Kalamazoo Greenhouses, Michigan

East of Kalamazoo is one of the largest clusters of greenhouses in the nation. They grow bedding plants: flowers and vegetables for home gardens. It started with celery, which was once grown in great quantity in the area, but by the 1960s, California farms were producing much more celery, and some companies changed to flats of flowers, distributed to retail nurseries, which proved profitable, so others followed suit. Now the dozen or so independent companies ship nationally to big box stores with garden centers like Home Depot and Walmart.