#64 CHOOSING THE LAND * (revised 6/4) "the dirt and the dips"

Topography and soil


The topography and the condition of the dirt on the site can be extremely important in locating a new garden store.


The first and most important lesson:

NEVER DEVELOP A GARDEN STORE BUSINESS ON ANYTHNG BUT FLAT GROUND.

There are horror stories out there about owners who disregarded this advice. They are spending the rest of their days pushing and shoving carts up and down hills and blocking customers shopping wagons with little rocks so they don’t end up rolling all the way to the bottom. They are running back and forth up and down terraces to retrieve plants for the many customers who simply refuse to walk up even the slightest grade, no matter how easy you make it for them. The slight dips and rises in the land can get ignored so easily when choosing the property. It all seems so simple when you look over the land with that uneven topography; a cute little bridge, a pretty English cobblestone set of steps leading to the upper tier overlooking the whole outdoor nursery. Sounds so quaint doesn’t it? Well, it ain’t nothing but a huge headache. Not to mention the huge cost of leveling and filling the land when you find yourself in this fix. Mark my words; it will be a big mistake.

The condition of the soils can also give you trouble. Fortunately, there are real property laws in effect that forces the previous owners to disclose what has been on the property and what is or could be in the soils. Demand this disclosure. Examine carefully what could lay jut beneath the surface of the property. It is pretty hard to build and develop the land if there are 15 old junk Fords poking up in that pretty field. Although most garden stores will not be planting much if anything in the retail operations, chemical deposits of rancid gas left over from a chrome plating company could spell the end to those fresh geraniums that are sitting on your display bench, not to mention the child who starts to wheeze and cough. Make sure you don’t have trouble lurking just under that ground.

Another concern is the type of soils on the land. If the area has heavy clay soils that do not percolate properly, there may be substantial expense getting water away from the surface of the display areas of the garden store This will have to be done as customers will not walk around looking for plants in pools and puddles of water.

Are the topography and the condition of soils acceptable for a green garden gates facility?

The property, although generally flat, has a sight elevation in the topography near the back of the land. The area will have to be graded with special attention given to bringing that elevation down with the rest of the property. We project a moderate expense to get this accomplished.

The condition of the soils is generally excellent, with a sandy loam consistency that drains well with no runoff outside the boundaries of the land. Towards the rear of the property, there is a small portion with a heavy clay pocket on the surface. After the land is leveled and inspected it may be necessary to “tile” that problem area (placing perforated piping under the surface and directing the excess water away from that site)

The area has been a family farm for several generations. The historical farming chemical dump and equipment storage area from the farming operations is a great distance away from this portion of the land. There is no evidence in the signed disclosure document to indicate any degradation of the soil or objects under the soil.