Commercial Horticulture

Aparna Gazula, Commercial Horticulture Agent

The horticulture industry in Alachua County is very diverse. It includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, and ornamentals and landscape nurseries and greenhouses. Vegetable production and marketing in the county is a 13 million dollar industry encompassing approximately 5,887 aces and including a variety of crops. The largest acreages are devoted to beans, watermelons, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, and squash.

Fruits, nuts, and berry production and marketing in the county is a 8 million dollar industry with approximately 2,682 acres under production. Alachua County ranks number one in the state for pecan production with approximately 1,656 acres. There is also a large blueberry industry with around 796 acres under blueberries.

The ornamental and landscape nursery and greenhouse industry in the county is valued at approximately 11 million dollars and includes approximately 1.4 million square feet under greenhouse production, and 1,255 acres in the open.

The Alachua County Extension Service, with access to the many resources of the University of Florida, provides assistance to the horticulture industry in many different subject areas. Every month, the County Extension Service publishes two newsletters. The Alachua Grower is for commercial vegetable, berry, fruit, and nut growers; and The Green Scene is for commercial ornamentals, landscape, nursery growers, and for lawn and landscape maintenance professionals. The newsletters contain a calendar of scheduled programs, a list of available publications and production and pest information.

Areas of Expertise and Service to Alachua County:

 

• General Vegetable Production
• Vegetable Fertilization
• Vegetable Irrigation Management
• Pest and Disease Management
• Produce Handling and Safety
• Pesticide Licensing Information
• Nursery Production and Management
• Integrated Pest Management - Biological Control