If you haven’t been over to my nursery website recently, well… I suppose this is the announcement.
We are closed!
I realized that trying to write books, create YouTube videos, guest post, put up 5 posts a week here, write magazine articles and do interviews… and run a nursery… is just too much. And now I’ve got a contract for two more books I need to deliver to my publisher within the next few months.
Let me express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who stopped by my booth at various plant shows, said “hi” at the 326 Community Market or bought from me and talked plants at the Gainesville Union Street Farmer’s Market.
The nursery was fun and was running a decent profit, so I hate to let it go; yet my writing is reaching a wide audience, so I do take joy from that. The biggest reason I started the nursery was to get rare edibles and perennial vegetables into the hands of local folks. No one was doing it locally, with the exception of the Edible Plant Project and they’re not the easiest to buy from.
I hope someone else will open a rare edible plant nursery before too long. Maybe one of you reading this today. That part bothers me quite a bit since I regularly write about cool plants… that are almost impossible to find.
One thing I didn’t realize when I started was how much the government wants to be a part of everything you do. There are inspections for pests and invasive plants, a license required to be legal (and they’ll look for your license with random farmer’s market inspections!), requirements for shipping plants, sales tax forms and bills, annual incorporation fees…
Oh well. I don’t miss that part of it. And we’re a relatively free state compared to some.
Anyhow, stay tuned for future updates. I’ve got some very exciting announcements coming soon.
15 responses to “Goodbye, Florida Food Forests… I Miss You Already”
Any last sale of close-out plants?
By the way, my papaya now has 11 fruit set. I can’t wait for the first one to ripen!
I actually was able to sell the rest of the nursery stock to an investor, so nothing is left.
Congrats on the papaya. Watch for the cold!
I have a tendency to get into multiply projects and then prune some of them with great difficulty or even worse – stubbornly push through and burn out, so I totally feel your pain. Be careful though – I’ve seen some farmers-turned-authors or podcasters whose product quality suffered greatly once they stopped farming. I don’t mean it become less professional – in many case this part improved actually but once they lost that everyday contact with the problems they’re talking about that made their writings or show so interesting in the first place … meh. Just another averagely gifted journalist, often with a touch of the “star disease”.
Also, you’ re right – there is a critical shortage of nurseries that propagate certain plants in certain ways. Your books are a great service to the community but I’d argue that the nursery was even more important. Is it possible to keep it going may be through a partnership with another nursery or getting someone to do most of the work and you mostly training this person(s)?
I won’t stop farming and growing, that’s for sure. It would be impossible.
The nursery was my business, whereas the gardening is my life. It’s just the dealing with lots and lots of pots and weeding and fertilizing and events and paperwork… just had to stop.
Don’t fear my running off into “journalist” land.
I agree with you that the nursery was a service; yet it was a service that required a lot of work for only a moderate return. I would love it if someone would pick up where I left off, though. I’ve tried to interest multiple people in the idea but it doesn’t get any traction.
Thank you for the reassurances :) and good luck with your [now full time] venture!
I may have a low time input option for the nursery continuation in the Spring … I’ll be in touch if that actually materializes :)
Thanks. If folks had any idea how low my income was, they’d laugh and say it was impossible. Heh.
If it does pan out let me know and I’ll try to hook you up with some rare propagation stock.
Oh dern! I finally convinced my elderly neighbor to give up on all that expensive citrus that is doing very poor an plant some survival plants my cool new aquaintence is selling…..!!! Lol! I feel your pain an glad this is going that well… I wouldnt mind getting more into growing more different things. But probably don’t have what it takes to take on the selling aspect of it…
Meanwhile, neighbor really wants a couple persimmons so if you have a lead on some larger plants available (74yo, can’t wait to long for a harvest) they absolutely LOVE my japanese persimmons…
Good work convincing your neighbor. Blue Star Nursery in Hawthorn is an excellent source for persimmons, though I’m not sure if they’ll have big ones. Fortunately, they usually fruit within three years of planting.
I’m sorry to hear you’ve closed the nursery but glad you’re able to make a living following your passion!
Thanks. The “make a living” part isn’t there yet but I never, ever stop. My goal is to be the top garden writer on the planet.
I’m really sad to hear about your liquidated… I wanted to make a stop by on my next trip south and pick up a few plants to add to Pensacola. I was really hoping to see all your plants, especially your goumi berry and coffee plants. I got my nursery license a few months ago and wanted to add a few more exotics to my yard and my inventory. My quest will continue.
Sorry, Ian – thanks for thinking of me, though.
Dang I was hoping to get a few Soap nut trees from you. Any idea where I can get them now that you’ve closed?
Chiappinni’s Natuve Farm and Nursery near Gainesville.
[…] did quite well until September when we sold it in preparation for selling our house. You can read my farewell post on that great project here. I spent a lot of time at farmer’s markets meeting plenty of wonderful people (and a few that […]