I never cared much about poinsettias before. I always thought they were pretty – and I remember my grandma planting them after Christmas by her door – but I never cared much about growing them myself.
Yet now, in addition to being a mum-pusher, I am also a poinsettia salesman. This is Atmore Farm & Garden right now:
They really are beautiful plants. We’ve already sold dozens, including to three churches who wanted them to decorate their altars/stages for Christmas.
These poinsettias were produced in Mississippi, and were of the highest quality I have ever seen. My daughter and I picked them up two days ago from a wholesale grower. The greenhouse we got the red ones from was a tropical quarter-acre sea of poinsettias. It was astounding – I wish I had taken a photo.
I have heard that poinsettia production is very highly managed, with spraying and fertilizing, and perfect temperature controls, etc. They look like it. There wasn’t hardly a blemish to be found on any of the plants we got for the shop.
It’s not my kind of gardening, but it’s still impressive.
Though some readers may wonder why a “survival gardener” would sell non-edible, toxic plants, Atmore Farm & Garden has sold poinsettias for years. There’s no way we’re going to break that, especially during the winter season when the store has a drop in seasonal revenue.
What we’re trying to do is maintain what has worked for the store, then add to it.
So far we’ve added:
Grafting knives
Many more fruit and berry bushes/trees
Japanese gardening tools
Korean gardening tools
Oscillating hoes
Long-handled garden tools/hoes from Easy Digging
Onion sets
Garlic sets
More herbs and perennial vegetables
True yam bulbils
Tramontina machetes
Bourbon barrels
Felco pruners
Haws watering cans
Plant labels
Dibblers
Large nursery pots
More house plants
…and some time this week, we’re supposed to get our first shipment of broadforks from Meadow Creature!
I’m sure we added some other things as well, but that’s mostly the beginning of it.
We’re also selling Christmas trees right now.
And no way my hair is that silver. It’s just the light.
It’s been a busy 79 days since we bought the store and it’s been quite a learning experience. God is good.
I can’t wait until spring when we can really stock up the food forest plants. Just a couple months of winter, then it’s ON!
Until next time, here are more poinsettia pictures:
