Weezingreen's is swamped!

Hi everyone,
I just thought that I might mention to you all that Carol and Dennis, "Weezingreens," are REALLY in greens right now! The two of them, alone, are attempting to open up their little (?) greenhouse business in Seward, Alaska this weekend. Now, to the uninitiated this may not sound like a big deal, but believe me, they are working their hinnys off up there. It is pretty hard to do gardening up there in the first place, but on this scale and with the harder to come by plants that she specializes in, it is really amazing. Their business is a first for Seward, as far as I know. What few plants are available at the local grocery are pretty much the old standby types, nothing outstanding and not really all that healthy. The local paper is even covering this weekend's opening! So I just wanted to let those who are used to seeing Weez on the forum, to know that she is just so busy she most likely hasn't even eaten today! Think good thoughts for her and her DH, and let's hope this venture is a great one for them. A lot of her planned-upon helpers became invisible just as things got crazy, so they are really swamped now. Just the two of them! I would give anything to be back up there now, giving her a hand with labels, cash and such. Anyway, please wish her and Dennis well for this season. Once she gets all the baby plants hardened off (hundreds!), she'll be back online, but that could take a bit. She scans the forum from time to time, but doesn't have time to stop and chat or to post photos. And I know that no one else realizes what she is doing right now. So just thought I'd give it a mention here, in case anyone wants to send them an email to say "good going - hang in there!" She and Dennis are good people (and great gardeners!).
Thanks all, Penny

Carol and Dennis! I wish you the best of luck! Please remember to take a little time for yourselves and each other. I wish I lived closer to help you out. Sounds like quite an undertaking you have going there.

Woohoo, you go!! I wish you all the luck in the world!!! May your thumbs be greener than green and your plants be healthy and strong :)

Hey, Penny & gang, thanks for the kind words. Yes, we are, in fact swamped. I have so much to do that I've begun to make decisions on what is absolutely necessary and what is not. I've begun setting plants out on tables, hardening them off.
We're getting a few early bird shoppers, but that's OK. I really outdid myself this year, and I'm not quite sure what I've got or where I've got it. It will all be so much easier when we have the bigger greenhouse. I have many flats of small perennials in six packs, but I think I'll just cover most of those with row cover over the weekend so people don't buy them as annuals.

I'll be relieved when this coming weekend is over and the clientel becomes a steady flow rather than a big rush. I miss posting pictures and having a laugh or two with my friends here at Dave's. I generally spend a little time checking the posts while I wait for the bathtub to fill up. Tonight, Dennis got "first tub", so I can send out a message or two.

I have so many lovely plants started this year.. I wish you were all close enough to come and help me on opening weekend. I'd send you home with treasures.

Would love to be there Weez. As you already know, i shall be there in spirit, backing you both up. Just know it's going to be an enormous success. And soon you may be able to relax a little, with lots of your green babes old enough to leave home and start a new life, LOL.

This message was edited Tuesday, May 21st 3:13 AM

it sounds so exciting! I wish I could be there too, and I know you will be a huge hit! Please post the newspaper story if you can!

Congrats Wheezy!! Hard work yes, but what great fun!! All the very best to you and yours!!

Good luck to both of you! I've always wanted to visit Alaska, now would be a good time huh? LOL. Wish I could be there to help :~( Just keep thinking how all these people are going to enjoy the plants that you put so much work into...of course thinking of all that money might help too! *grin*

Lana

Take a minute for yourself, have a cup of coffee, and know that all your hard work will be rewarded. My brother is in Juneau.....how far away is that??

"eyes"

I will be thinking of both of you during this frenzied time, wishing I could be up there lending you a helping hand.
Good luck, han in there, it will all be worth it in the end. Just remember, a lot of these plants wouldnt be available to the good people of Seward if you hadn't grown it....How utterly exciting!

Hey, Wheez and Mr. Wheez - wow, there's a dream of mine! Not all the people, but the greenhouse. I'd want to keep everything, I'm afraid! and are you still puppy sitting ? He can round up the customers when they get rowdy! I'll send a note in a few days, when you can see and breath again!

If you see the business with as much humour as you spread around here, then you both will have a steady flow of customers forever. There is nothing better than buying from someone when they make you feel welcomed, and they have a bit of a humourous twinkle in their eye.

Good luck to you both!!

Wintermoor

Good luck weegingeens.

We miss ya not posting as much but understand..... Good Luck hey maybe you will sell out early and can be back with us sooner!

Thanks everybody. I've got a tub full of hot water waiting for me, but I just had to say hello to all my friends at Dave's. Last year, I panicked when people started buying all the plants. I worried that I wouldn't have anything left for myself... or for my friends with whom I share. This year, I'm so tired and jam packed with plants, I can't wait to muck most of them out!

Of course I always worry about the plants I send off with the gardening clueless. I feel like a real traitor sending my babies off to die. Oh well, we're all going to do that some day... they'll make good compost. I've already begun selling stuff, so I have to smile at some of the folks that don't know a tulip from a nasturtium.

Actually, they are my favorite customers. They are so pleased with anything that blooms for them. I have lots of plants for the seasoned gardener as well, but it does my heart good to sell a basket of petunias to some 50 year old Vietnam vet that wants to spruce up his cabin.

You're right about getting satisfaction from supplying plants to the community. People stop by asking for the plants they bought last year, describing them at great length. They tell me how the perennials are doing, and they always look around for more.

This is probably the hardest work I've done in years. I had to grip the handrail to make it up the steps tonight, but it is also very rewarding. I can look at those big tables of plants and those hanging baskets, and all those 2nd year perennials that are beginning to leaf out, and I know that I planted every single one of them myself.

Plants offer so much joy and ask so little. They are food for the eye or food for the table. No matter how you stick them in the ground, they manage to arrange themselves to perfection. I've always been dismayed by the gardeners that take it all so seriously. Gardening is fun, even when you are sweaty, mosquito bitten, and sore all over... it is fun.

I wonder do they flight to Alaska over nort pole from Helsinki or Tallin? It would be much easier than fly over Canada.. :D Lycka till

Oh Wow...Congratulations! I wish I was there to buy some of your plants. I'd be happy to help too! Good Luck!

Well, our sunny weather left us, and we had a light drizzle all day. It was great weather for transplanting, but a bit tough on the transplanter. We're on the home stretch now for the weekend opener, though I've had several early bird customers. I'm so tired tonight that I'm at that weepy stage.. you know, the poor pitiful me stage. However, I have a big claw foot bathtub full of hot bubbly water, so I'm going to take the plunge and hope my joints loosen up a bit so I can start again tomorrow! Thanks for the kind words.

Enjoy your soak. Notlong now!!!!!!!
Good luck :)

Hi, Philomel. You must be having your morning tea before checking the bat boxes or doormouse boxes, or whatever has to be done. I am at the end of my day, and the bath will definitely feel good. The rain of the day has put a curl to my hair, but it sure made everything else feel stiff and sore!

It's 10pm our time, and almost dark outdoors. It would be light longer were it to have been a sunny day, but I'm going to enjoy the twilight, since I'm heading to bed as soon as I have a good soak.

I keep thinking "Not long now", as you said, but the fact of the matter is that my little greenhouse business will continue all summer. This weekend will probably be the big rush, but it will continue until the plants either sell or go in the compost.

I have many, many perennials that I wintered over, so I'll be selling those as soon as they fill out and become more presentable. And, of course, I still have to plant my own garden and containers. Dennis is putting in the potatoes in barrels.

We purchased certified seed potatoes in Palmer a couple weeks ago. We bought 180 lbs.. enough for us, and lots more to sell. I certainly hope they sell or I'll be boiling them for dinner!

Just wanted to tell you "HI!" and that I miss you posting, too! But no pressure ~ we know you're busy now! Just wanted you to know you're missed.

Hey, Weezy! I just saw this thread. Congratulations of your venture - I hope all goes very well for you and Dennis. Good for you!! :)

Hi Weez :) Yes was just off to check dormouse boxes on a road widening scheme. Fortunately noone was at home - didn't want to find them on this site!
I'm away to a bat meeting for the weekend, but will be thinking of you. All the very best. May many of your green babies find good new homes! After the rush you can settle down to steady trade all summer hopefully

Thanks, everybody. Today I checked for labels on all the plants on the tables, so tomorrow I'll continue to transplant and look for 2nd year perennials that are presentable. I've decided to cover all the 1st year perennials with rowcover over the weekend, since I don't want to be selling them by the six pack. I've also got to stash what I need for ourselves, but I'm inclined to just use what is left over. My joie de fleur is just about gone!

The weather improved this afternoon, so I got a couple more customers... they come out with the sun. I've got the bathwater running now, since we just watered everything and put the row cover on them. Dennis just said he must be a gardener since he had a hose "quick connector" sitting next to the bed. Make of that what you will!

You'd be surprised how many people would buy even your first-year perennials, Weez. One of the big events around here is a local greenhouse's annual 25-cent perennial sale. They sell 4-packs of perennial seedlings for $1 each, so you can't beat the price. I know you're counting on these first-year guys being your two-year toddlers next year, though!

Well, you water yourself in well and crawl under your own row cover -- rest well, friend! :)

Sounds lovely gardenwife. Just me and the row cover. Unfortunately, my big gut would stick up in the air and they'd all thing the seed potatoes were under there!

Yes, I'm not opposed to selling some of the seedlings when they are young, but I have most of them in six packs, and I don't really want to sell them for 25 cents, since they all are started indoors under lights.. quite labor intensive.

Many of my beds just came out of the snow, so the 2nd year plants are still pushing up out of the pots. I'm going to concentrate on the bedding plants and veggies this weekend, and maybe I can get to the perennials next weekend. At any rate, I've got all summer to sell them. Planting isn't really recommended around here until June 1st.

Sounds like quite a project!! The sale Gardenwife mentions sounds like a great deal! First year perennials sell for $2.00 here, in individual 2" pots, 25 cents each sounds like quite a bargain!

This sale is great, and it's usually held in mid-April. I called 'em and got on the mailing list so I get postcards announcing their sales. :) They deal in such huge volume at their place, though, so I'm sure the business generated by the 25-cent sale makes up for the labor in their case. Most people toddle off with a few non-sale items; I know I always do!

Gardenwife, you must be talking about one of my favorite local nurseries (DeMonye's). I too always go and buy flats of perennials. Then when I get them home, can't figure out where to put them all! This year I bought 4 flats (each flat has 48 plants) Where do you put 48 new perennials :)

But after the sale, they put the remaining seedlings into quart pots and sell those for $3.49. Not bad either, for 4 baby seedling perennials, especially after they have a chance to "grow on" for those crucial few weeks.

And you are right, almost everyone buys a whole lot of plants that are not on sale! Did you check out the 4-packs of Wave petunia for $1 sale the following weekend?

Hey, neighbor! Groan...Well, I wanted to check out the wave petunias, as well as the 33-cent seed geraniums that other weekend. But, alas, my budget was shot to smithereens from the first sale, LOL! I did drop by Dalgarns on the way back home and pick up a quart-sized phlox I couldn't resist.

I always think, "Oh, I have enough sun for these plants", but then I get home and reality hits: What on earth was I thinking? And I never seem to have new beds ready and waiting for my new babies; I always get the cart before the horse!

I've been potting my 25-centers up into 4" and larger pots because I know I will not get them in the ground soon enough and they are so cramped in those cellpacks, poor things! I even have two window boxes stuffed full of the babies, just so they have a little more leg room!

Even thought about having a small garage/plant sale with some of the extra's, but I don't want to do that until I know for sure I'm maxed out in where we can put them, LOL.

*SIGH* - you'd think we'd learn!!

Gardenwife, after I saw your post last month on the wave petunias. I couldn't resist not heading east! I went the following weekend & had a blast just roaming around. I bought way too many geraniums and after giving plenty to fellow gardeners, I've some left over that I've transplanted to 4" pots & will put in our neighborhood garage sale next weekend. Thanks for the tip on the April weekend sales!

Weezingreens, wishing you all the best in your endeavor! It sounds like a great amount of work. But, it also sounds as if you've got a happy customer base. I am telepathically sending you my energy to help get you through the weekend :)

I'm back Weez - how's it going?
Sold out yet??
;-)

Forgot, of course you've only had the one day so far - only just beginning on your second!
Good luck :-D

I'll bet she and Dennis are truly swamped today, Phil! Then another busy day Monday, and sleeping all day Tuesday, chiropractor Wednesday. ;-P! We'll probably hear from her around Thursday. *grin!* Bless her heart, I hope she still has hair left then!

BOy, if their greenhouse was anywhere near as busy as the one we went to today....Whooooooie, we may not hear from her for a week! Good old Memorial Day Weekend, the weekend warriors' play days!

LOLOL Wingnut & gw!

Hi, Guys... well, we didn't exactly make enough money to pay our expenses.. but we've got all summer to do that. The weather wasn't very cooperative, but we still got enough customers over the last two days to wear us out. On Saturday night, we both fell asleep in front of the TV at 8:30, then roused enough to go to bed... didn't even get our bath. We were exhausted. It's been steady since, even though it rained most of the day today. It's still a bit chilly around here. Dennis has been planting the seed potatoes in barrels and some nasturtiums in our porch boxes. I trust him with a spade now since he took the master gardener class this spring! Well, off to the tub and a good night's sleep.

Sleep well :)

Weeze:

I just wanted to tell you what gorgeous country you live in. My BIL just got back from Seward and he came out tonight with the video of their halibut fishing trip and the tours they went on. He even brought us halibut! I can't wait to cook this. Beautiful country, and all the wonderful wildlife they captured on video. I can't remember if the wildlife refuge they went to was in Seward or Anchorage, but they had the most adorable baby bear! DH put this on our "gotta go there" list, so maybe someday in the future we will get there. I'm sure we will get to DH's "gotta go there" list long before we'll get to mine. LOL

JoanJ:
The wildlife refuge they went to is probably the one at Portage.
Thats about 50 miles south of Anchorge on tne Seward Hiway, or 75 miles north of us. Like so many locals we've never stoped there. We're usually in such a hurry to get to Anchorage and then in such a hurry to get home after a long day of combat shopping.
Hint; Dont overcook the halibut, the meat is very sweet, but overdone it can get real dry.
...................................Dennis