Working In The Greenhouse

 (Sing to the tune of “Working at the Car Wash.) 

        Sorry, that song just popped into my head when I typed the title…. couldn't help myself.  

        My time at the greenhouse is done for this year. Whew, I finally have time to write a post about my experiences there. Between working full time at the greenhouse and part time mowing for the township, I’ve had barely enough time to eat let alone write a word.

        What I thought would be a really great job turned out to be much more than I ever expected. Not that it isn’t a great job, it is and I will go back again next year. However, it turned out to be more work than I thought. It’s a lot of work running a greenhouse.

        First off, let me acknowledge that the Cherry Greenhouse is so much more than just a greenhouse. It’s a full fledged nursery. The store they have in another town nearby is a greenhouse because they sell what we send them.

        The Cherry Greenhouse begins its work in late January by seeding. That’s planting seeds in tiny pods in rows of 20 by 30. By the first of March the tiny pods now hold a tiny plant barely up above the soil. There is a huge table that is 8 feet wide by 46 feet long, and on rollers, where all these seed trays sit in uniformed rows and get misted every couple of hours so they don’t dry out.

        By the time I started working there in April there were already 4 to 6 inch plants on the tables in 5 of the 8 greenhouses. I did some transplanting the week I started then moved on to the retail area where I cleaned and got the shelves ready to receive the many gardening items that people would be shopping for, including seeds. Then I moved into the perennial house where I spent hours planting the roots of perennials into pots. I guess that sounds pretty easy. Yea, no, it’s not. Each of the plants has to be potted according to the size it will eventually grow up to. The taller the plant the taller and rounder the pot has to be. Square pots will tip over easier when the plant gets too tall. It also depends on the size of the root ball. The bigger the root ball the bigger the pot, and so on.

        There is also the cost of the roots and the pot and the soil to take into consideration. The more expensive the root, the less expensive we want to go with the pot and soil. That way we don’t have to charge an outrageous price for the plant and still make a profit.

        Then there are the daily chores. Everything has to be watered every day, sometimes twice a day, depending on the weather. The warmer and sunnier it is, the more often the plants need to be watered. You can’t let them wilt down too much or they won’t come back no matter how much water you give them. Some plants demand more water than others too. Tomatoes, marigolds, petunia and vine crops need more water more often. Peppers, Geraniums, sweet potato vines and Mandevilles can go longer. So what’s required is that you look at the plants carefully to determine if the soil is dry or wet, and sometimes you have to feel the soil to make sure.

        If you’re not watering, you’re cleaning plants of dead blooms and leaves; transplanting six packs into 4 inch pots as they get too big for the small cells; creating planters for folks to put on grave sites or take to funerals, and weddings too. All the while the seeding, transplanting, watering, cleaning and creating continues.

        Seeding is over by the end of April, transplanting goes on into June and all 8 greenhouses are full. By the end of June all the seeders and trans-planters are gone, by the end of July the rest of the crew has left for the season. All that’s left is watering, cleaning and selling.

        By August there were only two of us left besides the owners and we only worked when the owners had to be away. September is the official closing month. All remaining plants will go into compost or be prepared to be stored for the winter. Then it’s time to clean the greenhouses, the equipment, pots, trays and tables. This year they will change the walls of the #1 greenhouse in September as they are wearing thin.

        On August 7 the owners hosted a dinner at a local restaurant for the whole staff and a guest. We played a ‘who knows what about who’ game. Don’t worry, it wasn’t gossip. Each person brought an item in a paper bag that represented something about themselves that the others might not know, and then we had to guess who we thought the item belonged to. It was fun and surprising too. I was surprised that I actually got a few right.

        I am sad to see this time end. I had a great time playing in the dirt and getting educated about growing plants in a greenhouse in the frigid North Country. However, one great thing I got out of this whole experience was a great idea for a book. Keep a look out for that announcement later this year.

        Thanks for reading and God bless.

                                                Rockie

Deer & Turkeys & Bears, Oh… What?! Bears?! Where?!

       I’m working at the greenhouse one day and I check my phone for messages during a break to find a message from Rick. I figured he’d ask if I was going to town so I could pick up something for him. However, when I listened to the message I was kind of puzzled by it. He had just called to tell me that he loved and would see me later.

        I know what you’re thinking. How sweet he was to call me up just to tell me he loved me. Yea, Rick doesn’t do that. If he’s calling me he has a reason much more necessary than that.

        I went back to work and didn’t think any more of it. I’d find out what that was all about when I got home later.

        Well, when I did arrive home he was standing on the porch waiting for me with an odd expression on his face. It was a cross between the cat that ate the canary and a little kid who knows something you don’t know. Now I knew something was going on.

        As I walked toward the house I asked him what was wrong. He said, “Nothing. What makes you think something is wrong?”

        “Because you’re standing on the porch with an odd expression on your face.”

        When I get home from work I am usually greeted by Rick and Perry hollering “Honey, you’re home” from the living room where they are watching some crazy show about how stuff is made or gator hunters or some wild guy who catches pesky critters. So you can understand my curiosity as to Rick’s presence on the porch and the odd look on his face.

        So we get in the kitchen and he tells me he had an encounter with smokey. I’m thinking fire and looking for evidence that he tried to catch the house on fire. Now I’m really puzzled because there is none. So I asked him what he tried to burn up.

        He says ‘not that kind of smokey…you know…hey booboo, how about a picnic basket’.

        “That’s Yogi Bear.” I say….then..”What!, You saw a bear?”

        He smiled and proceeds to tell me about his encounter with the bear who was lying under the chicken coop munching on corn that had dropped through the wire floor. And, it wasn’t one bit afraid. It looked at Rick then stood up, putting its front paws on the top of the cage like it wanted in. Rick hollered at it and the bear turned back to look at him then just ambled off like it hadn’t a care in the world.

        I was stunned and excited. Wow, a bear. I walked to the table to put my purse & lunch bag down just in time to see the same bear strolling across the front lawn.

        “There’s you’re bear Rick.” I point out the window as this overwhelming desire to run out and pet it flooded through me. I mean I was excited. I’d never seen a bear that close before. He was cute too, about the size of a German Shepherd, black and fuzzy. His fur looked so soft.

        Well, Rick grabbed the rifle he had sitting on the counter & headed out to get him a bear. Don’t worry, he didn't shoot it. He shot in the air to scare it away and it ran off into the woods.

        The Department of Fish & Game said we could shoot it if it became a danger to our livestock or ourselves. So far all it had done was eat corn.

        Well, it seems that one encounter wasn't quite enough for the bear. Two days later he was back. This time Rick was gonna shoot it. I guess God decided that wasn’t a good idea because the bear saw Rick and turned away to wander off into the trees. Rick didn’t want to wound it and cause it to suffer so he shot into the ground right at the bear’s feet and sent him running as fast as his bear feet could take him, and he hasn’t been back here since.

        However, he did show up at a neighbor’s and stole her bird feeder. Then went to another neighbor’s and tried to get into her chicken coop….and the poor critter has been wandering further west every day. It could still circle back this way so there is a possibility that we could see him again.

        Don’t worry, I won’t try to go pet it, but I do think I will try to get some pictures next time. That was exciting!

        Thanks for reading and God Bless.

                                                        Rockie

         

        

I AM A BAAAAAAD BLOGGER!!!

            Friends, forgive me, for it has been 9 months since my last post. Honestly, I don’t know what happened. I had every intention of keeping everyone posted about progress with my mom and the adventures we went on while I was with her; and a whole bunch of other things I've experienced since then. So, I guess I will have to do a quick recap to bring everyone up to date.

            After coming back home in October I had to get readjusted to life here and it wasn't easy. I had missed Autumn completely and it was already very cold. We had snow before Thanksgiving and it just kept coming after that. Last winter was one of the coldest in history for this area, 70+ days of way below zero temps. Even folks who have lived here all their lives were tired of it. When we got more snow in April my love affair with the white stuff had long since died.

The best part of the winter was

‘THE BEST SURPRISE EVER’!!!!  

My oldest son, Chris, got all his brothers, his sister and my mom, organized (even paying for a lot of it) and brought them all together for the best surprise family reunion ever. It was five days of love with all 

four of my kids, their spouses and a couple grand kids. We finally got to meet little Atticus in person and he is a character, so full of love and spirit. I even have video of Atticus and my mom lying on the floor at the top of the stairs watching Chris in the kitchen cooking dinner and chattering away. Priceless!!!

We had so much fun it was hard to take them all back to the airport.  It was worth every crazy minute of 12 people eating, drinking, showering, talking, playing games, working puzzles, and playing in the snow. Watching my sons & son in law ride the snowmobiles was a blast, and everyone was enthralled with the deer that just strolled into the yard for a bite to eat at the hay bale. My grandson, Matt, was all ready to just stay here. He told his mom he could go to school here and Grandpa would take good care of him. He tried hard to talk her into letting him stay. Another great thing about this surprise….I did not cook a single meal, wash a single dish or do anyone’s laundry. They did it all and didn’t complain once. It truly was the “Best Surprise Ever’!!!

Since then I started working at the Cherry Greenhouse, which I love. I get paid to play in the dirt. What’s not to love? And I am surrounded by beauty all day long. It was spring in the greenhouses long before it officially arrived up here, which wasn't until the end of April. 

I am learning a lot about gardening in this colder climate. It is a whole lot different than the south where the growing season is usually about 8 months; up here you are lucky if it’s 4 months. I will post more about the greenhouse as I learn more. So far, it has been a real education.

This week the mowing job I worked last year started up again. Started with the cemetery; getting it ready for the Memorial Day festivities next weekend. I will move on to the park and town hall areas next as there will be a picnic as well. Yes, I will be working two jobs this year. Have lots of plans for the future and I will need to pay for them. I did have to cancel one trip to attend a wedding but I know that the two precious people who got married weren’t all that worried about me not being there. I wish Jaylin and David all the best blessings that God has in His storehouse.

I promise to keep up with it from now on. Oh, and I even have an idea for another blog. I’ll let you know when I get it started. My love to all and thanks for reading.