Posted on 02/15/2010 7:10:14 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
PORTLAND, Ore. — Like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, David Niklas feels the quickening of spring as the season ramps up at his wholesale nursery in a farming community south of Portland. Niklas and his workers busily package plants for shipment.
These days, his flowers and vegetable seedlings have fewer places to go, as the housing bubble burst and the state and national economies flatlined.
Just three years after reaching a record high of almost $1 billion in sales, Oregon's nursery industry has plummeted into an historic slump. Nurseries are laying off employees, cutting costs and foregoing new buildings and equipment.
A few, like Niklas' Clackamas Greenhouses, have gone bankrupt.
"The family has poured money into it as we tried to restructure it and make new markets," said Niklas, who had to file bankruptcy after losing almost half his sales when his primary retailer was bought out. "Commercial lenders aren't talking to me because I'm coming out of bankruptcy.
"They aren't even talking to GM, so why would they talk to a little nursery?"
(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...
Somewhat off the subject, but since you are so far north, there is an aurora forecast for tonight. The sunspot cycle is starting up again.
Shameless plug time.... I posted a short thread with some links in it in Chat just a bit ago.
Thanks. I’ll look into that.
Do you sell them?
Oh yeah- I can find the room for fruit trees. I would go for dwarfs - even though they are more expensive. No point in having something that would be difficult to harvest. Not to mention the space needed, I am just looking at how long I anticipate being here is all.
On the other hand have you ever had dried on the tree did not fall when ripe apricots? If I thought that phenomenon would happen again, I would have to start digging so I could plant a couple apricot trees.
Oh yes- the kids have all taken heirloom flowers and we will be moving some rhubarb from the home place. And they all have onions that originated on my gr-granddad’s homestead up in the north end of the state. They are the walking onion that get the bulbs on top, and we are always careful to make sure some are not used so they continue as the seasons come and go.
Oh, that would be great to have a list of Freeper businesses. I thought that was sort of against the "rules". Thought I'd read something about it's a no-no to advertise or promote. Hope I'm wrong. We have a vacation cottage on the Mendocino Coast in California, so if it's a go, I'll put a link up.
Totally Tomatoes, The Vermont Bean Seed Company and Shumways are all great also. Many long years ago I had a problem - serious problem- I had two gardens approximately 20 X 20, five kids at home so the gardens were great. But I found the Vermont Bean Seed Company. One does not live on beautiful antique beans alone. Sigh! I started with and still plant Jacob’s Cattle. I have some of those beans sitting in my kitchen waiting to be planted when it warms up.
we’re right on the edge between 7 and 8
Thanks for responding. No seed? Rediculuos...we grow pole green beans, tomato, and peppers, trees and shrubs, perennials and grasses.
What’s up with that, exactly. About 3700 feet in elevation and 7 extinct wind-swept volcano’s 9000+’ high covered in snow to my west - and the wind’s blowing east.
I’ll probably regreat this by Daffodils are the one thing that I’ve never seen a mule deear eat in my yard.
Roses0508
I had two German Shepherds who had the run of our 5 acres in Bandon (Oregon) and the white-tail deer didn’t mind that at all. Netting was the answer -
Now that I live in rural Central Oregon I could not keep a dog out at night - lotsa coyotes here.
If the climate was more conducive to gardening here I’d erect barriers -
I’d get six nuisance permits a year and I did that for over ten years -
When you see a herd of twenty whaddaya gonna do?
How much work is there in planting blue berries?
Years ago, I brought one or two bunches of dry shallot bulbs home from the farm and planted them in my small garden. Every year I would pull the entire bunches out and break into separate plants and stick them back into the ground again.
During the summer, I would pull an entire bunch when there were about 12 or 15 individual stalks for eating. I gave away bunches of shallots every year. Late in the year, I would take two or three plants and let them air dry for fall planting.
Digging a hole in a sunny spot and amending the soil so it has a more alkaline PH is all there is to it. You also need a freezing cold winter for good fruit set the next season; that’s why blueberries are a Northern Thang.
Also - protection with netting or fencing from birds, rabbits and deer. The also attract raccoon and bear if there are bear in your area. ;)
I like ‘Patriot’ for a really big bush (6 foot!) with big, plentiful berries; also makes a nice landscape plant.
Yes; 3 or 4 types of gooseberries for sale, and currants. Lots of ‘Russian’ stuff like Seaberry and Moutain Ash, etc.
We looked; no luck for us as it was overcast. But thanks for the reminder. We spend a lot of time gazing up at the Heavens, feeling insignificant, LOL!
I have seen them a half dozen times over my life from this latitude; saw them in Canada a lot when summer camping in the Boundry Waters. :)
Zone 7/8? Oops! Then I don’t think blueberries will work for you, unless you grow them as annuals in big pots. Sorry!
Now, go enjoy your avacadoes and citrus...that WE can’t have up here, LOL!
What I'm interested in is strawberries. We have a local "pick your own" strawberry farm, but I'm interested in doing it myself.
oops, my bad we are in 6/7
Thanks.Doesn’t sound too hard.:) I’m here in central Missouri and we usually have at least one hard cold snap 0 to 10 below during the winter.
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