Peter grew up on a family farm and retail greenhouse operation in eastern Massachusetts and earned his B.S. in Plant Science at the University of New Hampshire. Both his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees were completed at the Ohio State University, specializing in commercial floriculture and graduating in 1982. He began his career as a faculty member in the Horticulture department at the University of Maryland before returning to Massachusetts to run his family’s greenhouse operation. 

 

To complement his commercial greenhouse career he created Konjoian’s Horticulture Education Services, Inc. in 1992 immersing himself in both the commercial and research arenas of the greenhouse industry. He maintained an adjunct faculty appointment at the University of Massachusetts for two decades and completed a three year Stakeholder in Residence appointment at the Ohio State University in 2005. In 2016 he was appointed as an affiliate faculty member in the Department of  Biological Sciences at the University of New Hampshire. 

 

His research focus shifted in 2012 from ornamental crops to edible crops and he currently spends most of his time researching hydroponic production techniques for greenhouse and indoor vegetable production. A portion of his research effort imagines new ways of growing old crops in these controlled environment settings. His research is focused on teaching fellow growers on how to profitably participate in the expanding locally grown food movement. He also participates in horticultural education for the emerging cannabis industry. 

 

Peter received Ohio State’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006, has been elected to the AmericanHort (formerly OFA) board of directors twice, chaired several committees over decades of service, and has presented over 630 professional seminars around the country and Canada. He is a prolific author publishing in a range of trade magazines and other professional platforms. Past experiences also include a weekly radio gardening show and weekly newspaper column.