Characteristics of Kentucky’s Nursery and Greenhouse Industries [2015]

The nursery and greenhouse industry in Kentucky is diverse and contributes significantly to the local and state economy. This industry represents the largest segment of Kentucky’s sales of horticultural products and is comprised almost completely of farm families. Nursery and greenhouse operations have historically been characterized as separate production systems and crops. However, today primary nurseries may also have greenhouses and/or produce herbaceous perennials and annuals to satisfy their customer base. On the other hand, many primary greenhouse firms that once grew mostly annuals and potted flowering crops have expanded their product line to include herbaceous perennials, often finished in outdoor spaces. Nursery and greenhouse crops are produced and marketed in containers or grown in the field and dug and sold as balled and burlapped or bare root plants. Most of Kentucky’s nursery and greenhouse crops are marketed in Kentucky and surrounding states