Down to Earth Greenhouse prepares thousands of plants for spring open

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - It probably didn’t feel like spring with a fresh coat of snow on your car when you woke up Wednesday morning. However, at Down to Earth Greenhouse it does.

“It’s been a long winter and it feels good to get back in here and just kind of get in the rhythm again,” said Crispin Luebe, owner and co-manager of Down to Earth Greenhouse.

That rhythm is planting tens of thousands of annuals. Luebbe said luckily they don’t have a hard time finding help during planting.

“People who just want to come in here, smell the dirt get... their fingers dirty,” said Luebbe.

Volunteers tell him it helps give their mood a boost during the drawn-out cold months, while also helping get the work done. What Luebbe said is not so helpful: the unpredictability of the weather in early spring.

“If that sun peeks out these greenhouses will spike to 90 degrees probably within an hour so temperature wise it’s very critical and yeah throughout the day to monitor that,” said Luebbe.

Right now, most of their plants are small and have just begun to grow.

“When plants are this young they’re very susceptible to temperature and moisture. When they are this small they don’t require a lot of moisture so basically if you over wet something, it’s probably worse than having it dry out because you’d get root rot real easy then,” said Luebbe.

Luebbe has a few tips for garnering beginners this season. He said it might be easier to start with a plant that’s already rooted. Starting from seed can be more challenging because you have to keep the soil warm enough for the plant to germinate.

Luebbe added not to move your plants outside too soon. He recommends waiting until at least after mothers day weekend.

NPR has some tips if you’re a beginner wanting to start a garden this spring. Click here to learn more.

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