Greenhouse Grower to Grower

Ken Littrell grew up on a family farm, and since then he’s worked in and out of floriculture, including spending time with some of the industry’s leading growing operations. He specializes in leadership development, change management, and how to build a better team through transparency and communication. In my recent conversation with Ken, we talked about everything from how to keep your team moti...

Jazmin Albarran is the Executive Director of Seed Your Future, an organization focused on educating young people about plants, as well as developing the next generation of industry leaders. I recently caught up with Jazmin to learn more about how Seed Your Future has evolved since its formation in 2014, and in particular in the last four years under her leadership, and what it is in the works for...

The current chaos around the nation’s immigration policy is creating high levels of uncertainty for employees and employers alike. The green industry relies on immigrant labor to fill critical roles responsible for planting, growing, cultivating, harvesting, packaging, and shipping plant products to clients and customers alike. Many of the supporting inputs, tools, and services to the industry als...

There’s probably no one more knowledgeable on the ins and outs of biological products and how they work in the greenhouse than Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, also known as The Buglady. Suzanne has offered her insights and advice at several industry conferences and workshops, and she’s also written articles for trade publications such as Greenhouse Grower. She provides hands-on training for growers as w...

Jason Wenninger of Ebert’s Greenhouse in Ixonia, WI, was a finalist for Greenhouse Grower’s Head Grower of the Year award in 2024. When I reached out to Jason about being a guest on this podcast, I should not have been surprised when he asked if his whole growing team could be included. I learned quickly why he wanted this. During our conversation, it became clear that despite their different resp...

Dr. Allan Armitage is a familiar name to many in the greenhouse industry. He’s been a professor, trial manager, consultant, and so much more. He’s written several books that highlight his love of plants, he takes plant lovers on virtual garden tours on his Facebook page, and he’s been a Greenhouse Grower contributing editor, columnist, and advisor for more than 40 years. But he’s never been a podc...

Hoffman Nursery is headed into 2025 with a few changes in leadership. Second-generation family member David Hoffman takes the reins as CEO of Hoffman Nursery, and he’s joined by Craig Reynolds, who was promoted to Chief Operating Officer. These leadership changes come at a pivotal time as Hoffman Nursery continues to strengthen its position as an industry leader, focusing on expanding its product...

The Firefly bioluminescent petunia has captured attention both inside and outside the floriculture industry for its ability to bring natural illumination into homes and gardens. But where did it come from, how is it changing the game in plant genetics research, and perhaps most importantly, when and how will growers and consumers be able to find it? In this episode, I talk to the team at Rooted in...

Steve Costa, the president of Headstart Nursery in Gilroy, CA, is a proud graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. So proud, in fact, that he recently provided a sizable donation to support the restoration of the school’s Horticulture Greenhouse Complex and further its learn-by-doing approach to agricultural education. In this episode, I talk to Steve about the importance of fostering the next genera...

Growers in the floriculture industry face many challenges when it comes to retaining key talent and building the next generation of industry leaders. The same holds true for both university Extension and the supplier community, two critical segments of the greenhouse market. In this episode of Greenhouse Grower to Grower, I talk to Melinda Knuth of North Carolina State University, and Brian Schulk...

The cover story of Greenhouse Grower’s November issue provides a closer look at Kind Earth Growers, a wholesale plant nursery in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, that offers more than 215 species of seed-grown native perennials and aquatic plants under 20,000 square feet of controlled-environment production. In this episode of Greenhouse Grower to Grower, you can hear my full conversation with Kind Earth...

The Garden Media Group released its official 2025 trends report in early September. In this episode, I sat down with Katie Dubow, president of Garden Media Group, to get a first-hand look at what’s in this year’s report, and how you as a grower, or if you’re in another segment of the industry, can respond. Here’s our conversation.

Lauren Kirchner left Waller, Texas when she was 18 to pursue a career in marketing and finance. She never thought she’d return to join her parents in running Spring Creek Growers, but that’s exactly what happened. Over the last couple of years, Lauren worked with her parents on an ownership transition at Spring Creek, and that was quickly followed by perhaps an even bigger challenge: a deadly torn...

Last week’s episode of Greenhouse Grower to Grower was part one of my conversation with Tom Costamagna of Young’s Plant Farm, Greenhouse Grower’s 2024 Head Grower of the Year. Please check it out if you have not already. In this episode, I continue my conversation with Tom, where we talk about the tools he uses to solve problems in the greenhouse, how he works with the ownership and growing teams...

Earlier this year during Cultivate’24, our team at Greenhouse Grower presented our Head Grower of the Year award to Tom Costamagna of Young’s Plant Farm. Tom has a rich history in floriculture, and following the award presentation, I had an extensive conversation with Tom about everything from his background, to how he thinks outside the box when problem solving, to how his early influences have s...

Aren Phillips is a Greenhouse Systems Manager at Walters Gardens in Zeeland, MI. He is a team leader on several projects at Walters Gardens, including sales forecasting, automation, data collection and analytics, and the potential of artificial intelligence. Aren was part of a panel discussion at Cultivate’24 on smart technology adoption, and he will also be presenting at the Great Lakes Expo in D...

Josh Smith is Vice President of Kopke’s Greenhouse in Wisconsin. During Cultivate’24, Josh joined Tamara Bartlett of Bartlett Instruments for a discussion on bringing a tech-sector mindset to greenhouse production, and how to eliminate time-consuming tasks and develop SOPs for automating common greenhouse practices. In this episode, Josh talks about his background in technology, how he brings a fo...

Greenhouse Grower editors Brian Sparks and Julie Hullett were at Cultivate’24 in Columbus, OH, walking the tradeshow floor, attending education sessions, and connecting with friends across the floriculture industry. In this episode, Brian and Julie offer their top takeaways from one of the industry’s largest annual gatherings.

During Cultivate’24 last month, Denise Godfrey of Olive Hill Greenhouses in Fallbrook, CA, participated in a panel discussion on sustainability in floriculture. Denise brought the grower perspective, and she was joined by a group representing all sectors of the industry, including breeding, packaging, benchmarking, and university research. I caught up with Denise after Cultivate to talk more about...

Greenhouse Grower ’s July cover story features a closer look at how university horticulture departments from across the country are attracting new blood to the industry while fostering career development. I had the chance to talk to six department heads about a wide range of topics, and we’re using this podcast as a way to offer extended versions of these conversations. In this episode, I talk to...

Greenhouse Grower ’s July cover story features a closer look at how university horticulture departments from across the country are attracting new blood to the industry while fostering career development. I had the chance to talk to six department heads about a wide range of topics, and over the next few weeks this podcast will include extended versions of these conversations. In this episode, you...

Greenhouse Grower editors Brian Sparks and Julie Hullett revisit the Spring of 2024 and look ahead to Cultivate, including what they’re most looking forward to at this annual horticulture industry gathering.

Greenhouse Grower ’s July cover story will feature a closer look at how university horticulture departments from across the country are attracting new blood to the industry while fostering career development. I had the chance to talk to six department heads about a wide range of topics, and over the next few weeks this podcast will include extended versions of these conversations. In this episode,...

Michelle Opela, Senior IPM Manager at Costa Farms, will be giving two talks at Cultivate on the topic of IPM and biocontrols in the greenhouse. Michelle’s career path started with studying biology at Cornell University. After a brief stint in marine biology, she joined Costa’s R&D team eight years ago, eventually finding her way into managing the company’s IPM program. In this episode, I talk...

Mari Carrasquillo, Vice President of Marketing and E-Commerce at Costa Farms, has more than 25 years of experience in creating brand strategies for companies such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, and Food Saver. She joined the Costa Farms team in 2021 and currently focuses on developing and managing digital and e-commerce programs. Mari will be joining a panel at Cultivate24 to talk about strategies for...