Pansies Unlimited

 

●The individual beautiful pansy plants grew well in the field where they were planted for the allotted time they were there. They were seeded in the field for a purpose...The  next year they were individually dug up, put in containers and sold to people who then transplanted them to their gardens to be viewed.

●The picture above was taken in early to late October.

 

 ●My family started to grow pansies around 1948. Around 2 acres!

 
● Seeded in the field beginning  of July-July 15, the hottest time of summer.

 

 ●Pansies are bi annuals.

Around Thanksgiving time when the ground was frozen, they were covered with marsh hay.

●But before this...all the flowers were hand picked off and discarded. A lot of work! 


"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8
 
●In spring as soon as the snow melted and it was dry enough..late March.., we uncovered them.

●They started to bloom again in early May and we dug each plant and put 12 in a wooden flat or 6 plants in a 2 quart basket and 5 of these baskets in a wooden crate and sold to Kohls and Sentry food stores. This was in the mid 60s to late 70's. They purchased all we had. They were also the two top food store chains in Milwaukee at the time. Both food stores now out of business. 
Herb Kohl decided to go into real estate and politics and sold the family business.

●We could not supply enough to Sentry Food stores at the time and a neighbor got into the business and packaged the same with lessor quality product and also sold to Sentry. I put labels on our crates so the individual stores could ask for our pansies!  Neighbor went out of business soon after that.

●We also sold to Winkies in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, a local 5 and 10 cent store. They had several stores at the time. They are still in business with the store in Whitefish Bay.  

●A few pictures of field grown pansies...from our farm many years ago.

 

 ● These pictures were taken in early spring...Mid May-end of May.Time: Between 1954 and 1964 (Stopped growing pansies in 1964 and concentrated on Lettuce...selling also to Kohls and Sentry. 

 

●Link to our Lettuce business at end of this post! 

 

T

This picture was taken in fall...probably mid October.

 

Pansy culture booklets from Steele's Pansy gardens, Inc. Portland, Oregon.
   (no longer in business).                             Copyright 1958

Original post of June 13, 2016

Greenhouse grown pansy

 

 

What we did after we stopped growing Pansies!

 

  ●"God has created each of us with a unique contribution to make in our world and our times. No other person has our same abilities, motivations, network of friends and relationships, perspectives, ideas, or experiences. When we, like misplaced puzzle pieces, fail to show up, the overall picture is diminished."   Richard Stearns: President of World Vision U.S.

Quote from his book: The Hole in our Gospel 

●We are Jesus's hands and feet in the world.