Georgia horticulture facts

Horticulture is a significant and expanding component of agriculture in Georgia. This industry represents the production, processing, and marketing of vegetables, fruits, nuts, trees, flowers, and shrubs. Horticulture also includes such service trades as florist shops, landscaping services, and garden centers.

The development of horticultural products has a long history, beginning with the first settlers that came to Georgia. The first colonists depended upon locally grown produce and selected seeds from plants that yielded well. Seeds of vegetable, apple, melon, corn, and squash varieties were handed down generation to generation, shared between families, and maintained. 

This practice extended through the 1950s, making the culture of vegetables and fruits a staple activity for most rural Georgia families. Many of these original lines, now known as heritage or heirloom varieties, are still grown by gardeners interested in history or are maintained in breeding programs geared toward developing plants tolerant of Georgia’s climate.

Floriculture, or the science of growing flowers, has had an interesting history since the beginning of the 1800s. During the Victorian era, flowering houseplants, indoor terrariums, and extensive perennial gardens became popular. Use of bedding plants such as marigolds became widespread in the late 1940s, after World War II (1941-45). 

In the 1970s, as interest in the environment grew, houseplants again achieved phenomenal popularity. By the mid-1980s the use of pansies for winter color became so extensive in Atlanta, and later statewide, that it nearly doubled the incomes of most greenhouse owners. Another trend is a return of the use of perennials, and the market now has more than 1,200 cultivars to choose from.

The diversity of horticultural products grown in our state is extensive, given its varied climates and soil types. The cool valleys of the north Georgia mountains are excellent for apples, cabbage, sweet corn, and muscadine grapes. 

The long growing season and warm sandy soils of the Coastal Plain in the southern part of the state are ideal for most vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, and squash. The central Piedmont’s sloping hills and clay soils are good for in-ground production of ornamental trees and shrubs and for the production of peaches.

Georgia’s horticulture industry is economically significant, with a farm gate value of over $2.4 billion, driven by vegetables, fruits, and nursery products. The state is a national leader in producing pecans, blueberries, and peaches. In addition to its farm-gate value, the horticulture service sector (including landscaping, garden centers, and retail florists) generates over $1 billion annually. 

Fastest-growing segment: The vegetable segment is the fastest-growing, with a farm gate value of over $635 million, a 63-fold increase over the last 30 years. Georgia produces a wide variety of vegetables year-round, with many grown in the Coastal Plain and shipped to the northeastern United States and Canada. Georgia is a top producer of many vegetables, including spring onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, and cucumbers.

Fruit and nut production: The fruit and nut segment generates over $210 million in farm gate value, with pecans, peaches, and blueberries being major crops.

Ornamental horticulture: This sector is ranked as the No. 4 commodity group in Georgia. The greenhouse, nursery, and turf sector has a farm gate value of over $516 million annually.

Let’s be proud of our state’s horticultural heritage. Honor and appreciate our Georgia horticulturists!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, and former Perry High School horticulture instructor. He can be reached at (478) 954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.