What Are Garden Centers?
Garden centers are places where customers can purchase plants grown in a nursery setting, but they can also buy tools and equipment that they can use in their gardens. You can also rent specialized equipment out for larger garden projects.
The increased popularity of gardening is mostly due to people spending more time at home, and the desire to have a more dependable food supply. This increased popularity in gardening has helped those who love farming and have nurseries because more people are aware of what it takes to grow vegetables and other produce. And more and more people are looking to put in a garden of their own.
What is the Difference Between a Garden Center and Nursery?
Nurseries and garden centers are similar because they both sell plants, but there are some differences. Knowing the difference between the two is very important before deciding to start a garden center.
Nurseries are places that sell plants that are ready to be transplanted. Nurseries usually sell plants intended for a specific purpose rather than a more varied range of plants. The different types of nurseries may include landscape design, produce gardens, and growing seasonal plants such as fruit and vegetables for transplanting.
Garden centers also offer similar potted plants, but they also have tools and other garden equipment available. They also typically have staff who can help with garden design and plant health, and offer equipment rental for larger landscaping and garden projects.
What to Look for in an Agricultural Metal Building
When starting a garden center, there is a lot to decide before opening. Garden centers can be great places to earn a living, but you have to account for customer needs before opening so that your customers can readily find what they are looking for when they need it.
1. Decide what to sell
The first thing to consider is what you plan to sell at your garden center. Besides plants, what other accessories or equipment? What services can you offer to clients? Will you have rental equipment for larger landscaping jobs?
Other items that would be a good idea to stock are seeds, fertilizers, and mulch. Also, selling pumpkins in October and Christmas trees in November or December helps provide extra income in slower seasons.
2. Decide your location
The location of a garden center is another important factor, if not the most important. The location needs to be in a higher traffic area, or you will need to plan on lots of advertising to get customers to your location.
Also, the amount of space to purchase depends on what you plan to sell and how you are getting your stock. A minimum of five acres is needed just for a steel building, parking and gardens. However, if you are growing your own stock, 10 acres is recommended for a nursery to allow for the addition of greenhouses over time.
3. A site layout with easy customer access
The site you plan to build on needs to allow for natural drainage without erosion, and allow for the removal of storm and surface runoff. Also, access and parking for customer vehicles is required.
It is helpful if a site can be seen from a distance. This is so customers can see the building site from as far away as possible so that they have more time to react while driving if they want to stop.
4. Design an inviting and appealing structure
Curb appeal is extremely important when operating a garden center. Customers want to see how the plants you sell can look at their place. So they need to see amazing landscaping to draw them with the plants and landscaping you choose to decorate the garden center. The beautiful landscaping also helps to make the neighborhood around your building site look better too.
5. Show customers your skills
Offer neighboring businesses a reduced rate on landscaping, this will make your business look better, and they can recommend your services to their customers. Send out flyers and brochures to neighborhood addresses to get your name out there, and let them know what you offer for products and services.
Host classes for beginner gardeners, they get free advice on what and how to plant, and they will most likely purchase products from you. Great customer service skills also include having a great social media presence. This allows customers to know what you have to offer, and what services you provide.
6. Understand the regulations and permits needed
Before purchasing land for a steel building, know what zoning area the building and business will be in. In most areas, retail sales are fine on farmland, if a certain percentage of the products sold are also grown on the farm. Otherwise, your steel building will need to be built on commercial land.
Zoning regulations deal with where buildings, parking lots, and signs can be placed, along with buffer zones around neighboring properties. To know all this information, it may be helpful to have a surveyor map showing property boundaries. In addition, it may be helpful now to include an area for future expansion.
7. Know how much utilities are needed
Utilities will include but are not limited to water, electricity needs, telephone, and internet availability. Unless a water storage tank is going to be used, a minimum of 10 gallons per minute of water supply would be the best. You should test your water to be sure if it is safe to drink, and that it doesn’t have any chemicals that might be harmful to plants.
The building site will need enough electricity to supply heating, ventilation, and lights for all buildings. The building site will also need telephone and internet service for typical business-related operations.
8. Learn safety rules for garden centers
Safety rules for garden centers might vary from state to state, so it is important to know what your states’ laws require for safety. However, entrances to buildings and aisles will need to follow Americans for Disabilities Act requirements.
Also, keeping aisles as clean and dry as possible will keep people safe, and having floors that include anti-skid products is best to prevent people from falling on wet floors.
9. Choose the correct size and customizations for your metal building
When choosing a metal building for a garden center, choosing the right size and customizations for your facility is key. Choose the metal building that fits your needs and the site that it will be built.
Also, choose the customizations for your building that fit your needs for your employees and customers.
Ensure You Have the Following in Your Agricultural Metal Building
The metal building will need to be customized to allow for plenty of light throughout the building. Light will help keep customers and employees safe, allowing them to see well, but it also helps with the plants in the building and even reduces utility costs.
The metal building will also need enough ventilation to allow for air movement for plants and people in the building. With the ventilation needs, the building will need enough space for everyone to move around freely while also having room for the products you want to sell, and have extra products in storage as needed.
The Best Sizes for Agricultural Metal Buildings
Agriculture metal buildings work great for garden centers. They allow for bright light, ventilation, and can be customized to fit the needs of everyone. They are also rugged and will withstand most weather conditions. Below are several of the most popular sizes of metal buildings.
1. 42×41
This is the smallest of the more popular-sized steel buildings. This size of building allows for later expansion. This size of steel building will also allow room for greenhouses or other outdoor building sheds to enhance your garden center.
2. 48×31
This size building is a great next step up, this still allows you to expand later if you choose to, or you can still have room for greenhouses or other outdoor building sheds on the property. At this size of building, customization is possible, but with fewer options.
3. 44×51
This size of building is a great option for many who want customization options, but also want the option of expanding later on. At this size of building, there are many options available to you for the future.
4. 48×30
This building size is a great fit for those who are not ready for a larger-sized building but want lots of customization options. At this size, you can still expand a little bit later on. But at this size of building, you may not need to expand later on.
5. 50×100
At the largest of the most popular sizes, this building size will give you the most amount of room to expand and showcase your landscaping skills. Also, this size of building allows for the most customization, which means more lighting and ventilation.
Many Benefits of an Agricultural Metal Building
The benefits of building an all-steel building are many, and just a few of those many benefits are listed below.
1. Economical Cost
The cost of steel buildings is generally cheaper than wood-framed buildings, and typically the insurance is less also, as the buildings tend to last longer than other building types.
2. Great Insulation
With the ability to have tighter construction, a steel building is easier to insulate than traditional buildings made of wood or other materials.
3. Simple Assembly
Easy to assemble when manufactured as a prefabricated unit. Most customers find the buildings are easy enough to put together; they do the work by themselves or with little help.
4. Clear Span Convenience
With the light weight, but high strength of steel, steel buildings can be made with open, clear spans in the middle of the building with very few interior supports.
5. Cost-Effective
Metal and steel prefabricated buildings and building kits tend to be a far more cost-effective option for construction than more traditional options such as wood.
6. Eco-Friendly
Steel buildings can be made from highly recycled steel. Steel is one of the few materials that can retain its strength no matter how many times it is recycled.
7. Mold-Proof
Unlike wood, steel does not allow mold or mildew to build up. This helps ensure the longevity of your structure.
8. Chew-Proof
Metal and steel buildings are resistant to chewing from small creatures and vermin, unlike wood which is highly susceptible to this type of damage.
9. Termite-Resistant
Steel buildings are termite-resistant as there is nothing in the frame or building panels for termites to eat.
10. Greater Waterproofing
Steel building design allows for better waterproofing, with steel-to-steel connections to the metal roof panels and steel frame.
One-Stop for Arizona Metal Buildings
Arizona, the 5th largest state of the USA, holds a diverse economic culture; the state’s huge economy is supported by healthcare, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, and government. At American Metal Buildings, we know a diverse economy demands diverse structures. We provide a wide range of large metal structures and custom metal buildings in Arizona. We have buildings for your daily needs from agricultural to commercial and industrial to residential. You can choose the type of metal building you want, whether it’s metal garages, metal barns, metal carports, RV covers, large metal buildings, or any other building; we have it all. Experts at American Metal buildings are ready to guide you and help you decide the best AZ metal building according to your needs.
American Metal Buildings Makes Cost-Effective and Sound Agricultural Metal Buildings for Your Next Garden Center
Metal buildings allow for bigger, and more open designs due to the strength and lightweight properties of steel. They are more water-resistant and can be insulated better than other wood-framed buildings. With the clear-span design of metal buildings, you can customize the interior more than wood-framed buildings. The steel buildings from American Metal Buildings are a cost-effective and simple solution for building a beautiful, completely customized garden center. They have some of the best pricing in the area, and offer real-time pricing and free delivery and installation. With the size and customization options available, these buildings can turn your garden center dreams into reality. These metal buildings will fit your needs for many years to come. Call American Metal Buildings today at 877-277-3060.