Moving into an old greenhouse!

[gonewild]

so, guys, tell me some stories about making a space like this pay for itself ultimately...I've considered taking on a SFOrchid Society member as a sub-tenant for a while. I may do that. We'll see. I'd rather not, if I can help it, though.

Ask the guy that rented the greenhouse to you. He figured out the way to make the space pay..... about the only way now.

 

[likespaphs]

well, you are in california.....
if you consider yourself accomplished enough as a grower (and possibly bonded or insured), maybe board plants or get a bunch of showy Phals and rent them to offices or whatnot?
i work at nonprofits so $$ isn't as much a driving force for me

 

[nikv]

Chris,

You could always start up an eBay business selling your seedlings that you've grown up from flask. Or any extra divisions of plants that you might have. You could sell as little or as much as you like.

Best Regards,
Nik

 

[NYEric]

This is all getting just a bit expensive, but probably necessary.. so, guys, tell me some stories about making a space like this pay for itself ultimately....

Grow other types of plants man!!

 

[chrismende]

other plants

Grow other types of plants man!!

yeah, Eric. I agree. But which kind? I want to find something that doesn't draw orchid pests like a magnet! I certainly do want to when I get things more smoothly organized.

 

[chrismende]

Candace, that's a good idea. I'll talk with folks here about it. Thanks! we are trying to save the money we usually spent in the past for the plant raffle table. I'll talk with the decisionmakers about what is needed.

 

[chrismende]

I'm not dependent on the income. I simply would like to cover most of the expenses of the greenhouse. I have thought often about boarding and I'll talk with one of our members who does that in his greenhouse.

 

[Candace]

Well, if I know Eric like I think I do:> I think he's suggesting a more profitable plant <wink, wink>.

 

[chrismende]

Chris,

You could always start up an eBay business selling your seedlings that you've grown up from flask. Or any extra divisions of plants that you might have. You could sell as little or as much as you like.

Best Regards,
Nik

This is actually the niche I plan to try out and have been buying flasks of what sound like good things to grow, with the plan to do mini compots to sell to people like me pre-greenhouse - ones with too little space to raise flasks themselves, but who want at least a bit of variety available to them when they buy from a grex. I haven't narrowed down the number of plants I'll usually plant, but Glen Decker suggested 3 to me, so I planted out a number of flasks I bought at the Paph Guild from Norito and from Sam Tsui in groups of three. I also have some flasks of species coming from Taiwan in the next month or so. I'm trying to plant less commonly available types - or truly rare ones, of course, so that there will be a demand. I've also bought several flasks from Woodstream and have others ordered. Divisions are coming along, but that won't be as interesting for buyers yet, since I'm a relatively new collector myself. I will let you all know in the near future what's planted, but I want to wait until I have a more complete list than I could put together right now
I should probably start a new thread on this at some point, but I just wanted to start asking the other night and fired away.

 

[hchan]

Well, if I know Eric like I think I do:> I think he's suggesting a more profitable plant <wink, wink>.

If you're thinking orchids maybe miniature Phals or Cyms? Non-orchids could be African Violets or interesting ferns? If you have small independent nurseries close by you might be able to interest them in that kind of stuff, without the stress of having to commit to huge volumes etc.

 

[hchan]

This is actually the niche I plan to try out and have been buying flasks of what sound like good things to grow, with the plan to do mini compots to sell to people like me pre-greenhouse - ones with too little space to raise flasks themselves, but who want at least a bit of variety available to them when they buy from a grex...

Haha you'll have your own Vendor Forum before you know it :clap:

 

[chrismende]

ah, yes.... when I had seven 800 watt t5 systems burning daily, I left my windows unshuttered so that the utilities company or anyone else would think I was growing those precious plants! I figured that nobody growing dope would ever leave the light visible.
I'm just feeling a bit too serious right now to have picked up on the tone of "other types of plants, man!" Gotta lighten up here!
If it sounds as if I'm all seriousness, I guess I'll have to whip out my dry wit sometime soon - it's hiding when I am online, it seems.

 

[chrismende]

So, to tack sharply to starboard (or would this be port?), I'm hoping the sudden cold weather tomorrow night and saturday won't show me any surprises with my heating system! So far it seems to be working well and the plants seem fine, though I'm getting min. temps into the high 50s on my probably woefully inaccurate min/max thermometers. The heater is set to come on at 62, so I guess I need to tinker a bit.

 

[hchan]

ah, yes.... when I had seven 800 watt t5 systems burning daily, I left my windows unshuttered so that the utilities company or anyone else would think I was growing those precious plants! I figured that nobody growing dope would ever leave the light visible.
I'm just feeling a bit too serious right now to have picked up on the tone of "other types of plants, man!" Gotta lighten up here!
If it sounds as if I'm all seriousness, I guess I'll have to whip out my dry wit sometime soon - it's hiding when I am online, it seems.

Oh I didn't pick up on it either, I'm much too innocent :rollhappy:

Bit of an aside, I saw something very funny on a hydroponics website about "discrete packaging" of mail orders. Couldn't for the life of me figure out why for ages...

 

[chrismende]

whoa!!!!! that is gigantic.
Good colour choice in a decor perspective.
You are very lucky to be in California, since heating expense is not too bad....in Edmonton it would cost a fortune

I just remembered not to complain! Or worry sooo veery much. I think it will really be find. It's just my first really cold spell for our very generally stable winters.

 

[chrismende]

Great ideas! I used to grow african violets and I've often thought of doing species Streptocarpus. And I'm already growing two miniflasks of an awarded Phal. hieroglyphica alba and love species Phals. As to interesting ferns, that's another thing that does interest me. The whole nursery where I have the "little greenhouse" was originally a fern specialty nursery from the 1940s and still has a fern house, so I could learn from him but specialize in different ones.

 

[chrismende]

Oh I didn't pick up on it either, I'm much too innocent :rollhappy:

Bit of an aside, I saw something very funny on a hydroponics website about "discrete packaging" of mail orders. Couldn't for the life of me figure out why for ages...

That's cute, Hubert. I was once asked at the place where I buy my lighting equipment if I was "at the stage yet at which I would want a plain bag?" I'd been telling them for months about my orchids. Clearly they thought I might simply be an adept liar!

 

[likespaphs]

you got any personal protective equipment and pesticide training yet?

 

[NYEric]

Real men don't wear masks except going into banks! :ninja:

This is actually the niche I plan to try out and have been buying flasks of what sound like good things to grow, with the plan to do mini compots to sell to people like me pre-greenhouse - ones with too little space to raise flasks themselves, but who want at least a bit of variety available to them when they buy from a grex. I haven't narrowed down the number of plants I'll usually plant, but Glen Decker suggested 3 to me, so I planted out a number of flasks I bought at the Paph Guild from Norito and from Sam Tsui in groups of three. I also have some flasks of species coming from Taiwan in the next month or so. I'm trying to plant less commonly available types - or truly rare ones, of course, so that there will be a demand. I've also bought several flasks from Woodstream and have others ordered. Divisions are coming along, but that won't be as interesting for buyers yet, since I'm a relatively new collector myself. I will let you all know in the near future what's planted, but I want to wait until I have a more complete list than I could put together right now
I should probably start a new thread on this at some point, but I just wanted to start asking the other night and fired away.

I'm glad you finally got my little joke!
I'm sure some of us here would be very interested in seedlings or compots from the flasks.

 

[chrismende]

I haven't had formal training, but I bought excellent equipment from a safety equipment company Marni Turkel recommended to me and am an RN so I understand quite a bit about chemicals, measurements, safety around them, and protection gear from that setting. However, I do want to get an applicator's certification and haven't done that yet. I will very soon.