Jonathan Ebba will be joining the UNH Cooperative Extension team as a field specialist in Hillsborough County, starting June 4. He will be a member of the landscape & greenhouse horticulture AoE.
Jonathan is currently the manager of the Thompson School’s horticulture facilities where he teaches courses in greenhouse crop production, greenhouse design and management, and hydroponics. He also leads students in growing ornamental and vegetable plants for sale through the student-run garden center and in growing hydroponic vegetables which are sold to the local school district. Jonathan developed the very successful hydroponic growing program at the Thompson School in 2016. He also developed and runs a summer youth program at UNH. Plant Camp! is a one week day camp which immerses 8-12 year olds into exploration of plants and their roles in the world.
Prior to managing the Thompson School horticulture program, Jonathan worked at the UNH Macfarlane Research Greenhouses where he maintained the plants and infrastructure used in university research, including many projects led by Extension specialists.
“I’ve known Jonathan for many years both as a grower and as an educator,” says Food and Agriculture Program Team Leader, Amy Papineau. “I can’t say enough about how skilled he is in both of these areas. On top of that, he is a genuinely kind and caring individual. We’re fortunate to have him joining our team.”
Jonathan comes to Extension with many years of experience as a commercial grower, having spent more than 10 years as a grower/manager at Lake Street Garden Center in Salem, NH and at Orchard Hill Greenhouses in Londonderry, NH. His commercial growing background extends into fruit production as well, having spent six years at Mack’s Apples in Londonderry.
Jonathan is currently completing his Master’s degree research with Extension State Specialist, Ryan Dickson. His research focuses on factors affecting post-production quality of potted plants.
Jonathan will continue in his roles at the Thompson School over the coming year while the current horticulture students complete their degrees. He will split his time between the Thompson School and Extension until May 2019, when he will shift to a full time Extension field specialist.
Welcome, Jonathan, to UNH Cooperative Extension!
