Nursery

Mission/Vision

Goals

Fruit trees

-apples -pears -plums -apricots -peaches -cherries

Perennials

-asparagus -currant -gooseberries -raspberries

Economics

• Purchase fruit trees for ~$8.50/tree

Options for fate of tree

• Sell bare-root 3/4" fruit trees for $25/tree or $20/tree when purchasing 10 or more trees (avg $21/tree)
• Sell potted 3/4" trees leafed out for $45/tree
• Plant and grow trees in the ground until next season, sell as 1" bare-root for $35
• Plant and grow trees in pots until next season, sell as 1" potted for $60

Options for how trees are sold (using 500 trees as a baseline): net profit

• All bare-root sales: 500 trees = $6,250
• All potted sales: 500 trees = $18,250 MINUS cost of pots/soil/fertilizer
  • Assuming free soil and fertilizer from farm, pots costing $700: $17,550
  • Assuming $250 on fertilizer and $600 on soil: $16,700
• Trees overwintered in-ground and sold as bare-root next season: $13,250
• Trees overwintered in pots and sold next season: $25,750 MINUS cost of pots/soil/fertilizer
  • Assuming free soil and fertilizer from farm, pots costing $700: $25,050
  • Assuming $500 on fertilizer and $600 on soil: $23,950

Growing Methods

Irrigation

• Drip irrigation

Containers

• In-ground bags
• Above-ground air pruning bags
• Plastic pots

Resources

Tooley's Trees Tree bags CSU extension Tree resources