threw it away wanted it back after it was better and not sick looking anymore i didn’t give it back neither because it took time getting it well again.
now im not an expert on taking cuttings but i do take um and they grow good sized roots each time at the side of the house is the best spot for my cuttings or for any cuttings i put there i put all of my tree or plant cuttings 3inches down in the dirt i always dig the dirt a little bit to loosen it up and it takes around the same amount of time like 3 to 4 weeks or less for roots to grow out of the stems but the deer makes it hard they eat my cutting that are growing new growth they always do,
not this year though im gonna get 2 rolls of chicken wire because i’ve just had enough of them keep on eating most of my best plants watermelons and cantaloups are my favorites what i like to eat also i don’t grow them how most people do i just grow them on flat grounds and they seem to grow fine i don’t use any kind of bug sprays neither i just let nature do most of the work..
my mom kept telling me i should start selling trees or some kind of trees that way i could make money off of what i grow but i still haven’t thought about what kind of tree. sorry for this long post.
Mike,
I really don’t know anything about the weeping peach that speak of, but it did remind me to look into an ornamental peach that I did want to grow.
The part of your comment that caught my attention was “I don’t know what kind of tree to grow and sell.” Ya know, I get that a lot and my answer is always to the same to our backyard growers. Don’t over think a simple thing. Start out growing things that flower, are attractive, but easy to grow. They’ll sell at any size with little to no effort on your part. The real secret is to get started. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm -Mike McGroarty
mike2,
you can get some mill orginate fertalizer and it will strongley sugest to the deer not to come here any more. we use it around apple and pear trees to get rid of deer and it will not burn anything.
roy
Is it possible to make million(s) or it is simply a part-time income? It is a broad question and depending on many factors but like to know from your experiences. Thx
Also will this work well in Southern California markets since we might be different from other zones – and the market might be saturated due to good growing seasons here?
James,
This will work just about anywhere. People love plants, love to buy plants, they love to be around plants. All you have to do is grow nice plants that are desirable and people will beg to buy them from you.
Competition? Don’t worry about that. As a small grower people would much rather buy from you than anybody else. They love buying from the small backyard grower. My customers tell me all the time how delighted people are to buy from the actual grower, not a reseller.
https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2013/03/how-to-make-65%C2%A2-per-square-inch-in-your-backyard/
James,
Is it possible to make millions of dollars growing plants? That’s a bit of a loaded question so I’ll answer it this way. Around here, in the very eastern end of Lake County, Ohio we have around 100 wholesale nurseries. So that kind of explains the competitive thing. They all co-exist and do well. When surveyed about a year ago 85 of them responded and reported a combined 85 million dollars per year in gross sales. So on average, that’s a million dollars per nursery. Of course it’s not all profit and the bigger the nursery the smaller their profit margin. At least that’s my take.
But what’s more important is that you can create wealth with a nursery simply by reinvesting your profits back into your business and growing more and more plants that are in demand. One day you look up and you have thousands, or tens of thousands of dollars worth of plants. You can watch your money grow. That’s why we spend so much time making baby plants.
Hey Mike,
I really appreciate all of the information you share with us. I am ready to get started! I already have a 3’x3′ raised bed that I had made for a peach tree that did not survive 🙁 but would be a great starter for a back yard growing system 🙂 I will be ordering tonight! Do you have any suggestions for beating the heat here in the Arizona desert? And do you have any suppliers/contacts out here to help me get going quick?
Thanks
Doug
In arizona around the southern area you need 80% sun screen and lots of water.
Doug,
I agree with Darlene, lots of shade, lots of water, mulch the plants that you have in beds. We do have growers in Arizona and you will have a chance to meet them. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
I have a question. Now that I have these hundreds of cuttings taking root. where can I find those inexpensive pots that all the nurseries use but don’t sell
Jeff,
All of the wholesale sources that I use are in the Wholesale Directory that comes with my system. Plus I give you great suggestions in my new book, Small Plants, Big Profits from Home, which is only available with my system. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hi Mike..I’m very interested in purchasing the info you generously provide. I do live in Tasmania,Australia though..should that create any problems would you think?..like selling to your buyer? Any advice muchly appreciated.
Lynda, TASMANIA
Lynda,
I have a customer in Australia right now that is doing well with this program and she most certainly would like to see others in her country that she can do business with. The downside to my program outside of the U.S. are most of my sources are U.S. or Canada based so they probably won’t be practical for you. Selling plants across international borders can be done, but in most cases it’s much easier to sell in your own country. Don’t base your decision on selling to people in group, the market is so much bigger than that. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Dear Mike
We have watched one of your videos, and would be interested in contacting the person in Australia who is using your program to se if it would help us get our small backyard propagating profitable. We have just begun propagating hybrid azaleas and gardenias in a small green house. It is winter here,(Albury, NSW) so not sure how long it will take for them to root. We are just beginning and so need lots of advice.
Thank you
Geoff and Lynne Reid
Hello Mike,
I have enjoyed myour letters and great tips and information for a long time. I am finally going to have time to get going with my Mike’s Growing System. It may
be a late request but do you have any of your booklets on
growing the Japanese or other fancy maples. Please advise and I will send remittance. Thank you, Don
Donald, the only product that I have that is really about growing Japanese maples is the grafting DVD that is not part of the program, we sell that separately for those that are interested. In my book, you get a digital copy with the program I explain growing Japanese maples from seed and I also go into grafting. More importantly, when you have my program you’ll have the opportunity to buy all kinds of Japanese maples including all the rare ones for prices that range from $1.50 for seedlings up to about $18.00 for some of the rarest out there.
Japanese maples are great and I love growing them, but there are so many other plants that will give you profit much sooner. Which is why I do all kinds of plants.
Dear Mike,
I cannot begin to tell you how much i am enjoying you course. I read about everything daily. I have many things planted and waiting until June so i can start some soft cuttings. Your information is exactly as you said, worth much, much, more than $47.00. I love to watch your information on the internet as well. you seem to be a
very laid back person and someone who anyone would like to know. Apparently you never meet a stranger.
Thanks again for the wonderful books and DVD’s.
I am 75 and probably will never get into a large nursery,but plan on having something small to make a little extra to supplement my retirement.Thanks again.
Sincerely, John
Sincerely, John
John,
Thank you so much for your kind comments. I’m glad that you are finding my Backyard Growing System to be well worth the investment and I hope you enjoy this new venture as much as I do. Thanks again, -Mike McGroarty
Mike I would like very much to grow Japanese Maple but I am told they are very hard almost impossible to go grow here in mid florida, do you have a solution to this problem /
Paul,
I know some people in Florida have been able to grow them and I have Backyard Grower that is doing really well with them in Alabama. This article has more information and some varieties that work better in warmer climates. http://japanesemaplelovers.com/growing-japanese-maples-in-hot-climates/
Is there anyone in my area that does this now? It all sounds too good to be true. And you know the old saying; If it sounds too good to be true…
I’ve been following your posts for a year now. I own my own landscaping business and see how this could fit in, but just wary of online anything. How do I know the responses above aren’t just you or your friends writing them all?
Barb in St. Louis Missouri
Barb,
Those are great questions and to be perfectly honest with you, I’m not sure that I can answer them. You’re in the landscaping business? How do your customers know that you are legit? How do they know that you are going to do a good job and not just take your money and run? You are buying plants now that were grown from cuttings by someone, probably some one in your area. That tells you that it works.
Here’s what the online world is. Years ago we read newspapers and magazines. We saw articles or ads in those publications and we responded to them. Today we have the Internet. Like it or not the Internet is the way that people get that information today.
Here’s my take on this. If you really and truly are that skeptical then I think it best that you not order. What I charge for this system is less that a good meal in a nice steak house. If you are not willing to risk that kind of money, then just keep doing what you are doing. You’ve been on my mailing list for a year now and you still don’t trust me. I’m one of the most transparent people on the Internet. I don’t hide from anybody. I visit my customers when I’m in their area, every year for the past 14 years I’ve invited customers to my place. Every year we have a Shindig at My Place and we have a blast. We do nursery tours together, we go to trade shows together. We are family. I’m proud of what I sell and I sell it with a Money Back Guarantee and we honor those requests. It’s the right thing to do. But . . . it’s probably not for you.
I am in love with the questions and your answers. I trust people, until they prove otherwise…… I am not a gardener, but love the beauty of plants and flowers. I am always looking for a way to make money…. I will order your book, just to learn. If I never sell a plant , it will be okay, because I learned something new.
Cynthia,
I think you’re smart. Even if you don’t intend to sell any plants, chances are you will either sell plants or help a lot of people. But for sure, you will learn a lot of things that I don’t talk about on my website or in the videos that I share publicly. It will be fun to have you aboard!
Mike, I get your emails, love your story and WILL order your system when I get my act a little better together. That said I love your answer to Barb Kruse was great. All life is about taking calculated risks…you win some and lose a few…otherwise just how boring it would be. I have been following you for years and would have no problem ordering anything from you.
Keep up the good work. I look forward to working with you soon.
Tinkabell,
You are so right. A while back I wrote a post about giving yourself permission to fail. Way too many people are afraid to do that. I learned years ago, the hard way that failure is almost always a step forward. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/10/giving-yourself-permission-to-fail/
HI.MIKE. I HAVE BEEN ONE OF YOUR FOLOWERS for along time I am almost on my new land up north in Wisconsin this weekend is my last in the city but I have a gig this weekend pruning 31 different apple trees on a urban farm so… many.cuttings and then will be heading to my new black sand farm and its ALL YOUR FAULT.! !!THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE EMAILS they kept me going through the life I live now in the city to back up north where I grew up THANK YOU. Will send pictures and order your book soon …I GOT ALOT TO DO SEE YA////TOMM
Tomm, thanks for sharing! If I am going to contribute to a person’s addiction I’m happy to know that it has to do with plants, soil, and good cleaning living! Get my system soon, you can make a lot of costly mistakes by trying to go it alone. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htmo -Mike McGroarty
Mike Bill Cotton here . Can someone tell me about saving seeds for spring planting. d
o I need to freeze them after they are dry?
Bill,
In most cases the seed do not need to be frozen but some do require a chill factor. It’s best to research each plant to make sure you know how to handle the seeds. This article will help. http://www.freeplants.com/saving-seeds.htm
Hi mike. I am looking for raspberry pants cheap. Do you have a source? We look forward to meeting you someday. Doris in OH
Doris,
I mentioned a source for Rasberry plants here earlier this year. There’s a post about it here on the blog. I can’t recall their name at the moment.
Hi Mike. I have purchased your materials in the past and I’ve been following you for years. Always good material in your newsletters. I turned my small backyard space into 4 ft x 4 ft plots, use the Square Foot Gardening method, and I grow veggies year ’round, so many I have to give them away. I teach SFG at the local arboretum and I speak at garden club meetings and at the Los Angeles County Fair. I would like to make enough money at gardening so I could quit my bookkeeping job. Do you think I would be able to make money growing and selling small plants in my area?
Jo Ann Carey
Arcadia, CA
Jo Ann,
I’ve never seen an area where people don’t buy plants. My suggestion is to give it a try, I think you’ll be amazed and impressed. I’m sure you have garden centers and big box stores in your area. People much prefer to buy from small growers. It’s certainly worth a try. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
Hi Jo Ann, I live pretty close. I am also in early stage of backyard gardening for myself and part-time business. I have been growing veggies and plants for a while and will start SFG this season. I would say there are so many opportunities out there for plants and good produce. More people and entrepreneurs are looking into areas such as aquaponics, hydroponics, local food movement. I think if you own some land and greenhouse and can start selling something, it is possible to get big – just have to passion, consistency, and keep learning new stuff imo.
btw-One trick is to package your knowledge SFG services and start offering them to people, schools, senior centers, churches with completed package and services – building raised bed, soil, plants, maintenance etc. and can get into other thing. One company has services and financing to build modern greenhouses and grow lettuce & tomatoes locally for supermarkets (on top of supermarket roof or a few blocks away) and they are doing really well.
Mike,
Happy St. Patrick’s day.
Hello Mike,
I don’t know how many years ago that I came across your email and signed up. I always wanted to write to you as your story reminds me of ours and one of our sons. We had been in several business that didn’t work out. George’s locksmith business looked good but didn’t make a good income. So we didn’t end up like you. Our son Dale while in high school worked for a nursery. He didn’t stay with that kind of business but has had a love for plants. All kinds of plants and is now into gardening. When I sent for your book Easy Plant Propagation my husband said he isn’t interested in trees he is in gardening vegetables. My main interest in your book and DVD’s in mostly working with our two sons. David is also interested in gardening. But since they like plants they could end up with a business maybe as part time. George and I are in our early eighty’s and to late for a business even though we need more income. We both have been blessed with good health but as we age things slowly change. Dale was 54 on the 15 of this month. David will be 49 next month. David started as an electrician when he was 18 and has his own business in NC. He has been doing that for so many years and likes it but would like to do something else. I think it is the hassle with the customers. I hope you don’t mind me going into detail. I read your story more than once as I found it interesting and don’t think it is a made up story. So I hope to order your latest soon.
Ruby Shedlock
Ruby,
Thanks for sharing you story and the best to you and your family. No, my story is not made up, online you could never get away with making up a story, somebody will call you out for sure. There are plenty of people who have lived this story with me. Friends, family, customers and creditors. It is what it is. For those who haven’t read it, here’s my story; http://www.freeplants.com/who%20is%20mike.htm
You can root 20,000 cuttings in 4 ft by 100ft!!
I lied its more like 50,000 or more!
I coming mike to get to work in just to mouths and will from there cya take care
Tim,
You need to know what the botanical name is and you have to know for sure that what you are taking cuttings is properly identified. You can’t guess at plant names. Properly named plants is by far one of the most important aspects of this business. http://freeplants.com/wanted.htm
When I get a cuttings from an Emerald Green Arborvitae, as in the above picture, do I need both the common name and the botanical name when I sell them?
Greetings my friend! Well, it took some work on your part but my plan has always been to purchase your growing system plan but money has been tight. Spring is here sorta of (Yuma, AZ) but I grow year round and need your help. So….I am going from admirer to customer just like that! You can continue to treat me as a friend though! May the Lord continue to bless you and your business!
Your friend in Yuma,
Fred
Fred,
I’m delighted to have you on board! His my motto, keep it simple. I rarely follow my own advice, but when I do that’s when I make the most money per square inch or square foot in the nursery. I realized that my first Backyard Nursery was just about perfect and I am slowly working my way back to that kind of an operation. Photos of that can be seen here: http://freeplants.com/backyard.htm
Hi Fred, just a note on how you can get free plants. I look in Craigslist and find some that people are giving away. They are usually redoing their yard. Sometimes the stores will sell plants at a reduced price and I bring them back to health and start making cuttings. (You do want to make sure they don’t have bug infestation though). I live in the pacific NW and I am not on the scale as Mike but one weekend I made $300. People just came from the signs. I encourage you to not give up.
Hi Helen,
If you happen to live in Seattle area please let me know I’d be happy to come and look at what you have.
Ariella
Dear Mike, I have been following your video’s on line for some time now and am truly a fan. For years this is how I have had to supplement my family’s income since all of our retirement was lost in the stock market. We were in a free fall. All five of our sons were currently in college at the time and all of our rainy day savings were spent just keeping the boys in school.
I am writing this to you for your use as you please to help you promote this excellent concept for others to do the same thing you and I have been doing for years. If it were not for cuttings I would not still own this very computer from which I type you today Sir.
I want to extend my full support to you and your potential customers that” what Mike is saying here is the God’s honest truth. It is easy it is usually free, costs barely anything other then a little time and the results are down right bankable.” Because of this process of acquiring cutting from the four corners of the neighborhood. For it does not take much to gather here and there. Like Mike I also used our dinning room table and every other flat surface in our home. Which always made for difficult Easter’s with my son’s, coming home for break. The house was humid and warm and there were small plants everywhere. It got on their last nerves. But as my husband of 30 great years knew this was not about mom being O.C.D. it was about money and money talks bullshit walks. That summer he converted our 10X12 shed for storage into a green house for me. And wow if only you could see it now. Cost barely anything to do just cut off section of roof that faces South and with a Stanley heater and grow lights I have a mini nursery all to my self.
Mike McGroarty speaks the truth here and I can only hope others catch on to the wisdom he is willing to share.I know for sure that if not for my cuttings and plants we would have gone through foreclosure and our children would have to drop out of college, cutting is what saved our family, may it be as fortunate for you as well.
Most Sincerely a fellow rooter and grateful follower,
Mrs. Suzette Trimmer
Philadelphia, PA
Google me and you’ll see why…I tell the truth.
Suzette,
All I can say is wow! Obviously I’ve been doing this online since 1999 and I never really how many or which lives I may have touched and don’t even know it. Your post made my day. Thank you and best of success to you in the future. Your post reminded me of this story from one, I should say two, of my most successful customers. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2011/02/a-successful-20-year-old/
After two years of enjoying your newsletter I have finally ordered your book and all the materials to download. Really excited to start this in the early Spring it is now Fall in Utah and all cutting will have to be started indoors so I better hurry. I’ll keep you all updated on how I am doing.
Gail in mid-Utah
Gail,
There are a lot of hardwood cuttings that you can do outdoors in the fall and winter. Make sure you read my “Easy Plant Propagation” book. You received a digital copy with your purchase.
Hi Trimmer; would like to know if possible how you converted a 10×12 shed into a green house?
I would like to know how you turned a 10 x 12 shed into a greenhouse. I’m in central FL, and just getting into plants, I purchased Mike books. Like i said i’m a newbie to plants.
Thanks,
Greg
Greg,
I don’t think you’re asking me but I’ve seen people turn sheds into greenhouses by removing the roof sheeting and replacing with plastic. But in central Florida I’m not sure why you would want a greenhouse. I’m in zone 6 northern Ohio and I have no greenhouse at all and have no plans for one.
St. Simons Island, Ga. is close to Florida…I think greenhouse growing would be alot more work because the warm, moist climate is conducive to white flies and would require constant monitoring and great air circulation. I use raised beds and growcloth covers which raise the temperature approximately 10 degrees.
Wold like to email you ?speak with you directly ???? I to have folllowed this program for many many months —& want to try it But would like to talk with you – if possible???