Job Types

• Careers in horticulture involve duties such as produce management, greenhouse or nursery management and landscaping. Horticulture revolves around working with plants, flowers, fruits, vegetables and nut. Those with a degree in horticulture can take careers in farming or plant breeding. Some with horticulture training work as plant pathologists or arborists. The University of Georgia Career Center lists jobs like vegetable gardener, horticulturalist and grower as possible jobs for those with a degree in horticulture.
  
  

Education

• To work in the field, most jobs require at least a bachelor's degree in the subject. Degrees in horticulture are available at many colleges across the U.S. These degrees often take four years to complete; in some cases, community colleges or vocational schools have horticulture as a field of study, which usually takes about two years to complete. Post-graduation, during school, or for people who choose not to attend college, many who wish to work in the horticulture field find internships if possible. These internships can be with schools looking for horticulture help, farmers or nurseries. Internships give them some needed experience in the field before beginning a search for a horticulture career.
  
  

Work Environment

• The work environment for those in horticulture careers depends upon the position. Some may work in greenhouses, while others spend their time in a laboratory. Farmers may spend most of their time in their fields, while those who opt to work for golf courses may spend their time on the greens. Often times, those working in horticulture have hours that revolve around the plants that they maintain. Farmers, for instance, work almost constantly during planting and harvesting seasons, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. Those working for places like country clubs or nurseries can work during the set hours as well as overtime before and after hours to care for the plants involved.
  
  

Salary

• Salary for those working in horticulture is varied, dependent upon the career in question. Farm managers and other agricultural managers, for example, earned about $59,000 annually as of 2009, according to O-Net Online. Additionally, those who farm may not earn as much one year because of growing conditions that year; earnings vary depending upon the crops produced.
  
  

Career Outlook

• O-Net Online notes that the growth for farm, ranch, nursery and greenhouse managers is expected to be slower than average for the 2008-2018 period. This means that the number of new careers in this field is not expected to develop fast. The Bureau of Labor Statistics adds that the field may even have a decrease in jobs. Horticulture careers in other areas, such as landscaping, fare better than farm management.