Nurseries, Garden Centers & Farm Supply

The 9,370 nurseries, garden centers, and farm supply stores in the US sell lawn and garden products and farm supplies. Major product categories include grain and animal feed; fertilizer, lime, chemicals, and other soil treatments; outdoor nursery stock; pet supplies; and hardware, tools, and plumbing and electrical supplies. Companies may also sell fuel (oil, LP gas, wood, charcoal), automotive products and supplies, lawn and garden tools, and indoor plants. Services include equipment rental and repair and consulting services (landscape design, agronomy). Companies may offer delivery services for large orders (fertilizer, sod, dirt).

Competition from Alternative Sources

Nurseries, garden centers, and farm supply stores compete with a variety of alternative retailers, including home improvement and hardware stores and general merchandise retailers.

Highly Seasonal Sales

Sales for farm supply retailers are highly seasonal, with peaks during the spring and fall to support crop schedules.

Sep 24, 2026 - Garden Stores Tap Wellness Trend

• Garden Media Group’s 2027 trends report points to new growth opportunities for US garden stores as more consumers turn to gardening for screen-free relaxation, wellness, and in-person connection. With nine in 10 customers seeking screen-free spaces, retailers could benefit from workshops, community events, wellness gardens, and children’s nature-play areas that encourage store visits and engagement. Limited-edition plant “drops” could create urgency and repeat traffic, while the Rococo trend favors bold displays without requiring heavy inventory commitments. The “Proof of Soil” trend also creates merchandising opportunities around regenerative products, a market projected to reach $19.6 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, Ancient Blue offers a theme spanning plants, pottery, watering cans, and workshops. Overall, the trends favor experiential retail, distinctive merchandising, and products tied to wellness and sustainability.
• Building and garden supply stores underperformed the broader retail sector in July 2026, with sales down 0.17% month over month and 1.2% year over year. By comparison, total retail sales excluding autos and gas rose 0.32% monthly and 5.15% annually, while core retail sales increased 0.30% and 4.72%, respectively. The segment was one of only two categories to post a year-over-year decline. It trailed electronics and appliances (+12.04%), digital products (+12.02%), health and personal care (+10.07%), general merchandise (+8.3%), clothing (+6.55%), grocery (+4.52%), and furniture and home furnishings (+2.71%). Only sporting goods, hobby, music and book stores performed worse, falling 3.01% annually. The results point to notably weaker demand for building and garden products.
• Tractor Supply's weaker second-quarter results reflect the mixed conditions facing the US garden center industry, where consumer spending has supported modest sales growth but weather disruptions and cautious discretionary spending continue to weigh on demand, according to a Retail Dive report. Comparable sales fell 1.5% as drought conditions reduced purchases of lawn care and other outdoor products, prompting the retailer to lower its full-year outlook, slow store expansion, and close underperforming Petsense locations. The results contrast with the broader retail market, where the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor reported a ninth consecutive month of sales growth in June, although building and garden supply stores increased just 0.06% month over month and 4.04% year over year, trailing overall retail growth. Together, the reports suggest garden centers continue to benefit from stable consumer spending but face ongoing pressure from unfavorable weather, selective discretionary purchases, and heightened competition, making value, merchandising, and seasonal execution increasingly important.
• Garden centers are seeing increased competition from Tractor Supply’s aggressive expansion into garden centers, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. By converting existing outdoor space into 3,000–4,000 square foot garden centers, Tractor Supply aims to grow installations from about 500 stores today to two-thirds of its 2,200+ locations within a few years. The strategy is designed to capture more spending on plants, landscaping, seasonal décor, and gardening supplies, especially in rural markets underserved by Home Depot or Lowe’s. The company reports remodeled stores with garden centers generate high-single-digit sales gains, suggesting strong consumer demand. Independent garden centers and regional farm supply retailers may face pressure on customer traffic, plant sales, and seasonal merchandise as Tractor Supply broadens assortments and attracts both traditional rural shoppers and newer suburban hobby-farm consumers.

Industry size & Structure

The average nursery, garden center, or farm supply retailer operates out of a single location, employs 17 workers, and generates $5.3 million annually.

• The nursery, garden center, and farm supply retailing industry consists of about 9,400 companies operating 13,100 stores that employ about 155,200 workers and generate about $50 billion annually.
• The industry is highly fragmented; the top 50 firms account for about 47% of industry sales.
• Tractor Supply is the largest farm supply retailer in the US with over 2,200 stores. Large nursery and garden centers, such as Armstrong Garden Centers and Stein Garden Centers, have multiple locations but typically operate in one or two states. Most companies are small, independent operations.