Greenhouse goes in budding new direction in face of delayed opening due to government regulations

Philip Rispens knows a thing or two when it comes to plants as he and his family own Sherwood Greenhouse and Garden Centre in Regina — but this year he has to learn how to run a greenhouse during a pandemic.

Rispens hoped to open his doors to the public on March 1st but things changed at the end of February with bans on large gatherings and pleas of physical distancing from public health officials but plants don't wait for government regulations. They just keep growing, putting potential profits in peril.

"We've been talking to greenhouses in the Saskatoon and area because they are in the same boat," he said. "So, we are all trying to open and come up with the proper precautions."

Seeding for the 2020 summer planting season started in the middle of January. Rispens said he started all of his flowers from seed.

He started planting his tomato and cucumber plants in early February, so they would be bearing fruit when the customers arrived in the middle of spring, or so he planned.

He then started talking to greenhouse operators in Vancouver, where growing season starts earlier than the Prairies. It's also where COVID-19 made its serious impacts felt before reaching Saskatchewan.

"We changed a little and [began] growing more veggies.They seem to be in high demand in other parts of the country," Rispens said.

Other operators said Rispens should consider investing in growing more backyard-garden-type fruits and vegetables,  like tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and even Brussels sprouts. Their customers want to grow their own food, to be self-sufficient and to feel safer about what they are eating.

Rispens immediately returned to the greenhouse to get more produce started. He had to rethink how he was going to sell his plants first.

Business moves to web, video

Rispens has since moved his business online and is offering delivery and curbside pick-up for the plants. What is usually a relaxing trip to the greenhouse, meandering the rows of plants and enjoying the warmth and lushness of the plants, is now a sterile "add-to-cart" scenario.

Rispens is working around the clock delivering the plants after greenhouse hours. Another way his business has evolved is via his phone. He's using Facetime to help people choose their plants.

Customers call the store and he will walk them through and show the plants to customers on his phone, which he said helps them get that greenhouse shopping experience. 

Rispens says flowers are more than adding a little colour to your backyard: he thinks the buds help people's mental health.

"People need to work with plants, to touch the soil [in order] to stay healthy," he said.

May opening?

Rispens is hoping to have customers coming through the doors by the end April. He has been working with other greenhouses in the province and the Saskatchewan government to create a plan to keep customers safe.

The number of people allowed in the building has been limited. Hand sanitization centres have been installed at key areas and customers are asked to adhere to one-way traffic through the centre.

Ideally, Rispens would like to open this weekend to capitalize on the Easter weekend shopping but he feels a finalized agreement with the government won't come until the end of the month.  

May is the garden centre's biggest month of the year, bringing in nearly 60 to 70 per cent of his annual sales