Groundhog Day!
It's foggy and -3º F. here this morning, so regardless of what the groundhog indicates, I'm sure we'll have more winter here in Jensen!
People often ask us what we do here at the greenhouse in the winter...
We take this time to plan our spring crops, order inventory, catch up on all the paperwork that gets neglected through the rest of the year, and enjoy a little time off!
Crop planning involves looking at what we grew and sold last year, and making our best guess as to what you will want to grow this next season. What varieties of Heirloom tomatoes will be popular? What are the new colors of petunias that will catch your eye? What hardy perennials will grow well in our high desert? Will it be a cold spring? It all involves looking at our history, local trends, and a lot of guesswork.
After deciding what we want to have to sell, the production planning begins. Will we grow the crops from seed or start plants from cuttings? What will we buy in as pre-started plants? Will we get nursery stock in bare-root or already grown out in containers? Multiply all these questions by the nearly 1000 plant varieties that we carry, and the result is a series of very large spreadsheets!
In just 2 weeks, we'll begin starting seeds, taking cuttings and begin planting hanging baskets. Our patient staff begin to work more hours and all the greenhouses start to wake up. The Fuchsias are even starting to bloom.
If you have any special requests, now is the time to get them in!
