Industry sectors

One way to look at the horticulture industry is by categorising horticulture operations according to what they produce or what services they provide. This approach is reflected in the New Zealand Qualifications Framework, which broadly divides horticulture operations into production and horticulture services.

Horticulture sectors in Aotearoa

The industry sectors above are one way of looking at the horticulture industry. Still, horticulture operations may often comprise several of these sectors. For example, many market gardens will grow vegetables indoors (in greenhouses) and outdoors and may grow plants for sale from their own nursery.

This table provides some terms and broad descriptions of common horticulture operations.

Arable farming	Production of vegetables or grains using machinery and mechanical equipment, usually in ploughed fields. They usually grow large quantities of a few selected vegetable species.
Community garden	A space for people to come together, grow food and learn from each other.
Indoor growing	Vegetables, herbs, or cut flowers grown in greenhouses.
Market garden	According to Wikipedia: it is the “relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers… frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants”. It may involve indoor, outdoor growing or both.
Orchard	The land where trees are grown to produce fruit. They are usually divided into sections of the same fruit trees.
Park	Public space with ornamental plants (plants grown for reasons other than food). These plants are chosen for their contribution to beautifying spaces and increasing community connection, recreation and sporting attributes.
Plant nursery	Plants are grown for sale to be transplanted and grown on.
Private garden	Private gardens which may contain fruit, vegetables, herbs, cut flowers, and ornamental plants.
Urban farm	Like a market garden, but on urban sections in cities and towns.
Vineyard	Land used for growing grapes, usually used for making wine.

A comparison

The following table shows a comparison of common names for horticulture operations and the industry sectors to which they relate.