On average, a population base of about 6,500 people will marginally support one retail greenhouse outlet. When evaluating your potential customer base, consider the size of your community's trade area, not just the size of the town or city. When assessing competition, count both traditional full-service greenhouse and nursery operations, but don't forget to include other plant outlets such as chain stores, feed stores and even some food stores. It is always easiest to come into a market as the population base is expanding, so check local records concerning past and expected future trends. Traditional retailing, where you attempt to buy in all product and resell it to the customer, is increasingly difficult because of competition from mass market firms.
Wholesale production can take several forms.
Wholesale growers almost always deliver their product to their retail customers, so transportation logistics becomes an important part of the challenge required to succeed as a wholesale grower. The customers may be retail greenhouses or nurseries, florists, grocery stores, chain stores, landscape contractors or farm store outlets. Many wholesale growers set up truck routes and stop by their customers' businesses weekly during the busy spring season. These three crops are produced at different times of the year and can occupy the same greenhouse space. Presently this wholesale market area appears to be overproducing, and product prices have been falling during recent years.