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Nurseries Struggle With Lagging Economy
Google News ^ | February 15, 2010 | Abby Haight

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; Gardening
KEYWORDS: bankruptcy; bhoeconomy
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To: MaxMax; jpsb

Making that a live link.

http://homeharvest.com/containergardenpotsplastic.htm


81 posted on 02/15/2010 12:56:01 PM PST by ApplegateRanch (I think not, therefore I don't exist!)
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To: JRochelle

Keeps slugs and snails out...


82 posted on 02/15/2010 12:58:32 PM PST by CIDKauf (No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.)
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To: ApplegateRanch
Thanks, I'm building a new computer and don't have my shortcut files.

/Salute

83 posted on 02/15/2010 1:00:07 PM PST by MaxMax (Lets get a sense)
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To: jpsb

Jung sells them. :)

I’ve seen them on other seed supply company sites too. Amazon has them listed but they’re currently unavailable. Search for “Potmaker” on Google (or the search engine of your choice.)


84 posted on 02/15/2010 1:37:23 PM PST by Overtaxed
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To: dennisw

Probably at my tender age I am not going to hang around for the years needed for fruit trees to produce. Added to the fact I have moved from an acre to a lot—life adjusts. For some valid reasons nobody in my family will be moving to this small town to live on the home place. So-—I succession garden, winter garden, can, freeze, dry- and enjoy life in the yard.


85 posted on 02/15/2010 2:40:42 PM PST by handmade
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To: MaxMax

Did you buy motherboard yet? I have a good one that I paired with AMD Regor 240 a few months ago


86 posted on 02/15/2010 2:56:06 PM PST by dennisw (It all comes 'round again --Fairport)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Are you with Jung. I have noticed them for years due to the unusual name


87 posted on 02/15/2010 2:57:28 PM PST by dennisw (It all comes 'round again --Fairport)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Nurseries are laying off employees, cutting costs and foregoing new buildings and equipment.

Awwwww! Do all the illegal gardners have to go back to Mexico now?

88 posted on 02/15/2010 2:57:56 PM PST by Gaffer ("Profling: The only profile I need is a chalk outline around their dead ass!")
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To: moehoward

You should have a ton of help from your local county extension office. And in many states a Master Gardener program. The whole focus is to help people get started, to learn so you can help others get started. The program is very worthwhile.


89 posted on 02/15/2010 3:00:47 PM PST by handmade
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To: handmade

You are busier than me at growing edible things so I salute you. Any fruit tree can be kept pruned to keep it smaller plus you don’t plant fruit trees just for yourself

I have been in two cities with a lot of municipally planted fruit trees. Oroville had oranges+tangerines and San Antonio had pecan trees. Planted on city property such as near curbs and on medians


90 posted on 02/15/2010 3:01:54 PM PST by dennisw (It all comes 'round again --Fairport)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Is that pronounced “jung” or “yoong?”


91 posted on 02/15/2010 3:02:30 PM PST by Petronski (In Germany they came first for the Communists, And I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist...)
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To: dennisw
Yea, I got the ASUS P5QL/EPU. It's a new build for a friend in Reno.
He actually had to ship it back to me because his daughter fried the new hard drive. /laff

92 posted on 02/15/2010 4:06:33 PM PST by MaxMax (Lets get a sense)
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To: MaxMax

You got one w ddr2. I did the same around Christmas. I’m aggravated at the high memory prices. Other than that computer components are cheaper and better every year. I like GigaByte motherboards


93 posted on 02/15/2010 4:19:11 PM PST by dennisw (It all comes 'round again --Fairport)
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To: Petronski

The family name is ‘Yoong’ but we all pronounce it with a hard ‘J’ so people can find us in the phone book and aren’t looking for us under ‘Y’.

No relation to Carl. People named Jung were a dime a dozen ‘back in the day’ of free and easy immigration to America. ;)


94 posted on 02/15/2010 5:10:55 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: who knows what evil?

I know you did. Thank you! :)


95 posted on 02/15/2010 5:12:42 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: tubebender

“I do believe your sales will suffer when the coming glaciers cover your parking lot...”

Hey! How do you think we got all of our gorgeous lakes to begin with? :)

I think sales might suffer this season when Newbie Gardeners from LAST season see that producing food can be a LOT of hard work...they now prefer to just stock up on canned beans and call it a day, LOL!

All of southern WI was hit with that awful Late Blight on tomatoes for the first time in a DECADE, so those Newbie Gardeners have reason to be upset; but I have a spray for that, LOL!


96 posted on 02/15/2010 5:16:13 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: P8riot

What’s your Zone down there? 6? 7?

The problem most likely is that it doesn’t get cold enough for your strawberries to go sufficiently dormant each fall/winter to spring back to life the next season.

If you can’t grow apples or pears in your zone, (because they NEED a long, cold dormant period) then strawberries would be a problem, too.

If so, you CAN grow strawberries as an annual; I would recommend ‘Fort Laramie’ or ‘Seascape’ for growing in pots, bags or hanging baskets. We have this cool ‘bag’ that you can grow strawberries in, or herbs, etc. I’m going to try one out this season, as well as our potato bag. Supposedly, you can get 20 lbs. of taters from each bag.

We’ll just see about that! I’m going for 30 lbs. per bag, LOL!


97 posted on 02/15/2010 5:23:37 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: who knows what evil?

People are really into edible landscaping, as well as prairie and/or native plants. It’s really a smart way to go. It makes total sense. I LOVE how an AZ desert looks, but really...it’s not gonna work in Wisconsin...and neither will an English Cottage-style garden work in AZ.

And don’t even get me started on ‘Rain Gardens’ which mean the OPPOSITE of what they’re called. *Rolleyes*

Have you discovered Rosalind Creasy? She rocks! Her books are informative, but are total Eye Candy, too. :)

http://www.rosalindcreasy.com/edible-landscaping-basics/


98 posted on 02/15/2010 5:28:24 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: Arrowhead1952

I love, love, LOVE Shallots. I have a small patch of them for now...

Last year ‘the project’ was putting in a 40’ row of asparagus. This fall it’s going to be a 40’ row of garlic, and I’ll add some shallots in there each spring, for sure!

Little by little I’m making our ‘farmette’ functional, beautiful and am growing plenty extra to sell, so she can continue to be functional and beautiful. :)


99 posted on 02/15/2010 5:33:25 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.)
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To: happydogx2

You don’t live that far from me and our Daffodils will be in full bloom by the end of the week. What’s up with that?


100 posted on 02/15/2010 5:33:37 PM PST by tubebender (Thanks to all the Patriots who support Free Republic financially...)
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