Nursery Jobs, Greenhouse Careers, Greenhouse Production | Greenhouse Job Descriptions

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Nursery & Greenhouse Production

Nursery & Greenhouse Production

Plant the seeds for this bountiful career

If you love biology class, find chloroplasts fascinating, or long to spend time outdoors with your hands in the dirt, a career in nursery and greenhouse production could be the profession for you.

Jobs in the nursery and greenhouse industry are plentiful and offer the opportunity to work with many types of plants – well known and exotic. From azaleas to zinnias, people working in nursery and greenhouse production can specialize in a wide variety of plants and production systems.

Just so you know, nurseries and greenhouses are not the same thing.

Nurseries are businesses that grow trees, shrubs and perennials
Greenhouses are businesses that grow annuals, perennials and foliage (think flowers and plants)

Nurseries and greenhouses are typically wholesale businesses but there are also retail garden centers, which grow their own plants for sale directly to homeowners.

Click on a Career Path below...

Nursery and greenhouse production is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture.
Growers look for new plant varieties across the world that will be more beautiful, unusual or disease resistant.
Nursery and greenhouse production professionals work with native plants, exotic new plants from overseas, Christmas trees, fruits and vegetables, or orchards, to name a few.
Plants improve air quality. In fact, one tree can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year.

Nursery/Greenhouse Worker

Duties:

Plant, prune and control weeds
Fertilize and control pests
Harvest plants
Experienced nursery and greenhouse workers may also supervise seasonal crews and manage order fulfillment

Education:

High school education preferred
Two-year technical college certificate a bonus
Training provided by employer, but experience is helpful

Pay:

Seasonal positions: $8 to $18 per hour
Full-time, year-round positions: $25,000 to $60,000 per year (plus benefits)

Nursery/Greenhouse Production

Duties:

Plant, prune, fertilize and harvest, and direct others in these activities, too
Provide training and work direction to assistant production persons and seasonal employees
Direct shipping operations
Operate necessary equipment (soil mixers, potting machines, seeders and cultivators)

Education:

High school diploma
Two-year technical college certificate in horticulture

Pay:

Seasonal positions: $8 to $18 per hour
Full-time, year-round positions: $25,000 to $90,000 per year (plus benefits)

Crop Protection/Equipment Maintenance

Duties:

Identify pests
Develop control strategies, procurement and inventory of pest control and fertilizer products
Conduct training programs to protect pest control workers
Perform equipment maintenance and soil management
Provide work direction and training to assistant nursery workers and seasonal employees

Education:

High school diploma
Two-year technical college certificate in horticulture

Pay:

Seasonal positions: $8 to $18 per hour
Full-time, year-round positions: $25,000 to $90,000 per year (plus benefits)

Manager of Production and Crop Protection

Duties:

Direct all aspects of nursery or greenhouse production
Develop and implement crop protection program
Manage all aspects of human resources in production areas
Coordinate equipment and resource needs
Manage inventory and availability systems to ensure accuracy
Assist in purchasing and receiving
Develop and manage operating budget

Education Requirement:

Bachelor's degree in horticulture

Pay:

$30,000 to $90,000 per year (plus benefits)

Additional Career Possibilities
Plant Propagation and Breeding
Salesperson or Marketing Specialist
Quality Control Specialist
Customer Service
Business Owner