By Jamie Currie | Growing Solutions Australia

How did your nursery business get started?
After starting an apprenticeship straight out of school and working my way up into nursery management, I always knew I wanted to have my own nursery one day. Then, about 10 years ago, while on a road trip visiting nurseries, I sent a text to my wife saying, “We should start our own nursery,” and she replied, “Let’s do it.” That simple exchange kicked off our journey. We packed up our little family, moved to Queensland, bought a nursery site, and, drawing on over 20 years of industry experience and relationships, Growing Solutions Australia (GSA) was born. Little did I know that the relationships I had forged within the industry over the years would play such a key role in helping us establish and grow GSA.

Can you tell us a bit about your nursery and what you specialise in?
We are based in Cabarlah, just 15 minutes north of Toowoomba, Queensland. Our site includes over 9,000m² of production area, with 6,000m² under controlled greenhouses.
We began by working with a small customer base, contract growing to meet their specific needs. In the years that followed, we expanded into tissue culture work, and in 2022 we acquired the Highsun Foliage business. This was a turning point that helped grow our young plant operations.

Today, we specialise in deflasking tissue culture, propagation, and growing young plants to order. We work closely with our customers to tailor production based on their specific requirements. Our main plant lines include ornamentals, berries and fruit trees, landscape plants, and select agricultural crops. We take pride in producing clean, healthy stock and consistently delivering high-quality young plants to production nurseries across Australia.

What do you enjoy most about working in horticulture?
I love working with plants. There is nothing better than standing back and admiring the beautiful quality we’ve been able to produce and then watching those plants leave the nursery, ready for the next stage of their journey.

What changes in the nursery or horticulture industry excite you the most right now?
To be honest, I’m not sure there are any particular changes right now that I’d call exciting — our industry is facing some challenges that we all need to work through together. That said, I am encouraged to see that there are people in the right positions working toward positive change, which gives me hope for the future. Looking further ahead, the Brisbane Olympics presents a great opportunity to showcase the value of our industry and the role it plays in shaping green, vibrant spaces across Queensland.

Who are the key people in your team, and what roles do they play?
We have a great team here at GSA, and to highlight anyone in particular wouldn’t do justice to the rest, everyone plays an important role in what we do. Our staff genuinely enjoy coming to work and take pride in making sure every plant that leaves the nursery is the best it can be. It’s a great feeling when your team tells you this is their “happy place.”Outside of work, my family is my biggest support. They understand what the nursery means to me and the role it plays in my life.

Have you made any recent innovations or upgrades that have changed the way you operate?
Yes, we’ve made significant investments in improving our growing environments and refining our propagation processes to boost plant health and consistency. These upgrades have helped us maintain the high quality our customers expect.

What’s been one of your biggest challenges as a nursery business owner?
Like many in the industry, managing staffing and labour shortages has been a challenge, especially during peak seasons. Balancing production demands with staffing capacity requires constant planning and adaptability.

And what’s one of your proudest achievements?
I’m proud of the relationships we’ve built with customers who have grown with us over the years. Being trusted to supply plants that form the foundation of their production is a huge responsibility, and one I don’t take lightly.

If you weren’t running a nursery, what would you be doing instead?
To be honest, I haven’t really thought much about doing anything else. Before leaving school, this was the path I wanted to follow, and I consider myself lucky that, 32 years on, I’m still doing what I love.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to get into the industry?
All I know is my own journey, starting from the bottom and learning hands-on. The biggest challenge has been taking little steps forward and staying focused, knowing that tomorrow is a new day. It is about persistence and keeping your eyes on the future, even when things get tough.