Buying and running a tree nursery

'Being a husband and wife team allows flexibility,' says Darrold Benedet

BusinessesForSale: When did you buy a farm for sale?

Darrold Benedet: We purchased 12.5 acres of land back in 1987 and built a house. There were two small dams on the property which we enlarged to build two more as we aren’t on the town’s water.

To set up the tree nursery, pads were cut to place containerised plants on and pumps were placed on two of the dams. Irrigation was set up with the majority of plants being on a drip style and one pad had smaller stock plants with overhead sprinklers.

Five years later we purchased another 12.5 acres next door and repeated the process, currently out of the 25 acres of land we own. Approximately 16 acres are used for our tree nursery farm business for sale.

Working outdoors is great and it’s very satisfying watching plants that you’ve potted grow in to healthy trees

BFS: You’ve been in the business for a long time. What advice would you give someone looking to buy a tree nursery?

DB: Location is very important for accessibility, markets and growing season. Being in Queensland, our winters are very mild so there is no dormant period of growth. Also, a reliable water supply is crucial and you should set up a well laid out nursery to ensure maximum plant growth and ease of operation.

You should focus on growing stock that is in constant demand in a variety of sized containers. We specialise in more mature trees.

You should also attract a varied market. We sell to New South Wales and Victoria, as well as all parts of Queensland.

BFS: Describe a typical day...

DB: Our hours of operation are: Monday to Thursday from 7:30am to 4pm, Fridays we work from 8am till noon, and we're closed over the weekend. Our days tend to vary, but tasks include potting plants into bigger containers, pruning, fertilising, watering and weeding. We also sell stock to customers, place plant orders and load trucks and semi-trailers.

The demands of the business also include sourcing stock plants to pot on, maintaining trees of a high quality, having a plentiful supply of plants in a variety of species that are in demand and anticipating quantities needed; this requires replacing stock sold by potting smaller plants into larger containers thus allowing continuity.

It’s a busy day, but we schedule in our morning tea from 10:30am to 11am, and lunch from 1:30pm till 2pm. We don’t have a break on Friday as it’s only a four-hour working day.

Our staff arrive 15 minutes prior to our meeting to discuss what needs to be done that day - orders that need to be pulled out, etc.

BFS: How hard is it juggling farm and family commitments?

DB: As we live on the nursery it's easy. Being a husband and wife team, with my wife doing the accounts whilst I manage the nursery, allows flexibility.

Although it may seem like a demanding business, I believe with good management in place it is a relatively easy business to run.

BFS: What have been the biggest challenges you've faced?

DB: Several years ago Queensland experienced a major drought but we have 10 dams on the property, and pads that are contoured so that any run-off goes back into the dams, so we were able to weather the drought affectively.

We also had carefully regulated watering times and the addition of water-saving crystals in the potting mix which helped get through the drought.

BFS: What have you most enjoyed about running your own agricultural business?

DB: Living in a semi-rural environment and working outdoors is great, and it’s very satisfying watching plants that you’ve potted grow in to healthy trees.

Owning our own business has been very rewarding, especially being able to reap the rewards of your endeavours. The nursery has provided us with an excellent lifestyle and standard of living.

BFS: How did you build up your clientele and grow such a healthy business?

DB: Having been established for 23 years much of our advertising is simply word of mouth. We also have a listing in the Yellow Pages and Yellow Pages online.

We list stock availability and prices in The Plant Locator, a book listing plant varieties, their sizes, prices and the nurseries stocking them. Much of our sales come from this source as most nurseries, landscapers and developers use this to find their stock. The Plant Locator is also accessible online, which further helps us find more customers.

BFS: Tell me about the tree nursery industry – is it competitive?

DB: The nursery industry is thriving in Australia and quite competitive, but maintaining high quality stock at realistic prices ensures a successful business.

Being an established nursery we are listed as preferred suppliers to the Gold Coast City Council, Logan City Council, Ipswich City Council and Toowoomba Regional Council. Also, due to our extensive growing season our stock is in high demand in both Sydney and Melbourne from other nurseries.