Summer Internship: Connecting Students with Real-World Nursery Experience

Will working alongside the Heritage growing team — Will spent the summer working alongside our head grower, Eric, and growing team and learning nursery production hands-on.

From the Nursery

Summer Internship: Connecting Students with Real-World Nursery Experience

A summer spent learning, asking questions, and seeing nursery production from the inside.

Last week, we wrapped up our summer internship program, and it was a good reminder of just how much there is to learn in a nursery.

Will, our summer intern, spent the season working alongside Eric, our Head Grower, and the growing team before entering his final year at Oregon State University. He is studying horticulture with a focus on production and a minor in botany, with a particular interest in Pacific Northwest native plants.

During his time at Heritage, Will was able to experience nursery production where it actually happens out in the greenhouses and fields, working with the crops and learning why we do things the way we do.

“Sometimes the best lesson is simply walking a crop with someone who has been doing it for years.”

Learning Where the Growing Happens

There is only so much you can learn about growing plants from a book or a course. A nursery changes every day. Crops need to be watched, irrigation changes with the weather, and plants respond differently depending on where they are in production. A lot of what we do comes down to problem solving, understanding what the plants are telling us and creating the best conditions we can for them to grow well. Sometimes the best lesson is simply walking a crop with someone who has been doing it for years.

Will was able to see different parts of production and gain a better understanding of what it takes to grow a plant from its early stages into something that is ready for the next grower.

Will attending Farwest Tradeshow — Hands-on experience at the Farwest Trade Show gave Will a closer look at the broader nursery industry, from connecting with growers and suppliers to seeing how plants are presented and sold.

Will with Head Grower Eric — Under Eric’s guidance, Will learned that growing comes down to careful observation, problem solving, and creating the right conditions for each crop.

Learning Goes Both Ways

Having an intern work alongside an experienced grower gives us a chance to pass some of that knowledge along. It also gives us the opportunity to hear new questions and look at what we do through someone else’s eyes. That exchange benefits both sides.

We appreciate the work Will put in this summer, along with the curiosity and willingness he brought to learn, help, and get his hands dirty.

As he heads back to Oregon State for his final year, we’re excited to see where horticulture takes him next and wish him the best as he works toward a career in production.

Thanks for spending the summer growing with us, Will.

We’ll be rooting for you.