greenhouse week 8 pics

16 years ago

Finally a couple warm days and things are popping.

We spend a lot of time disbudding geraniums so they put more into vegetative growth at this stage. We also do a lot of pinching to encourage plants to branch more. Something that the suppliers of the big box stores wouldn't think of doing.

New Gunieas are really coming on.

Begonias are filling out. (They would have been in bloom but we disbudded them all on Monday.)

Snapdragons.

Thistles.

Okay, they're not really thistles, but the foliage looks like that.

Hanging baskets are getting fuller.

3 different varieties of sweet potatoe vine.

Remember last weeks candy corn plant?

This is in the same genus, Cuphea. A variety called dynamite.

We had 6 inches of wet, heavy snow on Monday. Now it's a sloppy mess everywhere. Blossom wonders why she doesn't get inside as much as she used to.

Thanks for looking.

Ron

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Comments (30)

grammahony
16 years ago
Oh Ron, I'm drooling again. I want spring to get here. Yesterday. Thanks for the pictures of the flowers, and of Blossom.
Leslie
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jackie_ok
16 years ago
Wow, everything is really growing fast. The New Guniea impatients are really pretty. They don't do well here. They quit blooming soon as it gets really hot.
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Patience, Rita, patience. To answer some questions. As for transplanting the plug tray of pansies. It's a many step process. First the flats are filled with soil. Flats are the trays of 4 paks. Then the plugs are popped out with a plug dislodger. Sometimes this works very well, at other times it doesn't and we pop them out with a small dowell. Then they'rer actually planted. Next they're transported from the headhouse (where all the planting is done) to the greenhouse. After they're lined up on the bench they're watered well. with a crew of 4 we can do a plug tray in 35 to 45 minutes. I have to admit that I never looked at the labels to see what seeds Joel has started already. My bad. Nearly all the veggies and herbs are started from seeds. During the growing part of the greenhouse season there are 4 of us in addition to Joel at the greenhouse most days. When it gets real busy with selling in May we'll be up to 10 or 12 people on the weekends. By the end of June it will be just 1 person plus Joel. He has one pretty much full time employee from early Feb. to the end of October. Her name is Laurie and she does lots of scrapbooking in the winter months. She's quite camera shy. The greenhouse is a great place to work. Most of us are in our mid 50's so we listen to a lot of CD's, classic rock.(The Stones, 3 dog night, Aerosmith, etc.) Laurie is the kid. She's only in her mid 40's. At least 2 or 3 times a week she'll play a BeeGees CD. I keep telling her that disco is dead but she doesn't believe me. And, yes, Blossom is a very sweet dog. Thanks for looking. Ron
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You're right, Nora, the larger black tubes are feeder lines and the small ones are individual water lines for the plants. A lead weight goes on the end of each one when it's placed in the pot. The hoses are used to water hanging baskets that will be placed above the geraniums. They're just laying there to get warmed and straightened in the sun. The "FedEx plants" are Bidens. They're very vigorous and most of them we were able to salvage. Soon they'll get small yellow flowers. Joel doesn't ship any plants. At least not yet. About 90% of the sales are retail and 10% wholesale. Thanks for looking. Ron
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Hi mcpeg. You asked about the tiny plug trays that were being dumped. When Joel asked about them he found out some were being dumped because the seeds had been mislabled. Therefore they had started the wrong plants. Others were being tossed simply because they had not been sold and were past their prime, although still healthy plants. Or, were you asking about the plastic trays that the plugs come in? Those do get dumped/recycled but not reused by the grower because of disease issues. Generally the plug trays are about 1 foot by 2 feet and have anywhere from 50 to 512 "pots" in a tray. The 512's are tiny, smaller than a thimble, whereas a 144 is about the size of a large thumb. Each "pot" has a drainage hole in the bottom. Any ideas on alternate uses would be entertained. Gayle, I'd sure like to see pictures of your coleus. Ron
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phyllis__mn
16 years ago
You make me so anxious for our greenhouse pilgrimages....just love the smell and sight of them.
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lydia1959
16 years ago
Looking good!!

Blossom would never leave muddy tracks, would she? lol
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ronm80
16 years ago
Love the pictures. When is the average last frost for your area? Nice to see Blossom again.
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foggyj
16 years ago
You have a wonderful looking stock there. Wish I could take advantage of it. Do you ship down south?
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Linda Wayman
16 years ago
Wow!!! What a difference a few days make. Everything looks so pretty, but nothing looks prettier than Blossom.

Linda
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ronf_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Our average last frost is May 15th. But, it varies a lot. Some years it never freezes in May, other years all the flowers planted out for Memorial Day get frosted. One year we had frost on Fathers Day the middle of June.
This last Tues. morning we had 6 inches of new snow on the ground, today it was 54.
I should mention that I'm in southeastern Minn. about 20 miles from Rochester.

Ron
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sue_va
16 years ago
Ron, do y'all supply local stores, like Kmart, Lowes, etc, or do you have a sales room on the premises? Just curious.

So many of the stores here put plants out too early and they get nipped. Some don't take care of them and they wilt or die.

Everything is looking great, including poor Blossom.

Sue
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kayjones
16 years ago
Ron, that dog is GORGEOUS! The flowers are pretty, too. Where is our newest greenhouse buddy?
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Happy_Go_Lucky_Gayle
16 years ago
I love the lime green sweet potatoe vine. I blended some in with my Coleus last year. My nursery didn't have it this year. I'm still on the look out for it.

Everything looks great.

Poor Blossem! All she wants to do is help!

Gayle
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ronf_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Sue,
Joel sells at least 90% of the plants straight from the greenhouses. There is a retail building that has pottery, seeds, fertilizer, etc.

Ron
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jaybird
16 years ago
Thank you Ron...another great post and bautiful Blossom!
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sjarz
16 years ago
Pretty amazing transformations over a short couple of weeks, lots of work to pinch and debud all those plants, they are looking so healthy and I want to plant all of them...lol.
Great job and wonderful pics as always...
Suzan J
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maryanntx
16 years ago
The plants are awesome! I feel refreshed just looking at the pictures.
LOL at the Thistles. When I saw them I thought that maybe I should start selling some of mine on Ebay, if people really buy them. *S* They sure look like my thistles!
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brenda_in_tx
16 years ago
What healthy, gorgeous looking plants!!
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gardenspice
16 years ago
I did not know you were a grower - cool!
I love the New Guineas and although they are sold here, it gets to hot for them and they don't last too long.
I love the potaoe vines. I am waiting to see how many of mine made it through the winter before I buy my replacements.
The Cuphea really has my interest. I have a batfaced and a David Vertaa and I think a "Cigar plant" cuphea. Dynamite looks similar to the the Cigar plant.
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alisande
16 years ago
Everything is gorgeous!

Blossom is gorgeous, too. She looks like a true collie-shepherd. Is she?
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Toni S
16 years ago
Every thing is looking so NICE! I've enjoyed every update.
Everytime I walk into the greenhouse these days I think how great it feels to be warm and cozy. And all the flowers that are blooming already make me smile. I deadheaded a bunch of Pansies today, wrote up a batch of signs and raked a boat load of leaves outside. People are coming in for potatoes and onions or just to ask about something they want. Makes me hopeful that spring is around the corner.
I love it that sooo many kters enjoy gardening, it very satisfying.
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kim_okla
16 years ago
I would visit there just to pet Blossom.
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ronf_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Susan,
Yes, Blossom is a true Shepherd/Collie cross. She's a great dog.

Thanks everyone.

Ron
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tannatonk23_fl_z9a
16 years ago
I just love your greenhouse updates! What is that plant that looks like thistle? The NG impatians are so pretty but I can only grow them here in the winter. I think it is too hot and humid for them. I have a few white ones that are trying to hang on but it's starting to get hot. I think we skipped spring and have gone right to summer.

Blossom is beautiful! How does she get along with your new Lucy?

~Betsy
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kathi_mdgd
16 years ago
Just gorgeous,and i'll take at least 2 of each.LOL

What do you use to write on your name tags?? Everything we try tends to fade away.Last year i bought some little bottles of scribbles paint(squeeze bottles) and wrote directly on the pots.That seemed to be the only thing that held up.But then if i want to use the pot for something else later,i literally have to scrape it off.There's gotta be a better way.

Oh i do use venetian blind slats for markers,recycle,ya know.
TIA
Kathi
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mrsmarv
16 years ago
Beautiful as usual, Ron! You're killin' me...I can't wait until the weather turns warmer. DH has the tiller all ready to go, but it's been raining for 2 days straight and it's more of the same today.

And a "shout out" to the lovely Blossom.
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okwriter
16 years ago
Ron,

Thanks for the pics. Beats lookin' at the "greenhouse pics" from around here this past week.

:-)
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ronf_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Betsy,
the "thistles" are really Laurentia, a variety called Starshine Blue. They have a 5 petaled light blue flower, like full sun and do very well in containers. They're budded now and should have blooms by next week. I'll try to remember to get a pic of the flower and post it next week.

Kathi,
most of the lables we use are preprinted. When we do have to write our own we use a fine tip Sharpie and it lasts most of the season.

Ron
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liz
16 years ago
if I were ever to rob a place...it'd be your greenhouses...wonder how much i could fit in the back of my SUV...LOL

Truly just gorgeous Ron...what a green thumb ya'll have!!
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hayjud_mn
16 years ago
Dog??? I didn't notice a dog! LOL I only saw BEAUTIFUL plants!

Really your plants are so perfect and GORGEOUS!
I am so anxious for Spring. I live in MN too, but I'm in zone 3 (slightly above 4.) I love gardening, especially flowers.

Thank you for sharing, and you got me with those thistles! LOL
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glenda_al
16 years ago
So are you open for business, now?
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ronf_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
As Joel is fond of saying; "If you got money, we're open."

Ron
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greenhouse week 8 pics

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