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 ...
ANYTHING is good on the grill... :-)
They make beautiful blooms............
I have one row of shallots that are almost done. I will separate one or two bunches for planting later in the spring.
doe anyone know if there is a freeper run business ping list or just a list of links to businesses? I think it would be a great idea, I would shop from freeper owned first.
Bought some of our seeds this past weekend, mainly for the Spring crop. Greens, radishes, spring onions and lettuce. Starting the seeds this week as we have opening day on March 20.
Only the ones where people have money and the economy is good. In others words, no.
Since I started gardening it seems that I plant things the deer eat before I can. :)
The daffodil shoots are just now starting to break thru the frozen soil. Spring is just around the corner...
We’ve bought a lot of seeds. Lots of trees and small plants like strawberries that can be used to produce food. We’re doing the edible landscaping thing. Even if the economy was gangbusters I just can’t see the point in planting, watering, pruning and caring for something that won’t make food eventually. I’ve never cared for Bradford pear trees. Or monkey grass.
I am going to plant a few annuals and perennials this year though. Start my own from seed. Got some ‘Magnus’ echinaceas from T&M and some ‘Ruby Star’ from Jung’s. Those are $5-$10 each if you get them already started. Ditto lavender plants. Jung’s sent a nice ‘free with purchase’ packet of annual seeds too. I’m looking for a good spot to put those.
The nursery nearest my house has always sold edible things though. It’s where we got my blueberry plants and my Meyer lemon tree. She sells a lot of pepper, tomato and herb plants in the spring too. I hope she makes it.
What are the benefits of box-planting? We have a garden but I want my husband to make a box/raised bed for things like lettuce and radishes.
He says what is the differance if we just put it in the ground? I need some info. I like the idea of not haveing rows and it is pretty. That doesn’t do it for him. :)
Trying to get my list together for an order. Looking to add just a few veggies as I have plenty of seeds left over from last year. But I will be adding some nut trees, apples, plums and cherries.
I have fruit trees going. You plant fruit trees for your children and for others not for yourself. I don’t have a veg garden going but can get an organic one going anytime I want.
Fruit trees take years so they must be planted now even if you cannot afford them
Plus they will make you real estate worth more
thanks! Good price.
The great thing is we found the bulbs along side of the road. My wife and I were out driving and my wife said look at all the potatoes in the road ahead. There were a bunch just squashed in the road and others along the side of the road. I told her those are some kind of bulbs. We picked up about ten or so. And she planted them to see what came up.
We were about a half mile from the location of Van Zyverden Inc., the bulb growers. A big box of a shipment must have fell off a truck.
They take a loooong time to blossom. Unless you live in Florida or Texas, you may never see them blossom....
They need to shift to fruit and food producing stock. Ornamentals will continue to decline, but the market for plantings able to feed the family will only increase - given that you have sound, reliable stock. Forget the multigraft ‘Wonder Fruit’ trees that produce every kind of popular apple and bananas, cherries and pomegranates besides. Just like seeds, fruiting stock is going to see greater pressure from good suppliers.
My $0.02.
I wish my wife had gotten me a plum tree yesterday on the Romantic Day of Obligation!
One good thing about a raised bed like 4’x4’x12” is that you can do intensive gardening especially with lettuce and such. A higher percentage of the available growing space is used, no rows, there is less room for weeds to grow, and water can be used more efficiently.
Oh, I would LOVE that! Here is a shameless link from this FReeper: www.alohaislandcoffee.com
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