I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks for
your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but I
have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a Director of Horticulture
at a college in Ohio in order to gain some knowledge as to how to obtain a job
in this field. My main question to him concerned whether or not it would be
possible to secure a job in relation to Horticulture without holding a degree.
He suggested that I contact nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees, and
to inquire about job positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that
you'll be able to make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North
Carolina. I currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it would
bring me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking the
time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel Howery

Try the member list on the site

http://www.ncan.com/NCANWeb/

You have one of the largest greenhouses in the nation in Huntersville called
Metrolina. As far as having a degree, you'll rarely make head grower
without one. But it is not required and really doesn't get you that much
more pay to begin with. The thing I hate to see is a new college graduate
land what they think is a great job and then they realize they must work 60,
70, 80+ hours a week for peanuts and the non-graduate is only getting one
less peanut than he is. A grower probably will not be willing to train you
during the peak of the season. Most growers do their train during off-peak
times and work up to the busy season. At the way our weather is looking,
maybe next week is it!!!

Davy

"Joel Jac0b" wrote in message
...
I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks
for
your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm
now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I
don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but
I
have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a Director of
Horticulture
at a college in Ohio in order to gain some knowledge as to how to obtain a
job
in this field. My main question to him concerned whether or not it would
be
possible to secure a job in relation to Horticulture without holding a
degree.
He suggested that I contact nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees,
and
to inquire about job positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that
you'll be able to make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North
Carolina. I currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it
would
bring me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area
would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking
the
time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel Howery

Working in the industry is a great way to get experience and develop horticultural
knowledge, but you are unlikely to make much of an income or achieve any
significant position without a degree (even two year one). The pay is low and the
work is often hard and pretty much drudgery unless you work in a retail environment
with a lot of customer activity. Many places hire on at least seasonal employees at
this time of year, so you may land an entry level position withou too much
difficulty. Here is a link to Charlotte area nurseries:
http://www.ncagr.com/plantind/plant/...ecklenburg.htm

pam - gardengal


Joel Jac0b wrote:

I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks for
your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but I
have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a Director of Horticulture
at a college in Ohio in order to gain some knowledge as to how to obtain a job
in this field. My main question to him concerned whether or not it would be
possible to secure a job in relation to Horticulture without holding a degree.
He suggested that I contact nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees, and
to inquire about job positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that
you'll be able to make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North
Carolina. I currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it would
bring me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking the
time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel Howery

Hi Joel - you should also consider working for Landscapers, Golf courses and
Nurseries. Get some experience to see if you like Horticulture. Plus, most
educational institutes require prior experience. It was that way when I
took my Horticulture 30 years ago. Horticulture is a lifetime of plants

Wishing you good luck

Derryl (Journeyman Landscape Gardener - Alberta


I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks
for
your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm
now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I
don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but
I
have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a Director of
Horticulture
at a college in Ohio in order to gain some knowledge as to how to obtain a
job
in this field. My main question to him concerned whether or not it would
be
possible to secure a job in relation to Horticulture without holding a
degree.
He suggested that I contact nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees,
and
to inquire about job positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that
you'll be able to make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North
Carolina. I currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it
would
bring me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area
would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking
the
time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel Howery

First you can go to www.greenhousegrower.com and see if you can access their "Help
Wanted" information. This is a trade magazine for the floriculturist industry, which
includes foliage plants.

I can tell you one thing, if you don't have a degree in horticulture you will have to
come up in the ranks very slowly. That means working long hours for little money and
barely having any time to yourself from about October till about March. That's if
you work in a commercial growing operation.

You can probably learn more working in a garden center, but you could learn a lot of
really bad information as well.

The horticulture industry as a whole does not pay a lot of money unless you are the
owner (they sometimes don't make much either) or a grower (which requires botany
and/or other horticultural knowledge.

Garden center managers can make a decent living, but that's all relative. You have
a ton of commercial greenhouse operations everywhere in N.Carolina. Do what I did
when I first got into horticulture. I went to these places and just showed up asking
for a job. My first job was a plug transporter. I'd go out into the greenhouse,
water plug trays, load up 5 tier carts and bring them back to the head house for the
transplant line to put into flats...at 100 miles an hour! You have to walk about 500
miles a day, at 100 miles an hour to keep up with a job like that.

First take a gander at Greenhouse Grower magazine, then consider going to college for
a degree.


On 21 Mar 2003 23:49:20 GMT, (Joel Jac0b) wrote:

I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks for
your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but I
have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a Director of Horticulture
at a college in Ohio in order to gain some knowledge as to how to obtain a job
in this field. My main question to him concerned whether or not it would be
possible to secure a job in relation to Horticulture without holding a degree.
He suggested that I contact nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees, and
to inquire about job positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that
you'll be able to make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North
Carolina. I currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it would
bring me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking the
time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel Howery

In my experience, most nurseries will hire just about anyone with a pulse as a
salesperson. I started as a cashier at this nursery arround the corner, not
knowing what I wanted to do with my life. Two years later I was in charge of
the cultural department taking care of 16 acres of retail plants. I also did
sales in between, and that is a good way to learn, but like someone else said,
you can also learn bad info that way.
With schooling you will learn the right info, but then are in conflict with
what the garden center wants you to tell the customers and what you know you
should tell them. You might also consider taking the master gardener program
in your area. That will teach you the basic gardening stuff and get you
started.
Extremely basic information, but for some reason it impresses them hell out of
employers and people that dont know any better.

Toad

The message
from (Joel Jac0b) contains these words:

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm now
22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I don't
hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about Horticulture, but I
have a strong desire to learn.

Ask your nearest botanical gardens, or any prestigious gardens in your
area which have a high number of visitors, if they run a
volunteer/friends group who do regular unpaid work there. You'll have a
lot of fun, learn a great deal from the professional gardeners who
supervise the volunteers; make some useful contacts and find out if you
have the stamina and patience for that kind of work.

Janet.

Hi Joel..

In the states, from what little I know you'd want to be looking at the
Master Gardener certificates (closest thing to RHS or city and guilds
qualifications over here in the UK). Anything beyond that might equal a
UK NVQ (National Vocational Qualification), ND (National Diploma) HND
(Higher Ntional Diploma (which I have) or following that a degree or PhD
(extra year or couple of years...)

It laregly depends on what you want to do.. Conventional industry
Horticulture.. eg nursery or public sector work, private landscaping or
design, organic or sustainable systems,.. Retail horticulture (eg
garden centres etc...

There are also things like Horticultural therapy, education programs etc
etc that are branches of Horticultural or have something to do with the
industry..

2 of my course colleagues spent their placement year at a large nursery
in North Carolina (sorry cannot remember the name but it was fairly
substantial!), so if you get on a fairly serious course there are even
opportunities for travel..
One guy spent most of the summer driving a forklift
the other (more acedemic) guy was put on customer advice and service and
came back with a fairly good knowledge of US nursery operations and
plants used in that area..

My advice if you want to get a job is to look at nurseries and garden
centres... Yes the jobs are likly to be the crappy ones but you have to
start somewhere.. If you're really lucky you might find a botanic
garden willing to take you on as summer help, unlikly but worth a try...

On a not so professional side you might look at community garden
schemes/allotments etc as they will give you a chance to 'get your hands
dirty' and gain some experience, however basic...

There is a there are a few US Horticultural Jobs sites around as well

Take a look on google and at:
http://www.horticulturaljobs.com

Good luck
//
Jim
North London, England, UK

Joel Jac0b wrote:

I recently sent this note to the NCAN (North Carolina Association of
Nuryserymen) they didn't really supply me with advice or information, so I
figured I would post the note here in the hope of getting some. Thanks
for your time!

Hello, I've had an interest in Horticulture since I was very small. I'm
now 22-years-old and would like to find a job in relation to this field. I
don't hold a degree, and in all honesty don't know much about
Horticulture, but I have a strong desire to learn. I recently contacted a
Director of Horticulture at a college in Ohio in order to gain some
knowledge as to how to obtain a job in this field. My main question to him
concerned whether or not it would be possible to secure a job in relation
to Horticulture without holding a degree. He suggested that I contact
nurseries in my state that grow plants/trees, and to inquire about job
positions available. I'm writing you in the hope that you'll be able to
make me aware of such nurseries in the state of North Carolina. I
currently live in Charlotte, but I'm willing to commute if it would bring
me closer to the goal at hand. Do you think a grower in the area would be
willing to train someone? I would like to thank you in advance for taking
the time to read this note. I appreciate it very much! Sincerely, Joel
Howery