How innovation drives success at Columbus, OH-Area Greenhouses
Added on 17 August 2022
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Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse Co.
The first stop on the tour was Foertmeyer & Sons, where the facility sits on a 30-acre property in Delaware, OH. Head Grower Matt Foertmeyer noted that the company has a unique business model: They do not sell to big box stores or independent garden centers (IGCs). Instead, Foertmeyer & Sons supplies school fundraising sales with annuals.
Foertmeyer & Sons purchased the facilities and property of Schmidt Bros. in Swanton, OH, in 2020. The integrated pest management (IPM) program at both locations includes no pesticides, only biocontrols. There is a wholesale division at the Swanton location, where poinsettias are grown for the holiday season. In the summer, Foertmeyer & Sons only grows chrysanthemums.
Matt Foertmeyer pointed out the rolling tables to the guests on the tour, allowing growers to access plants directly without moving the plants or the platform on which they sit. Growers use a sub-irrigation system to water geraniums and lantana so their blooms are not damaged. They also utilize soil moisture sensors to indicate when the plants need to be watered again.
Thorsen's Greenhouse
The tour group visited a new facility for Thorsen's Greenhouse, which is 18 acres in size with 90,000 square feet of environmentally-controlled production. Construction began on the new facility in November, and growers started crops in March. They found creative solutions to grow in the spring 2022 season despite the facility not being completed yet, according to Michael Thorsen of Thorsen's Greenhouse.
Everything grown in the new 90,000-square-foot facility will be sold to Costco. Thorsen's serves all 13 Costco locations in Ohio, in addition to several in Michigan, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The facility, which is a DeCloet greenhouse, uses overhead irrigation. The sprinklers use 1.1 gallons of water per minute. Begonia baskets 12 inches in size were grown at the new facility this spring.
Photo created by serhii_bobyk - www.freepik.com
Source: Greenhouse Grower
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