11 Most Profitable Horticulture Businesses to Start

If you have decided to move from busy city crowds and start being your own boss, or just try out developing a business at your backyard, you might try some of the most profitable horticulture businesses to start. In the age when more and more people are looking for better food quality, like the growing organic food market demand, big doors are opening for those who plan to start a horticulture business.

Of course, starting any agricultural business depends on how big is the capital investment, the size and quality of the soil you have available. Also, climate and weather differences impact on what plants can thrive. On the other side, most of the success of the business depends on the knowledge and enthusiasm of the owner. Investment of time, energy, good planning, patience, and dedication are necessary for this kind of business, especially at the very beginning. If deciding to start a horticultural business, one must have in mind that some plants require several years before giving their first yield. Yet the most important thing when starting a profitable horticulture business is the market needs, in terms of which products are mostly purchased and where they could be sold at the best price. We have consulted sources like Profitableplants, Sustainable Agriculture, Hortidaily and Profitable Plant Digest. Having in mind that trying out a horticulture business people usually start out as small-scale producers, we have compared the size of space needed, the height of capital investment to get our list of most profitable horticulture businesses.

Starting a horticulture business is a great option for small growers, and planning ahead is the first step one should take in mind before picking the right horticulture business. If, though, you have bit wider conception about starting a domestic business, check out the 11 Most Profitable Agricultural Business Ideas for Young Entrepreneurs.

Let’s now go through our list of most profitable horticulture businesses to start.

11. Soft fruits

Soft fruits are berries, including blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc., and the soft fruit market requests are growing rapidly lately. With the boosting market, the production rate is also growing, so the prices are competing, though slightly falling. Nevertheless, growing soft fruits can still be a profitable business to start. Being a successful soft fruit grower means having good quality products that can compete on the market, which requires a certain knowledge of requirements a certain kind of fruit requires. Although being mostly high scale oriented business, it is also suitable for smaller scale production. Strawberries, for example, bring around $21,440 per acre annually.

10. Cut flowers

Growing flowers ranks 10th in our list of most profitable horticulture businesses to start. It is a perfect solution for those who love gardening and spending time mending plants. Starting as a small scale home business, it can easily turn to a serious wholesale business, which makes 90% of the US market, worth over $400 million annually. Nevertheless, even a small scale business can also be profitable if market needs are properly calculated, and the job is done efficiently, because cut flowers must immediately be distributed after being carefully grown and picked.

9. Vegetable seed production

Seed production, in general, is ideal for family business, although it might take a bit larger land area and capital investment. Vegetable seed production is actually the most profitable one, because it takes the least space (several acres) gaining the highest income.

8. Landscaping grasses, shrubs and trees

Specializing in ornamental plant growing is a good idea for starting a horticultural business. Market demands are those of private and public kind. Grasses are getting more popular among landscapers because they are easy to maintain, and they are very decorative and can cover large portions of ground. Apart from grasses, exotic trees and shrubs are very profitable, though one might need patience and knowledge to get the best result at the beginning. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of most profitable horticulture businesses to start.

7. Bamboo

The uses of this plant are diverse, as it is becoming more and more popular as a landscaping plant, incorporated in gardens as hedge and fence siding, screen or just a decorative plant. They are usually being sold as potted plants, where each container costs $30 on average, so the profit depends on the size of land available, having in mind that 2400 plants can be grown on a quarter acre.

6. Herbs

Culinary, medicinal, or so called micro greens, are profitable plants suitable for someone considering a profitable horticulture business to start. Market includes restaurants and grocers, and the capital investment is low since not much space is needed for an abundant harvest. Picking the right plants to grow, depends, of course, on market needs, but some of the most popular are basil, mustard, dill, oregano, mint, etc.

5. Nursery garden

Depending on market demands and the production size, one must first make a decision about which plants are the best choice for growing. Starting a nursery garden, that’s the idea number 5 in our list of most profitable horticulture businesses to start, is recommendable, growing only one or several plants. The most important thing is to maintain the quality of plants you’re growing which will keep you in the market race.ts you’re growing which will keep you in the market race.

4. Lavender farm

A lavender farm business that’s up next in our list of most profitable horticulture businesses to start is a great idea for starting with low capital investment, since it is a profitable business for either small or large production. The investment includes, apart from lavender seeds, fertilizers, tractor and the harvesting equipment, irrigation system if necessary. Although it can grow in many regions, lavender prefers a milder climate with a lot of sunny summer days, so it is important to have the appropriate conditions for growing this plant. If you find a good market, it is a very gratifying business because it generally does not take too much effort to maintain the crops.

3. Mushroom production

Starting mushroom business is very easy and cheap, and the first harvest is achieved very fast. It can be started in a basement or any other dark and humid space, with very low capital income, which includes a mushroom substrate and moisturizer. The tricky part of the mushroom production is that they must be distributed immediately after picking, so that means you should do a good research on market demands before starting it, though they are widely wanted in markets as well as in restaurants. One of the most profitable mushrooms to grow is the oyster gourmet mushroom.

2. Ginseng

Ginseng is a plant found throughout Northern America and Asia. It has been used as a medical plant by Native American tribes, and widespread throughout Asian medicine. Its value does not decrease even today, where it can be sold as much as $600 a pound, and ginseng seeds for about $150 a pound. Although it takes patience at the beginning because it is rather a slow growing plant (it takes up to 3 years to get mature plants), it certainly is one of the most profitable solutions for starting a horticulture business.

1. Organic greenhouse

The organic greenhouse is on the top of our list of the most profitable horticulture businesses to start, firstly because of the steady and growing market. The demand for organic products is steadily inclining, which is a great opportunity for someone trying out a profitable horticulture business. Before starting an organic greenhouse business, a market research is the first thing one should have in mind. Assuming that it would be a smaller retail nursery at the beginning, with 50 acres or less, it is recommended to start off with several kinds of plants. Even being profitable as a small family business, after gaining more experience, knowledge and a place in the market, you will see in which way your production might gravitate to, whether it is an expansion of the business towards specializing or diversifying.