How Bob’s Market and Greenhouses Is Planting the Seeds for a Strong Industry Future

Bob’s Market and Greenhouses in Mason, WV, one of Greenhouse Grower’s 2026 Top 100 Growers, isn’t just a plant grower. The company strives to be a partner in its community and a supporter of future industry leaders. Recently, the operation has revamped the Educational Resources section of its website. It is also actively involved with America in Bloom (learn more in Greenhouse Grower’s June 2026 cover story), and offers workshops and presentations for various community groups.

John Morgan, IT Manager for Bob’s Market, heads up the company’s school tour program and also works with the local county on its Superintendent Steering Committee. His latest venture is launching the Next Crop Blog on the Bob’s Market website. The blog is aimed at horticulture and Future Farmers of America teachers. Educators can subscribe for monthly information about what’s happening at Bob’s, the horticulture industry, and how it can be incorporated into the classroom.

I recently caught up with Morgan to learn more about his goals for the blog.

Brian Sparks: Why did you start the blog, and what were your goals?

John Morgan: I created the new blog to expand our educational resources for teachers. I have a BA in Secondary Education from Marshall University and have spent the last few years working with Seed Your Future (SYF) whenever I can to help promote careers in horticulture. Last fall I had the pleasure of representing Seed Your Future at the CEA Summit East in Danville, VA, participating on a panel with other greenhouses and college horticulture programs. Then this summer at Cultivate, I volunteered to guide a tour group of students around the trade show floor on the last day.

Here at Bob’s, we participate in the seasonal Green Career Weeks sponsored by SYF, but we also host almost weekly tours for high school and college classes during the spring growing season. Many of these programs purchase partial plug trays from our wholesale production at a discounted rate that they then grow and sell. It has helped many of their programs become financially self-funding, which is always a positive outcome.

Sparks: How will you decide what to include in each post?

Morgan: The main thing I want to add to each post is what’s happening in a particular month at our facility, to give teachers and students a better understanding of the seasonal nature of our industry. I’ll also include any major industry news, like the BFG story, and, finally, growing tips for caring for seedling plugs and growing finished products. Each post will be organized into sections, almost like a newsletter. Actually, if teachers (or anyone) want to subscribe, we have it tied to a Mailchimp RSS automation that will send out new posts in an email format.

I’m also thinking about monthly production estimates and deep dives into all the different careers beyond growing. We could get into technology, logistics, and marketing — maybe even an exciting post from our accounting department covering the complexities of business economics.

Sparks: How does the blog tie into Bob’s Market’s focus on building connections with a broader community?

Morgan: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we gained a whole new group of millennial gardeners that revitalized our industry. Our main blog focuses on educational content to make gardening more accessible to everyone. My idea with the Next Crop Blog is to apply that same idea to our industry — to get Gen Z and Gen Alpha interested in green-collar careers.

Two of the best days for me over the last year were last spring during Green Career Week, when two nursing students from Marshall University showed up at our office. The plant taxonomy professor, a friend, had sent them because they had come to her wanting to change career paths. She sent them to me to take a tour and talk about what schools have the best horticulture programs. Then there was leading the tour at Cultivate for Seed Your Future. Usually, when I do a facility tour at Bob’s, I do most of the talking. I was blown away by the questions these future professionals in our industry were asking. I’m sure I’m going to be seeing them on the trade show floor in the next few years as peers in our industry.