Maumee Valley Gardeners Spring into Gardening with First Annual Daytrip
Thirty Maumee Valley gardeners recently participated in the first annual
“Spring Into Gardening” daytrip sponsored by The Ohio State University
Extension. The trip offered great gardening ideas, previews of new plant
varieties, and, at each stop, tips and techniques provided by industry experts,
all Maumee Valley Growers.
The day began at Wardell’s Farm Market, where owner Tom Wardell welcomed
daytrippers and provided fascinating insight into the rewards and the
challenges of creating and growing a green business in Northwest Ohio. Guests
enjoyed a midmorning breakfast including delicious homemade cinnamon roles
prepared by Kathleen Johnson, who also led a demonstration on herb gardening
following tours of Wardell’s greenhouses and display garden.
Next, daytrippers headed to Bowling Green to visit Wolf’s Blooms and Berries
where they enthused over Sue Wolf’s hanging baskets and mixed containers and
relaxed over lunch in her new Gathering Room. Wolf shared slides and tips
assembled gathered on her own recent garden tours.
The final stop of the day was at Hoen’s Greenhouse and Garden Center. Theresa
Hoen gave hands-on advice on the art of container gardening, guests shopped for
seasonal annuals and perennials, and everyone indulged in the day’s final treat
- homemade desserts.
Most of those who participated in the trip were passionate gardeners. Many were associated with the Master Gardener Program. All were excited about the trip and eager for a repeat. Trip organizer Beth Fausey, Director of the Agricultural Business Enhancement (ABE) Center in Bowling Green, has already started planning for next year’s Daytrip!
Get Green with the MVG: Cleveland Road Greenhouse, Corso's Flower & Garden Center, and Mulberry Creek Herb Farm
April 28th, the Maumee Valley East …
Many area gardeners make the rounds of a few greenhouses each spring,
determined to find the perfect hanging basket, the most beautiful mixed
container, or a wonderful new variety of some much loved plant. Those whose
usually stick close to home may want to consider a trip to the east, and a
chance to discover new sources and meet new Maumee Valley Growers.
A recent visit included three such stops – at the Cleveland Road Greenhouse and Corso’s Flower and Garden Center, both in Sandusky, and Mulberry Creek Herb Farm in Huron, Ohio.
Cleveland Road Greenhouse is the domain of Jim, Judy, and Jeff Corso, whose
flower shop and greenhouse offer friendly, knowledgeable service and a range of
healthy vigorous plants including spring annuals, perennials and vegetable
plants, wonderfully fragrant citrus trees, a patio-ready strawberry jar full of
succulents, and several varieties of the again-in-fashion Rex begonia,
including “escargot”.
Just down the road, Corso’s Flower and Garden Center is a one-stop shop for
area gardeners, offering everything from tiny “steppable” ground-covers to
landscaping elements including gorgeous flowering shrubs and water gardens
which can add the extra element of sound to your garden.
A visit to Sandusky greenhouses might be combined with a walk through the
nearby Pipe Creek Estuary, part
of a 100-acre wetland open year round and featuring a canoe launch as well as a
variety of flora and fauna.
Maumee Valley gardeners who are looking for something unusual will not be
disappointed with a visit to Mulberry Creek Herb Farm. More than 500 varieties
of organic herbs make Mulberry Creek a favorite with gardeners who can’t get
enough of the culinary, medicinal, and ornamental herbs, as well as the
miniature dish gardens and creative bird houses. Owners Mark and Karen Langan
are proud of the farm and the business they have been building, with sons Ben
and Joshua, since 1995.
With gas prices setting new records, Maumee Valley gardeners may not be taking
that cross-country trip, but a close-to-home daytrip Cleveland Road, Corso’s,
and Mulberry Creek has a lot to offer!
»Click here to see more profiles of MVG growers«
Local Farmer's Market News
Toledo Farmer's Market Teams with Waterville
The Farmer’s Market Association of Toledo is proud to announce that they will be teaming up with the Waterville Area Merchants to operate the new and improved Waterville Farmer's Market. Click here for more information.
Augsburg Lutheran Church Farmer's Market
Augsburg Lutheran Church is opening their Community Farmers’ Market every Tuesday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm beginning May 6th and continuing through October 28th. Senior Nutrition Coupons and WIC are accepted.
Augsburg Lutheran Church is located at 1342 W. Sylvania Avenue in Toledo.
Flower Day 2008
This message comes to us from Dan Madigan, Manager of the Farmer’s Market.
The Toledo Farmer's Market has announced it's plans for this year's annual Flower Day on May 24 through May 26. Through the years, this event has grown to become what is now a weekend event as well as one of Toledo’s finest traditions. Click here for more information.
Maumee Valley Grower Specials
Maumee Valley Growers is an industry-based association committed to working together to strengthen our local greenhouse industry.The industry includes more than fifty individual Maumee Valley growers, alike in offering top-quality local plants but distinct in location, product mix, and focus. Learn more about what you can find at these individual locations by visiting our specials page.
MVG Visited by British Economic Researchers
With the help of researchers from The University of Toledo and others, Maumee Valley Growers have recently tuned in to lessons learned around the world by clusters of businesses in the same industry who have banded together, with academic and government support, to increase their collective competitiveness.
Over the last several years, the Northwest Ohio “greenhouse cluster” has greatly benefited from a USDA-funded grant which has provided economic, technical, and strategic support to dozens of the area’s core green businesses.
Successes of this approach are of interest to other clusters as well, and recently two visitors from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Mike Taylor and John Bryson, joined UT Urban Affairs Center Director Neil Reid and Research Associate Paula Ross on a visit to three Maumee Valley Growers. Taylor and Bryson have done extensive research on cluster-based economic development in their home region of the West Midlands in the UK.
At Klotz Floral Garden Center in Bowling Green, third-generation owner Gene
Klotz has expanded and adapted the business begun by his grandfather, Frank
Klotz, who started by selling tomatoes and other vegetables from the open sides
of his truck in 1918. Today, Klotz likes to refer to his business as
“Northwest Ohio's Most Complete Floricultural Shopping Experience.” Other
family members active in the business include his sister Nancy, wife Rita and
son Eric. While touring the greenhouse and garden center, Taylor and Bryson
talked with Klotz about the challenges and the rewards of an independent family
business as well as the benefits of collaboration as a part of Maumee Valley
Growers.
Just up the road at Bostdorff Greenhouse Acres, the visitors met another family
team, Dick Bostdorff, his wife Mary Ann, and daughter Alicia. Bostdorff
stressed his appreciation for increased access to technical information and
other opportunities for collaboration provided by the Maumee Valley Growers,
including help with energy efficiency and the opportunities for pooled
purchasing.
Although they were shortly to head home and couldn’t pack hanging baskets, containers, or flats, Taylor and Bryson could not fail to be tempted by the high-quality flowers available from Klotz and Bostdorff.
The day’s final visit was to Lakewood Greenhouse, a wholesale operation where
owner Walt Krueger grows spectacular annuals and perennials for a range of
regional retail outlets. Krueger talked with Taylor, Bryson, and Reid about
rapid changes in the industry. Local growers, who will soon be placing orders
for the summer of 2009, must anticipate gardeners’ tastes in color, form, and
specific varieties. Through Maumee Valley Growers, this year they hope to
gather useful information about the preferences of area gardeners.
Download the Latest MVG Calendar
Click here to download the 2008 MVG Calendar (a PDF file, about 3M in size).
Download MVG Wallpaper
Download a Maumee Valley Growers calendar picture from the list below. Choose the one
that best fits your screen size (bigger numbers = a larger image); each picture will be displayed
in a new window. When the picture is displayed,
right-click on the picture (command-click on a Macintosh) and select the menu choice that
saves the picture to your computer.
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