​     We are the power and driving force of all that gets done in the greenhouses.  We are the many human hands that work daily to complete the tasks of growing plants.  Our diversity of work is endless.  There is the gentle work of transplanting young plants into larger containers and of course there is always the task of moving flats of seedlings and organizing the different plants.  We operate seeding and transplanting machines.  We gently take the cuttings from plants that need to be propagated.  Nimble-fingered hands input orders into the computers.  The hands that grip the steering wheels of our delivery trucks stay occupied during our shipping season.  The duties of our diligent hands are endless.  So, let’s give them a big hand as the growing season commences.

     Nobody really notices us but we are present in great numbers.  We are introduced into the greenhouses to do what comes naturally.  We are the predatory insects and we eat the bad insects that harm plants.  Instead of harsh insecticides that would kill all of us, we are enlisted to do the job of insect control.  We love our job because it entails eating our favorite foods.  We even get extra help from frogs and toads that live in the greenhouses because there are no poisonous insecticides to kill them.
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     We are all a happy, healthy, family in the greenhouses at Glacial Ridge Growers.  No poisonous neo-nics here, just us predatory insects; like lace wings, aphid predators, and soil nematodes to keep the environment safe for the plants.  We enjoy being the “good guys” just doing what comes naturally.

     We are one of the most important components of the greenhouse growing business.  We are the soil.  Every plant that grows in the greenhouse is rooted in us.  We are a complex mix of important ingredients.  We are composed of all-natural peat moss taken from sustainably managed bogs in Canada.  We are fortified with composed bark and blended with nutrients and minerals.  We give the plants a place to root and grow until the outdoor home for them is ready.

     Although we are currently being placed into the plug trays and flats, there are still many cubic feet of us still in our winter “digs,” no pun intended.  The large bulk bags are our home and we are happy to say that the days of using many small plastic bags of us are over with the use of the sixty cubic foot totes.  We can really dig the more-sustainable homes we now have.  The electric fork lift is our partner, lifting our totes so we can dive into the flat-filling machine and march onward to spring.

​     There are many types of plants that grow in our greenhouses. They all have certain requirements to grow well.  One important requirement is light.  They all need it and some require longer days than others.  During the winter months the days in Minnesota are too short to keep some plants happy.  That is where we come in.  We are the grow lights.  We are ready to come to the rescue.  We can lengthen the days to keep certain “long day” plants growing and happy.  We are a wondrous bunch and “hang out” over certain benches where our help is required. We are very energy efficient LED lights.  We are controlled by timers to turn us on at the correct time and have us light up to help the plants on the benches beneath us.  We are most busy until the Vernal Equinox, when the days are longer and we can retire for the season.  Just remember, we light up your life by helping the bright and beautiful flowers of summer to survive the dark and cold months in the greenhouse.

​     We who reside in Minnesota, have resigned ourselves to the necessity of heating during our winters.  Greenhouses, during the winter, must be kept at a plant-happy temperature.  It is us, the heating system, to the rescue.  We, in the most efficient way possible must keep the greenhouses warm at night.  Of course, the greenhouses utilize solar energy as much as possible.  During the day, the sun is our friend and allows us to rest.  But during the Minnesota nights we must go to work to keep the plants from freezing.  We are a special bunch of heaters, in that we are of the highest efficiency.  We try to sip our fuel judiciously and make the most heat possible.  We direct much of our heat down under the plants to warm the soil.  Working in conjunction with heat retention curtains and extra energy-saving insulation, we keep the skinniest profile possible as we put energy into the growing plants.  As the daylength increases during springtime months our work gradually decreases.  Finally, as we enter summer, we finally get to rest as the longest days turn up the heat naturally

     All of the plants grown at Glacial Ridge Growers have an ultimate destination.  They all need to reach an inviting garden or other plot of soil that is ready to have them settle in.  If not for us, the dependable trucks, the plants would have no place to live their beautiful lives.  We trucks are set up with a large enclosed cargo space to hold the plants safely in transit.  The racks that are loaded with plants roll onto our backs for the trip to various destinations.
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     We travel to locations all over Minnesota and surrounding states.  Garden centers, landscapers, and various fun-raising groups receive our plants.  During our busiest season we bring in extra recruits from a truck-leasing company.  We even enlist semi-trailers from a local trucking company.  It’s a big job, getting all those plants delivered.  Of course, everyone seems to want the plants around the same time, so our spring is very hectic.  Our winter break is well-deserved, with nowhere to go but settle into a big snowdrift and wait for spring.

     One of the most important things in the greenhouse business is keeping everything organized.  The test each year is to get everything grown and ready at the right time.  It is important to do the right things at the right time.  That is where we come in.  We are the computers in the office.  We are the heartbeat of the greenhouse operation.  Each week we print the agenda needed to accomplish the crop.  We put out seeding schedules, transplanting schedules, tags for seed flats and may other things.   What might appear to be a monumental task, that of filling and emptying all the greenhouses, and having the task broken down into doable increments is a breeze for us.  We also keep track of everything that is completed, so inventory is always current.
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      Our ability as computers is very diverse, keeping track of so many things about the plants in the greenhouses.  Certainly, we are dependent upon able, hardworking fingers to drive us each day.  But just between us and the readers, we really aren’t all-knowing but they don’t give us credit for all we know.  Scary thought; we just might be all-knowing, and we may not always carry out the exact directions given to us by those agile finger tips!

​     As indicated last week, the greenhouse roofs are very important, but just beneath them, we reside.  We are the retractable heat-retention curtains.  In winter we remain folded-up during the day but at night we are pulled out over the inside of the greenhouse.  We insulate and cause the heated area to be reduced at night.  This reduces the amount of heat needed to keep the plants warm.  During the day we fold up again to let the sun’s solar energy warm the greenhouses. 
     But wait there’s more!  During the hot part of the summer, we can again be unfolded, but it is during the day, and we then act as shading to help cool the greenhouses.  This helps reduce cooling costs in summer and enables plants to grow better during the hot months.  Yes, we are indeed a very versatile part of the greenhouse and we like to think that we keep things under control.

     What can I say about us, other than we are the most important part of any greenhouse operation.  Yes, we are the roofs that cover the growing areas.  We greenhouse roofs are the barrier between the outside weather and the warm, moist area where the plants grow and survive despite sometimes-harsh weather outside.
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     We roofs are really quite unique.  We must allow as much light as possible, yet keep the cold winter weather out of the greenhouses.  We accomplish this feat by being very transparent, yet able to keep warmth inside.  As sunlight passes through us it is absorbed by plants and the other surfaces inside, which allows light energy to be converted to heat energy.  We are a very special type of plastic that is made to resist ultra violet light which tends to weaken us.  We convert sunlight to plant life.  These plants use carbon dioxide to produce oxygen.  Our ultraviolet resistance allows us a number of years of usefulness and it shields workers from sunburn in the greenhouses.  We roofs are incredible at capturing solar energy.  We catch sunlight, allowing plants to grow during Minnesota winters.  When our usefulness is gone we are recyclable.  For anyone who appreciates plants and wants them to be ready for spring planting, “we got you covered.”

​     I am already well into my spring season.  My job at Glacial Ridge Growers entails the most time spent of all the greenhouse components.  I am the seeding machine.  The technology that flows in my metallic veins is amazing.  I am able to pick up literally millions of seeds during a growing season and place them accurately into the seed flats.  I can change my configuration to accommodate various flat and cell sizes.  Of course, a skilled human helper needs to know how to push my buttons, but my skill is still quite impressive.  I can space seeds accurately into a flat in a half minute and can do it all day long.  My busy season begins in October of the year before the crop is ready, and extends through the spring and the summer of the greenhouse crop.  It may seem strange to say that I am an expert at dropping things, but my expertise lies in my speed and accuracy of dropping seeds.