A Grower Perspective

Yes Ma’am, No Sir, How may I help you Ma’am? These are all niceties in everyday life that make our lives more pleasant and comfortable. Josh (my ‘Boss’ here at Pleasant Hill Nursery) was raised in Kentucky to address others in this lovely southern style. Being from the Pacific Northwest I wasn’t used to this ‘formal’ way of speaking and often thought of it as a little off putting, a tiny bit sarcastic. It’s not, nor is the intention any of that. It is this kind of polite training that enables us to continue our work with others in a kind and hospitable way even if we don’t always feel like it or want to say something else. If it is automatic for us to speak and behave kindly and with consideration it will always be our fallback position when we are in a difficult situation.

Comment (0) Read More...

Where I grew up in western Washington we had a saying if you couldn’t see the mountain it was raining and if you could see the mountain it was going to rain. The mountain referred to here was Mount Rainier (14,411’ high). Because it rains a lot in the great Pacific Northwest this was a fairly accurate evaluation of the weather. Where I live and work now there are no high magnificent mountains. But there is great beauty and our landmarks and gauges are a bit subtler. I look out from the nursery and am surrounded on all sides by natural beauty. Papenfus Creek marks the south and east border. I don’t see the creek but I do see all of the deciduous trees bordering it. To the west are brittle cottonwoods that are snapping off as I write and the Friends of Buford Park Natural area. And to the north is the grand Mount Pisgah (1,531’ high), my weather gauge for my life here. As I drive to work I head toward the mountain and check it out and see if it is fog covered, misted over or even topped with a bit of snow. And then I think about my weather day. This is the first indoor winter job I’ve had in 30 years so the relative weather is not so important to my personal comfort as it used to be. It is important to the nursery. Dave Daniel, the nursery owner and our leader, uses a much more sophisticated weather analysis. He has many weather web sites he checks often. He knows where the reservoirs are and how to find out when the water is held in and when it is let go. He checks state weather maps and can see what is predicted and what is happening right now. He intimately knows the lay of his land, how the creek and river run and where the water collects. He makes notes where more gravel needs to go to prevent puddles and where more drains need to go for more efficient drainage. This is good land and nursery management and adds to the quality of the plants produced here.

Comment (0) Read More...

Over the years, as Dave and I worked to build this nursery business, we have had countless interactions with people who share a common sentiment. They tell us that it has always been their dream to own a nursery and often they will follow this revelation with a secondary statement that they “love to garden.”

I used to try to explain that owning a nursery and “gardening” are not synonymous but I’ve come to realize that it’s pointless. There are people who have this perception and it’s impossible to change their minds.

Owning a nursery business is one of the most difficult ways to earn a living

Comment (0) Read More...

While for many in the American workforce a forecast of freezing temperatures and snowy weather equates to a day or two at home the nursery industry is quite different. When temperatures dip below 20 degrees there is a lot of work to be done to insure that your inventory is protected. It is best to shove as much in cold frames covered in plastic as possible but they seem to fill up fast so the next best option is to cover the plants. That is how our crews at Pleasant Hill Nursery spent Monday December 15th. We covered and winterized as much as we could preparing for the arctic blast that the meteorologists were promising. Our Brabham Road location registered 15 degrees on Monday night so we are happy that we took the time and labor to button up the nursery. There are still very cold temperatures forecasted for the remainder of the week so we can only watch the weather and wait.

Comment (0)