The St. Paul campus is home to more than 75,000 square feet of greenhouse space, 18 growth chambers, 25 walk-in coolers, and a variety of classrooms and labs equipped with the latest technology. Students studying horticulture have access to classrooms, labs, research areas, and the extensive Plant Growth Facility Greenhouses. In addition to utilizing our on-campus facilities, our researchers and graduate students conduct their research at facilities throughout the state.
On-Campus Facilities
Plant Growth Facility and Greenhouses — The Plant Growth Facility is a hub for the college’s research and classroom activities. The facilities include two acres of greenhouse space, a head house support area, classrooms, and environmental growth chambers. It is operated by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.
The Learning Garden for Horticultural Science — The Learning Garden for Horticultural Science was created in the late 1970s with the purpose of growing, planting, and maintaining herbaceous plants. Classes utilize the space to practice plant identification, learn horticultural techniques, grow material for floral designs, and observe insects; non-profit organizations use the garden space for youth outreach, and interns spend summers in the garden putting their classroom knowledge to use.
Research Laboratories in Alderman Hall — Research done in the department spans the molecule to the ecosystem, and crosses boundaries that normally separate application-oriented and basic mechanism research. The department is home to state-of-the-art plant growth facilities that allow carefully controlled studies of plant development and responses to the environment. Alderman Hall is also home to a plant metabolomics group with advanced chromatographic and mass spectrometry instrumentation, continuing a departmental tradition that dates back to the beginnings of the applications of high-performance liquid chromatography to biological problems.
Off-Campus Facilities
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum — Each year, faculty and students from the Department of Horticultural Science participate in research projects conducted on the grounds of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. The Arboretum is home to over a thousand total acres, 32 display and specialty gardens, 48 plant collections, and more than 5,000 plant species.
Horticultural Research Center — Just a mile away from the Arboretum is the Horticultural Research Center (HRC). Founded in 1908, the HRC has approximately 230 acres of land dedicated to the breeding, genetics, conservation, and management of fruit crops and woody landscape plants. It also contains office space, lab space, and a research winery that supports the grape breeding program.
Research and Outreach Centers — The department conducts research through six Research and Outreach Centers managed by the college, which are located across Minnesota. The mission of these centers is to support research that enhances the quality of agricultural production, human health, renewable energy, and the environment—and to disseminate the benefits of this research to the public. They are:
- North Central Research and Outreach Center (Grand Rapids)
- Northwest Research and Outreach Center (Crookston)
- Southern Research and Outreach Center (Waseca)
- Southwest Research and Outreach Center (Lamberton)
- West Central Research and Outreach Center (Morris)
- Rosemount Research and Outreach Center (Rosemount)