(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
