Fifth Season Gardening Company

What Fifth Season Gardening Company does

Fifth Season Gardening Company, legally Bad Hare Gardening, LLC, is a privately held, family-operated specialty retailer founded in 2000 and headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. The company operates four brick-and-mortar garden centers across the Southeast USA — Asheville NC (a 15,000 square-foot flagship), Carrboro NC, Charlottesville VA, and Raleigh NC — alongside an e-commerce storefront with curbside pickup at the nearest store. Its assortment centers on organic gardening supplies, indoor growing and hydroponics equipment (including the CANNA nutrient line, AC Infinity grow tents, Photontek LED lighting, and Roots Organics nutrients), homebrewing ingredients and equipment (30+ grains, 30+ hops, multiple yeast lines, wine and sake making), houseplants and Talavera pottery, urban homesteading and DIY food preservation supplies, eco-home products, and outdoor nursery plants grown locally or in-house under license for categories such as hemp.

The business model is primarily transactionally retail: in-store and online hardware/merchandise sales, supplemented by fee-based educational workshops and classes ($30-$75 per session) offered at all four locations on topics ranging from terrarium building and mushroom cultivation to canning, seed starting, and homebrewing. Customer acquisition is driven by content marketing through the company's blog (including the recurring "A Year in the Organic Garden" monthly series), email newsletters, organic social media, and community engagement, with a tiered loyalty program (Fifth Season Rewards Hobbyist and Pro at $1,200+/year spending) supporting retention.

Customer segments are predominantly consumer — novice and experienced home gardeners, homebrew enthusiasts, indoor/hydroponic hobbyists, and urban homesteaders — with minor B2B relationships to local restaurants sourcing specialty herbs and educational institutions receiving plant donations. The company carries no outside investment, has no subsidiaries or parent, no patents or trademarks of record, and runs lean with approximately 24 total employees. Strategic positioning rests on deep category expertise, exclusive/featured regional product lines, and an education-led community ecosystem that differentiates it from mass-market garden centers and pure-play e-commerce competitors.

Name

Fifth Season Gardening Company

Legal name

Bad Hare Gardening, LLC

Website

https://fifthseasongardening.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fifth Season Gardening Company is a family-owned specialty retailer operating four garden centers across the Southeast USA (Asheville, Carrboro, Raleigh NC; Charlottesville VA) and an e-commerce storefront, selling organic gardening, hydroponics, homebrew, houseplants, and homesteading supplies to hobbyist gardeners, brewers, and urban homesteaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Garden Center Retail

NAICS

Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Retailers (444240), Lawn and Garden Equipment and Supplies Retailers (4442)

SIC

Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply (5200)

akta.pro primary industry

Plants, Seeds & Nursery Retail (Garden Centers) (CRAIAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soils, Mulch, Fertilizers & Lawn Care Chemicals Retail (CRAIAIAC), Lawn & Garden Equipment Retail (Mowers, Trimmers, Snow Blowers) (CRAIADAG)

Headquarters

HQ city

Asheville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Store Sales: In-store sales of gardening supplies, hydroponics equipment, homebrew supplies, houseplants, pottery, and related products across 4 physical retail locations.
2. E-commerce Online Sales: Online sales through shop.fifthseasongardening.com with order online and curbside pickup option.
3. Classes and Workshops: Fee-based educational workshops and classes offered at all four store locations on topics including gardening, terrarium building, mushroom cultivation, homebrewing, and more. Classes range from $30-$75.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fifth Season Gardening is a multi-location retail garden center operating four physical stores across the Southeast United States (Asheville NC, Carrboro NC, Raleigh NC, Charlottesville VA) plus an e-commerce store. The company sells organic gardening supplies, hydroponics and indoor growing equipment, homebrewing ingredients and equipment, houseplants, pottery, urban homesteading supplies, eco home products, and outdoor nursery plants. It also offers paid educational classes and workshops and a tiered customer loyalty program.

Product overview

Fifth Season Gardening Company operates as a multi-location retail garden center specializing in organic gardening, indoor growing, homebrewing, and urban homesteading. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered around physical retail goods and services across four store locations (Asheville, NC; Carrboro, NC; Charlottesville, VA; Raleigh, NC) plus an e-commerce platform. Core offerings include Organic Gardening Supplies (soils, amendments, seeds, plant starts, tools), Indoor Growing & Hydroponics (systems, grow lights, nutrients including CANNA and Roots Organics brands, climate control), and Homebrew Supplies (equipment, grains, hops, yeasts for beer/wine/cider). Additional product lines encompass Houseplants & Pottery, Urban DIY/Homesteading supplies, Eco Home products, Garden Decor & Gifts, and Outdoor Nursery plants. The company also offers Classes & Workshops and a Fifth Season Rewards loyalty program. Featured third-party brands include AC Infinity grow tents, Photontek LEDs, and Roots Organics nutrients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organic Gardening Supplies Comprehensive range of organic gardening products including organic soils, amendments, fertilizers, pest control, tools, seeds, and plant starts; covers companion planting, cover cropping, composting, and crop rotation supplies for home gardeners.
• Indoor Growing & Hydroponics Complete hydroponic and indoor growing systems including grow lights, hydroponic systems, full nutrient lines, climate control equipment, air quality control, and CANNA nutrients, serving hobbyists and professional growers.
• Homebrew Supplies Extensive homebrewing equipment and ingredients including kits for beginners, brewing equipment, bottles, over 30 types of grain, more than 30 types of hops, White Labs, Wyeast and dry yeasts, kegging equipment, wine-making supplies, cider-making kits, and brewing books.
• Houseplants & Pottery Wide selection of houseplants from rare varieties to everyday favorites, along with pottery in various styles, sizes, colors, and the Talavera line from Mexico.
• Urban DIY & Homesteading Supplies Supplies for urban homesteading including kombucha, cheese making, fermented and pickled foods, vinegar making, along with books and knowledgeable staff support for DIY success.
• Eco Home Products Eco-friendly home products including Fillaree Soap refill station, reusable alternatives to plastic wraps, paper towels, and straws, and composting equipment.
• Garden Decor & Gifts Garden-themed decor including statuary, wind chimes, wall hangings, wind spinners, fairy gardening, and artisan-made items, plus bird feeders, bird baths, seed and suet feeds.
• Outdoor Nursery & Plants Outdoor nursery space featuring locally grown organic vegetable and herb plants, native perennials, annuals, trees, shrubs, and seasonal plant starts.
• Fifth Season Rewards Loyalty Program Free-to-join loyalty program where members earn points on purchases redeemable for coupons (300 points = $10, 500 points = $25, 1,000 points = $60); Hobbyist tier earns 1 point per dollar up to $1,200 annual spend and Pro tier earns 2 points per dollar above $1,200.
• Classes & Workshops Fee-based educational classes and workshops covering gardening, plant care, botanical topics, homebrewing, terrarium building, mushroom cultivation, and food preservation; offered at all four store locations with pre-registration.
• Orchid Program Partnership program with The Orchid Gallery of Pittsboro offering orchid-related products, expertise, and services at the Carrboro store location.

Quantifiable outcome

• Loyalty program tiers reward frequent customers with 2x points for Pro members spending $1,200+/year

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Orchid Gallery of PittsborominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFifth Season Carrboro has partnered with The Orchid Gallery of Pittsboro to offer an Orchid Program, providing customers with access to orchid expertise and related products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hydrofarm Holdings: Public hydroponics equipment distributor and brand owner (active grow, Aurora, etc.) supplying retailers including Fifth Season. Operates upstream in the same hydroponics category and competes for shelf space at scale.
• Lowe's: Major US home improvement retailer with comparable garden center departments. Overlaps on basic gardening, soils, and seasonal plants but lacks Fifth Season's organic/hydroponic specialty depth.
• Home Depot: Largest US home improvement retailer carrying lawn & garden, hydroponics, and basic gardening supplies. Competes on price and convenience rather than specialist expertise or exclusive brands.

Direct peers

• Gardener's Supply Company: Employee-owned, direct-to-consumer garden supply retailer founded in 1983 with a similar educational mission, organic focus, and broad product catalog including indoor growing, soils, and tools. Operates retail plus D2C like Fifth Season but with national scale.
• Armstrong Garden Centers: West Coast multi-store garden center chain. Comparable regional multi-store garden center model with similar plant, pottery, and home/garden assortment targeting enthusiast consumers.
• Pike Nurseries: Atlanta-based regional garden center chain (now part of Armstrong) operating multiple stores across the Southeast. Closest large-format regional garden center peer serving similar homeowner/prosumer customers.
• Homestead Gardens: Mid-Atlantic multi-store garden center offering plants, garden supplies, and educational programming. Comparable multi-store specialty retail model targeting hobbyist gardeners in a neighboring region.
• Great Big Greenhouse: Virginia-based regional garden center chain with multiple locations. Most direct geographic overlap with Fifth Season's Charlottesville footprint and comparable specialty plant/retail positioning.

Emerging players

• AeroGrow International: Consumer hydroponics brand (AeroGarden) selling indoor growing systems direct-to-consumer. Competes with Fifth Season's hydroponics category through branded countertop growing appliances.
• True Leaf Market: Online-direct seed and garden supply retailer specializing in organic, heirloom, and microgreen seeds. Competes with Fifth Season's organic gardening and seed-starting product lines through e-commerce without a brick-and-mortar footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fifthseasonashevillemarket
• Instagraminstagram.com/5sasheville
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fifth-season-gardening-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fifth Season Gardening Company