Hi, I'm Vinnie:
If you consider yourself a serious gardener or grower, and you live in the high desert country of northern Nevada, southern Idaho and southeastern Oregon you probably already know, that sometimes, it ain't easy.
Even if you don't live on the windswept playa you're still going to have to deal with a less than ideal set of circumstances.
The daily temperatures can vary up and down from 80 degrees during the day, and will drop 50 degrees during the night. It can freeze in the latter part of June.
Tomato blossoms will drop in 90-degree heat at 5% humidity.
The soils can range from heavy alkaline clay, which a tiller will skip across like a stone, to sands that will soak up water like a sponge.
When God made this place organic matter was an after thought. No surprise; it is desert.
The thing is, vegetables and flowers grow here; and well. A person just has to go about things as if they want to succeed, and one of the things a person needs to succeed is a good plant to start with.
I specialize in, completely organic, vegetable and flower starts with stout stems and large fibrous root masses.
One of my favorite methods is to start with a high quality certified seed in a sterile growing medium under T-5 lighting. This way the growing environment is controlled and root development optimized. These are then replanted to 3" by 8" finishing pots containing good quality organic soil with beneficial mycorrhizae added. They are then meticulously hardened off to withstand the environments they are to grow in.
The result is a vigorous plant, disease and pathogen free, which will adjust to its growing environment showing fewer of the ill effects associated with transplant shock.
This methodology is highly adaptable. Plants can be made ready and available to the grower as the grower's strategy dictates.
If a grower wants to adapt a growing strategy to early, mid-season, or late season harvest, plants can be made available at those times with a little forward thinking.
Small lot orders of twenty are preferred. Any mixture of cultivars is acceptable. Twenty lots, regardless of cultivar mixture, will be delivered on an agreed upon date and time, to an agreed upon location. Shipping of plants is usually not feasible as shipping cost would be prohibitive. A twenty lot will weigh about 40 lbs. The cost will be $6.00 per plant, or $120.00 per twenty lot.
Individual plant orders will be accepted at a cost of $7.50 per plant. Some adaptability will be needed to make the necessary deliveries.
Large orders for nursery stock and retail outlets are always welcome.
Orders for native plants are considered. Sometimes there is a good deal of research needed for a native species.
This is a great opportunity for community-supported agriculture, market gardeners and landscape designers to acquire high quality vegetative starts to meet a specific need.
No matter what you're growing endeavors, the very best of luck.
Vinnie.
