# Insurance for market gardens, orchards and tree nurseries in Germany

> Hail on the glass roof, snow on the polythene, a heating system that goes out on a January night: in a market garden the whole season depends on buildings and equipment that must stand up to weather and frost. In orchards and tree nurseries the value stands outdoors. This page shows what to insure in Germany and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-nursery.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Are my plants covered if the heating fails in winter?

Not under standard buildings or contents insurance, because a heating failure is neither fire nor storm. You need glasshouse insurance that covers crops against equipment failure, heating failure and power cuts. Good policies also cover the follow-on crop that cannot be raised in time after the loss. A temperature alarm is usually a condition.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No statutory insurance; motor liability for tractors and yard loaders on public roads
- **Biggest risk:** Hail, storm and snow load on glasshouses, and crop losses when the heating fails
- **Basic cover from:** around €200 a year for the general liability of a small nursery with a shop
- **Berufsgenossenschaft:** SVLFG (horticulture), the social insurance for agriculture and horticulture; compulsory for owners, family and employees
- **Often forgotten:** The crops in the glasshouse themselves, and the follow-on crops after a loss
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 01.13 Anbau von Gemüse und Melonen sowie Wurzeln und Knollen, 01.19 Anbau von sonstigen ein- und zweijährigen Pflanzen, 01.22 Anbau von tropischen und subtropischen Früchten, 01.23 Anbau von Zitrusfrüchten, 01.24 Anbau von Kern- und Steinobst, 01.25 Anbau von sonstigem Obst und Nüssen, 01.26 Anbau von ölhaltigen Früchten, 01.27 Anbau von Pflanzen zur Herstellung von Getränken, 01.28 Anbau von Gewürzpflanzen, Pflanzen für aromatische, narkotische und pharmazeutische Zwecke, 01.29 Anbau sonstiger mehrjähriger Pflanzen, 01.30 Betrieb von Baumschulen sowie Anbau von Pflanzen zu Vermehrungszwecken

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Hail and storm on the glasshouse:** Glass and polythene are fragile. One hailstorm destroys roof panels and the crops beneath them.
- **Snow load:** Wet snow on polytunnels and glass roofs brings structures down, often in a single night.
- **Heating and climate control fail:** A faulty burner, a power cut or a crashed climate computer, and the temperature drops below the critical level.
- **Frost and hail in the orchard:** Late frost during blossom or hail in summer costs fruit growers a large part of the harvest.
- **Customers in the sales glasshouse:** Wet paths, steps, falling hanging baskets: customer falls are the typical liability case in a retail nursery.
- **Theft from open ground:** Valuable specimen trees and crates of fruit are stolen from nurseries and orchards.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 3, Fire and water 5, Theft 3, Cyber 2, Downtime 5, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Commercial buildings** (Essential): Insures glasshouses, polytunnels and sheds against hail, storm, snow load, fire and glass breakage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Covers crops, stock for sale and equipment in the glasshouse, including heating and equipment failure. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): For customers in the shop, crop spraying, deliveries and planting work, plus environmental damage from heating oil and fertiliser. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Natural hazard cover** (Strongly advised): For orchards, nursery beds and field crops this role is taken by hail or multi peril crop insurance. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Business interruption** (Strongly advised): Pays for lost income if a whole season of bedding and balcony plants is missing after a loss. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For climate computers, irrigation controls and alarm equipment that fail through power surges. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Car insurance** (Depends on the business): For tractors, yard loaders and vans on public roads, where liability cover is compulsory. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Market gardens pay mainly for glasshouse area, glass or polythene construction and the value of the crops. Orchards and tree nurseries add hail and multi peril crop insurance per hectare.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Retail nursery with five staff | around €200 to €600 a year |
| Commercial buildings | Glasshouse of 3,000 square metres, hail, storm and snow load | around €1,500 to €4,500 a year |
| Business contents | Crops and equipment worth €200,000, including heating failure | around €800 to €2,500 a year |
| Natural hazard cover | Hail insurance for orchards, per hectare | around €40 to €100 a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income for twelve months | around €400 to €1,500 a year |

For comparison: Glasshouse insurance for a small market garden costs roughly as much a year as 1,000 to 2,000 geraniums in the spring sale.

_Guide figures excluding German insurance tax, as of September 2026. The hail range for fruit comes from published market examples, the other figures from our own quoting. Bavaria subsidises multi peril insurance for fruit and nurseries with up to 50 percent of the premium. We obtain the exact quote._

- [hagelversicherung.online: Prämien je Hektar](https://hagelversicherung.online/)
- [Gartenbau-Versicherung: Gewächshaus](https://gartenbau-versicherung.de/sicherheit/gewaechshaus/)
- [Vereinigte Hagel: Förderung Mehrgefahrenversicherung Bayern](https://vereinigte-hagel.net/de/versicherungen/foerderprogramme-landwirtschaft/foerderung-bayern/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Farm shop** (Small nurseries and fruit farms selling direct): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents. Together: around €1,200 to €3,500 a year
- **Under glass** (Production nurseries with glass, heating and climate control): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption, Electronic equipment. Together: around €4,000 to €12,000 a year
- **Orchard and nursery** (Fruit growers and tree nurseries with open ground and machinery): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Natural hazard cover, Car insurance. Together: around €3,000 to €10,000 a year, hail depending on area

## The worst day at the nursery

Six things that really happen to market gardens and fruit growers, put together on one day. Tap through and see who pays.

- 04:20: The heating burner fails at minus eight degrees and the alarm goes to an old mobile phone. The poinsettias freeze. (€28,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 08:00: The next crop cannot be raised in time, and the supply contract with the garden centre falls through. (€16,000, Paid by: Business interruption)
- 10:30: A customer slips on a wet floor in the sales house and breaks her hip. (€22,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 13:15: A power surge destroys the climate computer; ventilation and irrigation run by hand. (€9,500, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 16:40: Hail smashes 800 square metres of glass roof over the bedding plants. (€64,000, Paid by: Commercial buildings)
- 16:45: The same hailstorm hits the apple orchard, and 5 hectares are only fit for juice. (€40,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)

**Damage so far:** €179,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure crops against heating, power and equipment failure, and include the follow-on crop.
- Install a temperature alarm that forwards to your mobile and test it; insurers often make it a condition.
- Have snow load expressly included and record when you clear snow or heat.
- In orchards: insure hail and frost together and check the subsidy schemes in your federal state.
- Include planting work at customers' properties and deliveries in your general liability if you also plant gardens.
- Insure specimen trees and open ground stock in the nursery against theft with a sum of their own.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We ask about the winter:** Heating failure and follow-on crops are the gaps that cost nurseries most. As a broker we compare which insurers cover them.
- **We know storm damage:** In boat insurance we settle storm and hail claims ourselves. We know how to document damage quickly before anything is cleared away.
- **Business, holding and family:** We look after glasshouse, shop, vehicles and your private cover from one place, and can explain it in English.
- **A family business since 1989:** Many nurseries are family businesses, and so are we. Free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### What does glasshouse insurance cost?

That depends on area, construction and crops. For a glasshouse of 3,000 square metres, €1,500 to €4,500 a year is a realistic range, plus cover for the crops.

### Is glass broken by hail covered?

Yes, if hail is included in the buildings insurance, which is usual for glasshouses. Check whether polythene and twin wall sheets are treated the same way.

### Does insurance pay for frozen plants?

Only if crops are insured against heating or equipment failure. Without that extension you carry the loss yourself.

### What does hail insurance cost for fruit?

According to published market examples, around €40 to €100 per hectare a year, depending on location and type of fruit.

### Who is responsible for accidents at work?

The SVLFG. It is also the statutory accident insurer for horticulture.

### Do I need insurance for planting work at customers' homes?

If you also lay out or plant gardens, it must be written into your general liability, otherwise damage on other people's land is not covered.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-nursery.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.