Education · 1 of 5

The path

Start on the floor, learn the crop, take courses that let you make decisions.

1. 1

   High school diploma

   Grade 12

   Biology and chemistry help. A summer job at a greenhouse or garden centre helps more.

2. 2

   Greenhouse worker

   1 to 3 years

   Planting, pruning, pollination, harvesting and packing. You learn what a healthy crop looks and smells like.

3. 3

   Horticulture diploma (optional)

   2 years

   Two years at a college such as Niagara, Olds, Kwantlen or Dalhousie covers plant science, greenhouse climate and pest management.

4. 4

   Grower or section lead

   3 to 6 years in

   You take responsibility for a block of the greenhouse: irrigation, feed recipe, pest scouting and yield.

5. 5

   Head grower

   8 years or more

   Climate strategy for the whole site, crop planning with the sales team and managing the growing staff.