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There is no better way to gain insights into the ornamental plant industry than to observe how it works on a daily basis. The practical experience gathered while actually visiting horticultural facilities can be used to reinforce and amplify written information. And, in many cases, you will pick up facts and general impressions in the field which were not fully expressible by the written word. If you wish to work or operate a business in horticulture, carefully planned visits to all sorts of facilities will provide invaluable background information upon which to base future decisions. Field trips broaden knowledge while working on daily problems. Even serious amateurs who have no commercial interests can benefit from planned visits to horticultural facilities. The following field exercises direct attention toward some specific operational details which the average person is unlikely to notice with a casual visit. The specific field trips listed below are arranged into groups which display common characteristics and which will require similar observational techniques. By arranging them in this manner, it’s possible to reduce the number of individual forms required and thereby make it easier for participants to concentrate upon learning new material. Each general group of field exercises can be completed by using a common form for that group (participants are authorized to make photo copies of these forms for multiple use and should do so before any answers are filled in). This exception to copyright law is granted by Andmar Press only to the original purchaser of Profits from Plants and only for the personal use of the buyer. Don’t write in this guide if borrowed from the library. LIST OF POSSIBLE FIELD EXERCISES A. Plant production facilities 1. Greenhouse 2. Tree or shrub nursery 3. Sod farm, lawn grass 4. Christmas tree farm 5. Herbaceous perennial farm 6. Cut flower farm B. Sales facilities 1. Chain store indoor plant sales 2. Chain store outdoor plant sales 3. Independent flower shop 4. Independent garden center 5. Herb store 6. Farmers market 7. Wholesale market, generally cut flowers C. Landscape and conservation projects 1. Private homes, neighborhoods 2. Estate gardens 3. Businesses, theme parks, etc. 4. City, state, county parks; university, college, major building landscapes 5. Highway installations 6. Mines, dams, industrial reclamation 7. Interior plant displays in malls, convention centers, major buildings D. Institutional facilities 1. University and college greenhouse gardens 2. Arboretums (tree collections) 3. Botanic gardens 4. Test gardens associated with seed companies, agricultural extension, private & public displays 5. Non-commercial greenhouses 6. Parks department plant growing operations 7. Government plant facilities-Forest Service, Dept. Agriculture, etc. 8. University experiment stations 9. Public gardens E. Shows, meetings, organizations 1. Master Gardeners organization 2. Local garden club 3. Plant society meetings 4. Horticultural trade shows 5. Garden and horticultural tours
6. State or national horticultural meetings 7. Home and garden shows F. Library facilities 1. Public library 2. University, college library 3. Agricultural extension library 4. Botanic garden, public garden, arboretum libraries HOW TO PREPARE FOR AND CONDUCT FIELD EXERCISES Field trips can be an invaluable source of information if they are performed conscientiously. They can be a total waste of time when preparation and careful execution are lacking. Be sure you plan ahead to make your trips successful. Many of the suggested locations for field exercises will obviously be familiar to you. But there are others which you will need to locate in the phone guide or through other sources. Local garden enthusiasts, the Agricultural Extension Agent, garden clubs, owners of horticultural businesses, parks directors, and college horticulture teachers are likely sources where you will also be able to find the locations of facilities for potential field trips. Not every locality will have a full spectrum of horticulturally related facilities for you to visit. But at least 1/2 of the ones listed should be present in or near every small town. Look over the prepared field exercise forms carefully before you arrive at a facility. Resolve any questions you might have about the forms before you begin work. Be sure you know how to fill them out properly and that you have a general idea of what information you are looking for. If you are well prepared, you can spend the time available for productive work rather than organizing preliminary details which should have been taken care of previously. There are some further points to consider when planning a field trip. Most of them are concerned with courtesy to the operators of the facility or with your personal comfort. Make sure you realize the difference between public facilities and those which are considered private. Libraries, botanic gardens, garden shows, retail sales areas, etc. are generally open to the public and require no advance notice to visit. Plant production facilities, reclamation sites, private estate gardens, seed company test gardens, etc. usually will require advance contact to make certain an educational visit is allowable. There are some sites which might fall between the two extremes (such as small independent retail shops, parks department facilities, university greenhouses, garden club meetings, etc.). • If you are in doubt about whether you need permission--ask. It will seldom be denied if you are courteous and explain the purpose of your visit. • Make sure the operators of private facilities know you are not a nosy inspector or potential competitor. • If the trip involves outdoor work, dress properly for the weather. Be prepared for mud and cold or dry and hot weather. You may encounter both in the same day. • Try to visit outdoor facilities during good weather. • Watch your step-especially in production areas. Numerous hazards may be present. • Use the rest room before you depart. Some places may have minimal or hard to locate facilities. • Choose a good time of the year when there is plenty of interesting activity going on. Many horticultural facilities have very seasonal activity patterns. But don't choose the very busiest days of the year-the owner or manager will often deny access at these times. • Don't pester the employees or manager. A few questions may be permitted at private facilities but more are a nuisance. In public facilities, it’s OK to ask lots of questions-the people are there to help you. • You should visit facilities of different size and different emphasis. Don't simply choose the biggest and best. There are also things to learn at the less successful facilities. • Above all, be courteous . • You are filling in the field exercise questionnaire sheets as best you can. Don’t waste the time of the manager or employees by asking them to help you with questionnaires. You will learn more by making your own evaluations. If you cannot possibly answer some of the questions through your own observations-leave them blank. • Spend at least 1 hour at each field trip location. In my experience, the average investigator who analyzes the facility carefully will spend at least 2 hours while many observers can find plenty of interesting material for a 4 or 5 hour visit- depending upon the location. |