What’s Happening This Week in the Greenhouses

I have been spending more time in the retail greenhouse this week and I am just awed by the beauty of some of the flowers. Here are a few photos to get you in the mood too. Delicate folds and perfect gradations of pigment make for some intricate and dazzling begonias: Here is a dahlia that I am in love with: These orange miniature roses are incredibly sweet near a stone wall or in patio [...]

First Week in the Greenhouse

Last week was the first week back in the greenhouse and all the work went so smoothly it didn't even feel like work. It would take more poetry than what is in me to describe the joy I feel from being back at work and playing with plants. I am also so grateful for our amazing team of kind and hard working people - Allison Lea, Eric Denise, Dana Ozimek and Buddy Koerner. It makes a huge difference t [...]

Happenings

Eric and Lindsay moving the bit of soil left over from last year into a greenhouse. Charley's stone walls for the workshops he teaches. Red Wagon Plants and Queen City Soil and Stone own a greenhouse together so that he can use it in the winter for workshops and we use it in the spring and summer for retail sales. Eric just finished installing a new heater. Our old heaters have b [...]

Field Trip

Every winter, I try to have a field trip to at least one greenhouse business to see how other people do things. This time, I am heading off to Peace Tree Farm, Candy and Lloyd Tavern's very impressive and large operation in Buck's County, PA. I hope to get a chance to see their  very efficient systems at work. They [...]

Snow and greenhouses

Snow removal is a big part of greenhouse maintenance in the winter. Our greenhouses are really strong, made from tubular steel, engineered by Harnois, up in Quebec, and can handle a big snow load. The problem though, is once the snow slides off, it has to be cleared away from the sides so that more snow can slide off. If it builds up too much on the sides, it [...]

Don’t Fear Frost! Extending Your Growing Season

Here in Vermont, we can count on just a few frost-free months. But with a little bit of planning, strategic planting, and getting the right tools, you can harvest through a bit of frost and snow. But by planning out crop planting so that [...]