Education · 1 of 5

The path

Nobody hires a head grower straight out of school. You learn the crop first.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Biology and chemistry. If your school has an agriculture program or an FFA (National FFA Organization) chapter, join it. A summer job at a greenhouse or garden center counts for more than you think.

2. 2

   Horticulture program

   2 to 4 years

   A two-year associate degree at a community college, or a four-year degree at a land-grant university. Look for courses in greenhouse production, plant pathology and soils.

3. 3

   Grow through a full year

   1 season

   Every crop has a calendar. You do not understand poinsettias until you have grown them from July cuttings to December sale.

4. 4

   Assistant grower

   2 to 4 years

   You run a section under someone else's eye: irrigation, feed rates, scouting for insects, keeping records.

5. 5

   Grower or head grower

   Ongoing

   The crop is yours. You set the schedule, call the temperatures, sign off on shipping, and answer for anything that dies.