Growing a Noble Industry

Certain areas of the country are good at growing particular crops: corn in the mid-west, citrus in Florida and California, and nursery stock (and many other agricultural crops) in Oregon. As the second largest nursery state in the country and the largest exporter of nursery stock, Oregon is a leader in the nursery industry. To be better and more profitable and to understand and minimize the impact to the environment, many Oregon growers are undertaking projects to reduce energy use, resource inputs and greenhouse gas emissions.

I thought you might enjoy reading about the efforts of a few of Oregon’s premier nurseries to make their plants even “greener.” The story comes courtesy of Edible Portland. I’m always amazed when I visit nurseries at the complexity of the industry, something most of us take for granted when we’re buying that beautiful tree, blueberry bush, perennial, annual or vegetable. My hope is that we all learn to have a greater appreciation for how our food and ornamental plants are grown.