Must-read hiring tips for garden centers

Independent garden centers cite hiring as one of their greatest challenges throughout the year, but it can be particularly difficult to find and retain employees during the spring season, when IGCs need extra help. Don't miss out on Garden Center magazine's 2018 Spring Survival Guide, a comprehensive look at recruiting, training and retaining employees and other staffing tips. These articles cover a broad range of topics, from overlooked sources of talent to ways to set up your employees for success.

You can browse the Spring Survival Guide online and through the links below:

• Recruiting strategies that work: How to attract talent in a competitive marketplace
• Good training starts with the job description: Set your staff up for success this spring and beyond by setting clear expectations and continuing to offer educational opportunities.
• Don't overlook these staff behaviors: Do some spring cleaning by making sure your employees are right for the job.
• Working with disabilities: Why IGCs should consider hiring people with disabilities — and how to stay in compliance when you do.
  
• Employees with a criminal record: Overlooking prior convictions could help garden centers address staffing shortages.
• Volunteers fill spring hiring gap: Bachman’s solves a hiring challenge and supports local organizations by employing volunteer workers during the busiest season.
• Raising future retailers: FFA-run greenhouses are cultivating the next generation of garden center staff.

Pictured above: Education Director Scott Koepke operates a training program at a prison in Iowa. Inmates are taught all aspects of annual flower and vegetable production, from preparing soil and sowing seeds to to fertilizing and watering seeds. He says if garden centers considered people with prior convictions, they would find dedicated employees determined to prove themselves. Photo by Rebecca Miller.