Journey from a desk job to running a full-time edible perennial nursery
Jason Snyder shares his journey and plans to transition from a desk job to running a full-time edible perennial nursery by Fall 2027. Grant Payne and I share our lessons learned.
Jason wants to grow chestnuts, hazelnuts, hickory, as well as many edible perennial shrubs.
- Core nut trees: Chestnuts, hazelnuts, shagbark hickory
- Fruit trees: Persimmon, pawpaw, wild plum
- Berries: Elderberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry
- Experimental (maybe do): Sea berry, goji berry, Siberian peach
- Propagate from cuttings: Elderberry, willow, mulberry, fig
Listen on your fave Podcast app:
Thriving the Future Podcast on Substack
Thriving The Future Podcast on iTunes/Apple Podcast
Thriving The Future Podcast on Spotify
Tips to Start Your Tree Nursery
You actually don’t need much space to grow thousands of trees to saplings and then sell them. You basically just need the space of a yard or a driveway to do just that.
Collect local seed, adapted to your area. As I share on the podcast: “Seeds and trees have a ‘memory’. They thrived and reproduced in a certain climate.
Share and trade seeds with friends and other nurseries.
Jason builds air prune boxes so that the seedlings will prune themselves, without growing through the bottom of the pot into the ground.
Scott uses this Vego Garden Raised Bed.
Grant also uses IBC totes, and is building greenhouse.
Jason’s Nursery Vision & Timeline
- Plans to formally launch nursery business in fall 2027 with first major sales
- Will germinate seeds winter 2026-27, grow through 2027, and begin selling September 2027.
Growing Methods & Techniques
- Use winter stratification for nuts, storing in buckets of sand until germinated, then plant out in the Spring into loose soil in-ground beds, air prune beds, or tree pots. How to Grow Chestnuts from Seed – Grow Nut Trees
- Experimenting with air prune beds/boxes
- Will test blueberry propagation from cuttings this winter using root hormone
- Grant and Scott also use greenhouse and high tunnel for some production or to extend the seasons.
Sales & Distribution Strategy
- Two-pronged approach: Local market and online shipping
- Local sales: Facebook Marketplace, farmer’s markets (alongside wife’s pottery), occasional on-property sale events
- Online sales: Building website, YouTube channel, Twitter presence
- Additional services: May offer landscape consultations and installation services
- Partnerships: Exploring collaboration with local landscapers to introduce edible plants to their clients
Licensing and Inspection
- Some states require a plant license and may require an inspection. In Kansas, they require an inspection of you sell over $10K in-state or if you are shipping out of state.
- If you ship plants, you will need a neutral medium. I use coconut coir to loosen soil and for shipping plants.
If you like this episode, Buy me a coffee
I still have chestnut seeds for sale at Grow Nut Trees. That’s at GrowNutTrees.com and BuyNutTrees.com.
Go to my Substack page for more great content.
Discover more from Thriving The Future
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.