Updated on December 18, 2024 by Ruth
This post may contain affiliate links. Probably doesn’t, but it might. It doesn’t cost you anything extra but if you use these links to buy something, we may earn a commission.
When you visit our garden center, it’s a lot of fun to browse the selections of perennial plants, annual flowers, herbs, and vegetable plants. How do all those plants wind up on display for you to select from?
Table of Contents
Which plants to grow
It’s a long process that actually starts the previous fall as we work on the selection of plants that we will grow. We look at how well the plants grow in our area, how well they deal with heat, humidity, changeable temperatures, frost, how well the flowers bloom, how much care they need, if they are drought tolerant, resistant to deer or rabbit predation, and if they are native to our area. We look for a mix of native perennials, cultivars that help certain populations, such as butterflies or hummingbirds, annuals that are in high demand for their color and longevity, and something fun that we want to try. We are always looking for new varieties!
For some plants, we plan from our existing plants. We save Dahlia tubers (the root from which they grow) and divide them. We set aside how many we will grow for our cut flower center and then we have tubers to plant for the garden center. We take cuttings from our fig trees and root them. When we see how many have successfully rooted, we mark how many we want to plant and how many will be for sale. Likewise with perennial herbs—we can divide existing plants and set aside plants for you for the following spring.
Where are the plants growing?
Once we select the different plants, we plan out how long they take to grow to be ready for planting in March, April, May, or June. We start the seeds in trays on heated germination mats. There may be hundreds of seeds in a single tray. Once the plants sprout, they are transplanted into the retail packs or into single pots, depending on the type of plant. We use a bedding soil which is a mix of topsoil, compost, and perlite. This has the nutrients that the seedlings needs and provides a loose soil that is easy for the roots to get established.
The seedlings stay housed in one of the heated high tunnels. To guard against heater malfunctions, there are actually two heaters in the tunnel, along with fans to keep the air circulating. The seeds are started in January and February.
Since the plants are growing where they naturally receive more than 10 hours of daylight after January 26 in our area, we have found we don’t need supplemental lighting. After this, we monitor the water, tag the pots, and wait for them to grow.
When will the plants be ready for sale in the spring?
There are herbs, vegetable plants, and some flowering plants are ready to face March weather, with its ups and downs, frosty nights, and windy days. Pansies, violas, primroses, parsley, thyme, lettuce, kale, and chard are among the first to appear and are ready to be planted in your garden.
Most annual flowers are touchy about frost, so we start the seeds in one of our heated tunnels, so that the plants are ready to transition to ourside as soon as the weather is warm enough. When the weather is ready changes each year, so we monitor the long-range forecasts carefully. Petunias and geraniums can handle a light frost, but there is no point letting the weather beat the plants up if waiting a few days will give you a much better result.
Summer plants
Once the plants are sold, we do not have more. For plants that are waiting for their new garden home, we may have to re-pot into a larger pot to accommodate more roots and top growth. This process is called “up potting”–which is probably supposed to be “potting up,” but every grower I know says “up potting.”
Many plants grow well in containers all summer. Monthly fertilizer helps any flowering plant, as it takes a lot of energy to produce flowers. On the hot days, you may need to water daily or even twice daily. As I write this, we have had several hot days in a row, and the cumulative heat can be hard on the plants. I advise against dark colored pots as the dark color increases the heat on the roots.
Fall plants
Once the spring plants are pushed out of the tunnel into the display area, the fall plants are started. For us, that means chrysanthemums, asters, marigolds, Black Eyed Susans, Flowering Kale, celosia, and anything else that strikes our fancy. We are mindful of the cooling temperatures and the chance of frost. If you planted pansies in the spring, they often grow again in the fall and continue to bloom till the end of the year in spite of cold, frost, or snow.
Conclusion
Whether we are starting seeds or taking cuttings from out own plants, we handle each plant with care. There are no pesticides on the plants and no chemicals. We want you to be able to handle the plants without worrying about exposure to sprays that can cause problems. You can see that these are the plants that we put in the ground as well, depending on them for our livelihood. Colorful, gorgeous, good for you and for the environment—whichever plants you select, you can be confident that these are plants which will grow in your garden.
