Spring has sprung at Deb’s Greenhouse
By Clayton Foisy on April 9, 2025
As the year turns around and the snow starts to melt it’s busy season at Deb’s. Although they open in mid to late spring they work all winter long. Just like us students at NAIT.
Preparations started as early as September in the greenhouse too, ordering the pots, soil, and any parts they might need for repairs.
This is much like the life of a NAIT student. The semester starts in January. Students are preparing for classes long before that by getting parking passes and setting up classes.
Every year Deb’s Greenhouse goes through thousands of pots to supply the plants that they sell during their retail season. These pots are all filled on site, larger pots by hand. Smaller hanging baskets and trays are filled by the “Dirt Machine.”
All of this must be prepared before April 22, this year’s opening day. Officially starting the preparations for this year on February third may seem like lots of time but it is never quite enough.
Well, Deb and her crew work to prepare for April us students do the same. By going through our classes, we are taking the same steps towards a different goal.
As the weather warms and employees are invited to come back for the season, they prepare first by cleaning up after the winter events. Then we are onto the weeks of filling pots and planting.
With many of Deb’s employees being post-secondary students she has learned to accommodate their hours around school. Deb says she much rather a student miss work than miss a class.
With the greenhouse retail area having a capacity of 2,412 hanging baskets and 6,912sq Ft. (About twice the size of a tennis court) the work does not stop once they open. Filling pots and planting is a task that follows throughout the entire season.
With this constant roundabout of tasks, it is easy to say it gets busy fast and for a while. Like my current workload at NAIT, a constant roundabout of tasks. Thankfully, it is a seasonal job, so we both can have a break.