Thousands of rootless cuttings, through many months of tender care, become the fourteen hoop houses teeming with plants in May when Byrns Greenhouse opens for the season. Yes, you read that right, thousands of cuttings, and each is without roots, requiring a careful process of rooting in order to develop and flourish into maturity. They come from all over the world, from South Africa to South America, arriving in the dead of January winter to a farm on the border of the Sax-Zim Bog of Minnesota—a 147,000-acre nature preserve (another story of the wondrous things that grow up here).
Bob Byrns’ father Francis bought the farm in 1956 from the Wise Brothers of Red Wing. Twenty-eight acres had been planted in celery for a number of years, but Francis planted potatoes in 1958 and won the Minnesota state record for yield per acre. He switched to cauliflower and rutabagas before settling on carrots in the 1970’s. According to the Byrns Greenhouse website, they grew, harvested, packed, and shipped their produce from warehouses on the farm. “In 1969, the warehouses burned to the ground and from the ashes, Byrns Greenhouse was born.” Francis bought the metal, bent it into hoops, and put up a greenhouse by hand.
In 1976, they added sod to the farm and added a second sod farm. In 1977, Francis fell ill and Bob and his wife Pat and their two daughters came home to help. Bob’s sister Louise came in 1980 and joined the crew. And then in August of 1983, the huge greenhouse literally blew away in a storm. By November 1, the family had built a new one which still stands today. They expanded to five hoop houses and today there are fourteen. Francis died in 1991 but his wife Peggy lived on the farm until her death at age 95 in 2015. She was known to tell Bob “Good thing your father’s not here….the rows aren’t straight enough.”
These days, Bob and Pat’s daughter Deb Erickson is running the business. Her two sons and their spouses all work in the greenhouse. You can usually find Bob and Pat there too when Bob’s not in his 1-acre garden nearby. He donates much of his produce to the Salvation Army in Virginia. (Their other daughter, Barb, runs a dairy farm near Northfield.) Byrns Greenhouse no longer includes sod, but it is still a working farm. Chickens handle bug patrol inside the growing areas. And the flock of Baby Doll sheep get to graze what grows under the plant benches when the season is over, the weather cools, and the greenhouse doors can shut them in. They leave it clear of all unwanted vegetation by the time they’re done. I get to meet Rick the ram, a friendly dude who comes when his name is called.
I find Deb watering in one of the many greenhouses. One well serves the entire farm. It is a very warm day outside and it is more than tropical inside these humid spaces. She moves quickly from one bench to the next, having done this thousands of times. I follow and ask questions. Do you use fertilizer? Yes, for the ornamentals, a time-release organic plant food that is applied only once in the season. For the edible plants, fertilizer isn’t necessary. All they need is water and sunlight. There is 40,000 square feet of growing space here. I ask about overwintering plants like canna lilies. Yes, they do! A “grow house” is kept just above freezing all winter and succulents and bulbs go dormant there. Starting in February, they start to heat the “big house” and move the bulbs and succulents in. They gradually warm up as the greenhouse warms up.
Byrns Greenhouse takes pride in not using herbicides and pesticides or any synthetic products. Their website states “We believe in growing locally, with organic practices, using our own soil and water for sustainable agriculture. We will not compromise our quality, selection or service by using anything that may harm your family. For us this is the only way we will grow!” That takes some dedication…and sometimes education too. When a chicken crosses the aisle in a greenhouse, not everyone is amused. And not everyone realizes what voracious pest devourers chickens can be. Or why that might be better for your health than spraying pesticides. But folks are willing to learn and Byrns is willing to teach.
Everything comes to life by May when all of us are anxious for the outside growing season to start, though June can be fickle in northern Minnesota. Some of us take risks planting outside right away and others are cautious, protecting plants in a home greenhouse or basement growing area. At my house we are lucky to have both. And the temptation is strong to get everything outside. But the average last date of frost in zone 3a is the end of May, so we have to be patient. But the growing season eventually arrives, and we are ecstatic…. all of our plant dreams coming true. Happy growing to all!
