Michael G.s Greenhouses

We will be open for one more week, we are going to close for the season at noon on the 12th. My dad had a saying from his farming days as a youth, he would say we are down to the short rows. We have a lot of nice succulents left in planters and as singles, we have been boxing some up and selling them as a group deal. There are a few baskets and planters left reduced to $10 each. The majority of the packs and pots remaining are reduced to $1 each. It gets pretty hot in the gr...eenhouses in the afternoon this time of year, come out early if you can. This has been a good year in spite of how cold and wet May was, thank you to all who have come out and got their flowers and garden plants from us. A persistent rumor is that I am going to retire, I am not sure where that comes from but not from me. I will be 70 next spring, but as long as God provides me with good help, which He has, and good health, I am going to keep on planting until I am planted myself. I am beginning to think about a successor to keep my business going, but that will certainly be down the road a little further. I enjoy what I do, I believe I am doing what God wants me to do, and plan to keep going on. Thanks again for your support. See more

The directions Facebook gives you to my greenhouses are not always correct. If you are directed to Hideaway road you will be one mile north of me and have to go west to blacktop Z and go south to the first gravel road on Z (9004). Go east on 9004 to 7003, then turn south, I am at the top of the hill. The easiest way is to go south on I-49 to Passaic, go east 6.8 miles on D to County Road 7003, then turn north at my large sign there. I would prefer you use Google maps rather than Facebook.

We are going to open tomorrow morning. It is hard to believe winter is over spring is already here. All four greenhouses are full and there is still a tremendous amount to transplant and plant yet. We do not put chemically growth retard our plants (Google it), so much of what is grown is like ripe bananas, not much shelf life. Our plants do grow when you take them home and take care of them. It is early, too cold for some things, and perhaps warm enough for others. One green...house (my last remaining one from 1984 )is full of cold tolerant plants, there is no heat in there unless below freezing. We have tons of succulents, and since we start our own they do not cost an arm and two legs like elsewhere. What we sell for a dollar is normally four dollars elsewhere. Last year we were basically sold out by Mothers Day, and if the phone ringing is any indication it will be like that again this year. I am blessed in many ways, and one of them is having good employees. I do a lot of the work early in the season, the ferns, big geraniums, succulents, and they do the majority of the later planted things. Thank you Janet, Mitzi, Allen, Pamela, and Melanie for all of your efforts. Come see us, this is year 37. When will I retire? Someday you will read an obituary when I have been planted in a cemetary. I need to scale back but am not exactly sure how to go about that so I just keep on trucking! See more

My plan right now is to open the last Saturday of March, unless the weather is cold then. We are getting the greenhouses filled quickly, I always wonder where everything will fit at this time of year. I do have potting soil here if you want to start your own seeds, but call ahead, I am not always at the greenhouses. Last year we sold out early, and talking to other growers makes me think that could happen again. I am trying to get more vegetables started this year. I will be 69 shortly and have had covid with long term effects, so it has been a hard winter (not to mention an ice storm and the coldest temperatures we have had in years). Last week's sun helped a lot. I hope to see everyone soon.

There was a diaper bag left at the greenhouses yesterday. There is no identification in it.

Well, it is time to start thinking about next years plant and seed orders again. I got my geranium order in for the larger sized pots last week. My truck load of potting soil comes in next week. I sold a new wandering jew variety last spring (nanouk pink wandering jew), but my plant I kept back for next year did not do well over the summer. If any of my customers has a nice basket of it I would like to purchase it from you. I may not have it next year unless I can find a good starter plant of it....it came from an auction and I may not be able to get it again there. Thanks again for a good spring, stay safe and stay well. Six months until spring!

Tomato growing through the hole in the tag, is this what they mean by precision ag?

Our church has partnered with the Department of Agriculture to pass out produce tomorrow at 11:45. This is not on the basis of need, but as a means to help the farmers not dump so much produce as they have had to do lately. That is tomorrow morning at the Victory Assembly of God church in Adrian, right next door to Yoss Thriftway.

It has been a while since I put anything on here, mostly because this has been the most intense selling season I have ever had. For several reasons everyone had the plant bug this year. I will be 68 next week, and I have been flat worn out slick on many occasions this spring. Thank you to everyone who have been out, brought new customers, called, and just in general supported my business this year and in past years. At times some have had to wait to get checked out, my long t...ime employee Janet was not here this spring and I needed her along with Mitzi and myself to write tickets. I think next year we are going to try to get some kind of electronic way to check folks out. All of the remaining stuff was moved into two greenhouses this past week. I still have perennials, specialty annuals, and assorted other things left. Beginning next Thursday I will mark some of it down, I can't say what just yet because normally Mother's Day weekend is pretty busy. I am pretty much out of tomatoes, they are the new toilet paper, very hard to find this year. Thinking back, I would like to believe I would plant more of this, less of that, but that is always hard to do since most of the planning is done last fall. It gets a little harder to manage four greenhouses every year since I am getting older. I have not been in church since March, but neither has anyone else this year. Jesus said apart from Me you can do nothing, that might explain a lot of what is going on in our country right now. I do not know what next year will be like, but I do know who is in control. I know that I can make my plans, but as long as He directs my steps things will turn out just fine. God bless all of you, thanks for a tremendous season up to this point. See more

We had a very busy weekend now that it looks like the frosty nights are over. We are moving things outside today to allow us more space and to toughen up some of what we have available. I really am a blessed person. In spite of all the things going on in the world my customers are coming out as usual. I do believe being in the country, having a place with open doors and windows as well as sunshine makes it a fairly safe place to shop. Early in the morning and on rainy days are the least busy times if you have concerns. The crop is just outstanding this year, I think mostly due to using another brand of potting soil. We still have a few pallets available if you need high quality mix. I have a huge amount of succulents this year again, starting at $1 each. I think spring may be here to stay finally.

I will open for the season tomorrow, March 28th. There are still a lot of things to transplant, plant, and repot. This is normal for this time of year. There is a time and a season for everything. I often say what I sell is like produce at the store, the pretty ripe yellow banana looks good for a short period of time, but then it goes over the hill. Bedding plants are the same way. The tomato plant that looks good tomorrow will be way too tall when the proper time to plant th...em is here. That is why I do not have everything ready when I open. That said, I do have tons and tons of nice stuff. You can always move a hanging basket back inside if it frosts a night or two in the next couple of weeks. I have a huge amount of succulents this year. When I started 36 years ago that was a big part of my business, and things have come full circle and I am growing a lot again. I switched brands of potting soil due to inconsistent mixing of the Scotts soil I used for years. The Berger brand I am using and selling is far superior in my opinion. I have had excellent results in spite of all the rainy wet weather we have had. My business is in the country, most of the time doors and windows are open and I do not have great crowds of people generally. I do not live in fear of the plague that has enveloped our country recently, because God said to fear not so many times. If you have to stay home more than usual, this might be a good time to plant flowers and vegetables and enjoy your own home place. I hope to see all of you soon. God Bless all of you. See more