Local Roots, Big Blooms
Sourced Locally – Our Partnership with Frerick’s Gardens
By: Katie Bigley
What began as a small produce stand around 1906 has now become a fifth-generation, family-owned greenhouse of over 120,000 square feet. Frerick’s Gardens is a staple within the Quincy community when it comes to live plants and gardening needs. If you don’t already know, all Farm & Home Supply stores receive live plants from Frerick’s Gardens!
Joyce, who is an employee of Farm & Home, has spent many years prior working at Frerick’s , and for this month’s blog, I was given the opportunity to tour the facility and get a behind-the-scenes look at everything that takes place when it comes to running a large-scale greenhouse!
When I first arrived, I couldn’t believe how many greenhouses were hidden behind the storefront. I had no idea just how expansive the facility is. Joyce showed us through a few greenhouses that stored the plants that Farm & Home stores would receive and where they keep their perennials.
After we toured a few greenhouses, Joyce then showed us where they keep their water tanks. As you can imagine, a greenhouse will go through tons of gallons of water a day. Joyce shares with us that Frerick’s uses both well water and city water to meet the water needs of their facility. “At times, they will put different chemicals in the water, but one thing they always do is use a fertilizer in the water every time they water,” says Joyce.
One thing I found fascinating at Frerick’s Gardens is the automatic seeder and waterer. This piece of equipment is fairly new to Frerick’s and cuts down the expense of people planting, as it takes the place of four people! “Once the seeder has planted everything, it goes down and goes through the watering system, and it’s watered three times before it’s put on a cart and taken down to the greenhouse,” says Joyce.
Joyce then shows us where they keep all of the sterilized dirt, and a machine called a Hopper. The purpose of a hopper is to store and dispense dirt automatically into a variety of containers for planting. “The hopper can fill flats, hanging baskets, and big pots,” says Joyce. A hopper helps reduce manual labor and increases productivity as it can fill different containers more consistently and efficiently.
Did you know some of the greenhouses at Frerick’s Gardens have heated floors? I sure didn’t! Joyce gave us a tour of one particular greenhouse with heated floors that houses seeds and young plants. “There are water tubes underneath of it and hot water goes through that to keep the floor heated,” says Joyce.
What is the purpose of heated floors? Many seeds and young plants require a specific soil temperature for germination and root development so heated floors provide warmth directly to the root zone, where it is more effective.
Frerick’s Gardens also grows all of the Hardy Mums that Farm & Home Supply stores receive in the fall. Joyce showed us the large outdoor area that will be filled with Hardy Mums that come in late summer. Once they are ready, they will be loaded up on carts and shipped to all of our store locations!
The last stop on our tour was the cooler room. Joyce shares that the cooler room stores plants like Lilies, Tulips, and Daffodils. The purpose of storing these plants in a cooler is to precisely time the flowering process so that the plants are ready to go just in time for Easter.
If you have never been to Frerick’s Gardens, this is your sign to go check them out! Aside from live plants, they also have a boutique that sells different clothing and decorative items. Farm & Home Supply is grateful for the partnership we have with Frerick’s Gardens and being able to provide our customers with healthy live plants every spring and summer!
Thank you to Joyce from Farm & Home Supply and Frerick’s Gardens for being a part of this blog!
