Do not be fooled. I have noticed many big companies getting the idea that they can call a greenhouse and order plants that grow vegetables and flowers in mass quantities to make a quick buck. Did you know some of these plants are not even grown in our local area and maybe not even in PA? Some of these companies have over 50 growing stations throughout the country.

I hear some people telling stories of how they went shopping at a store and walked by some vegetable plants and decided to purchase them. The plants start out great, and then, within a few days, the leaves start falling off, and the plant ends up dying. I am not saying these places are selling bad products; I would like to give you some advice on choosing the best plants that are healthy and will feed your family.

A lot of greenhouses in our area start their plants from seeds in early March by hand. These local greenhouse care for these tender plants like they are part of the family. They are not started by someone dropping a seed in some soil and having a computer monitor them till they are ready to be shipped off to a store that could be hours away in a truck that could be too hot or too cold for the tender plants. Our local greenhouses spend long hours caring for the plants.

They do this by making sure the starter soil is just right, the temperature of the greenhouse is always the same, and when the seedlings start to push through the soil, they make sure they have all they need to be strong and tall, so they are ready for you to purchase.

Plants are like humans. Think of going on a long trip in a car and how tired you get until you reach your destination. Plants are the same way. When you purchase from a local greenhouse, most of the vegetables are started right in the same spot you purchased them from. These local greenhouse care that you are getting a plant that produces and will bring you joy.

One greenhouse ran out of tomato plants last year, decided to increase the amount they would start. One of them told me they started 80,000 tomato plants and 40,000 pepper plants this year! Holy Tomatoes! When you walk into a local greenhouse and see this many plants under one roof and know that they will be providing fresh fruits and vegetables in our area, it is something to see.

This takes a lot of time to care for all the plants, but the local greenhouses want to make sure you have a quality plant that is locally grown.

Walking around the greenhouse, the owners and workers make you feel like family. I was told some of the customers have been getting their plants locally for years. One family that I know has three generations of family shopping at the same greenhouse for as long as they can remember.

So, my tip this week is to stop by a local greenhouse and see how vegetable growers have been doing this for generations.