|
 As part of GrowerTalks’
75th anniversary retrospective, Under an Acre will highlight growers
who have shared their insights since this feature’s debut in 1985.
Stephen Radcliffe, his wife Gaynor, and their son, Rob, were the focus
of Julie A. Martens’ Under an Acre article in January 1989. Rob’s wife,
Rosemarie, and their son, Andrew, have been integral additions to the
family business, which is in its third decade of operation as Lakeview
Gardens in Lefroy, Ontario.
Stephen Radcliffe, and his wife Gaynor (from left)
opened Lakeview Gardens in the 1980s and now run it with their grandson
Andrew, daughter-in-law Rosemarie and son Rob.
Located 45 minutes north of Toronto, Lakeview Gardens sells wholesale
and retail, with wholesale comprising the majority of the business. Rob
would like to expand the retail portion, saying “Retail has seen a
steady increase for 10 to 12 years and has held that level.”
The wholesale customers include three garden centers; a chain hardware
supplier with four locations; two large, established cemeteries; local
landscapers; three grocery stores that sell plants in May and June;
horticultural societies; the town’s parks and recreation department; and
for 25 years, Deerhurst Resort, the largest in the area. Stephen says,
“It’s a good, loyal group of clients.” Most of them have been with
Lakeview Gardens for 20 to 25 years.
In 1989, there were 21,000 sq. ft. under cover. That area has been
enlarged to 25,000 sq. ft. “We took down a greenhouse to put up a 24 ft.
by 54 ft. retail area; it’s modern and energy efficient with roof
venting,” Rob says. The area is customer-friendly and protected from the
elements.
Rob says, “There was an outside area to walk, but when it rained we’d
lose customers.” The transformed area now has an aesthetically pleasing
atmosphere. The aisles have room for shopping carts and wheelchairs, but
Rob says they make sure the customers don’t have to use carts. “We take
the plants from the customers and do the running instead.”
“We do the full range,” Rob says of the plant selection: 11,000 flats of
annuals in packs, including 1,200 flats of veggies; 4,000 10-in.
hanging baskets; 10,000 4-in. pots of geraniums; 6,000 4-in. planter
material, 500 2-gal. heirloom tomatoes (50 varieties); 4,000 4-in. pots
of herbs (25 to 30 varieties); approximately 2,000 1-gal. perennials;
and 1,000 4-in. perennials and more.
The spring crop goes in during January and ships out from May through
June to the wholesale customers. When Andrew’s not taking care of the
plants, he’s making deliveries. He meets with the customers, answers
questions and offers advice. Stephen finishes growing the crop for three
to four weeks, either pushing the crop or holding it.
At the end of May, they begin work on their specialty summer crop of
English cucumbers. Sixteen hundred to 1,800 plants are grown in the
greenhouse in 18,000 sq. ft. From July to October, thousands of
cucumbers are handpicked and hand wrapped. The cucumbers, as well as
greenhouse peppers, tomatoes and mini cucumbers are brought to farmers
markets. One stop is Holland Marsh, the veggie heartland of Canada. Rob
says, “At farmers markets, we meet new customers; we have a good
following and it’s a source of advertising.”
The majority of their retail customers are females age 40 and above, but
Rob and Stephen want to get the younger generations interested in
gardening, too. The Lakeview Gardens’ onion growing competition
encouraged customers of all ages to grow vegetables. In the last two
years, Rob has seen a 15 to 20% increase in retail sales of vegetables.
“People are very much concerned about food safety with no pesticide
use,” Stephen says.
Using the Kelsae Sweet Giant that can reach 16 lbs., Rob and Stephen
invited customers to grow their own. Rob says, “Sixty to 70 people
bought onions, but when the competition day arrived, only 20 people
joined the contest. It was disheartening.” Customers of all ages entered
the contest, but it was the children’s efforts that Rob and Stephen
wanted to promote. “With the children under 16, we knew they grew it
themselves if the onion weighed less than a pound, but others, whose
onions weighed over 3 lbs., had help from adults,” Rob says.
In 2000 at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Stephen won
the Champion of Champions, beating out pumpkins and squash with his 5¾
lb. onion. What do you do with an onion that big? “We ate it,” says
Stephen. They’ve broken records with the tallest kale grown in a pot
inside a greenhouse where it stayed for 21 months until it hit the
14-ft. ceiling. It was moved outside, strapped to a barn then carefully
transported to the fair for judging. The kale reached 17 ft., 9.5 in.
Lakeview Gardens is open from late April to late October. “In July we
have an Herbal Open House—the public is invited to tour the gardens on
the property: the herb garden and English perennials garden. Rosemarie
and Gaynor make jams and jellies, and customers sample herbal treats,”
Rob says. This July will be the 18th year of the open house, which
attracts 800 people.
The entire property covers less than 3 acres. The two Radcliffe families
share different portions of the home on the property. Stephen opens his
personal gardens to tours. Rob says, “The public is encouraged to walk
the gardens.”
Tips from Rob:
- “The owners do the work. Because we’ve stayed our size, we’ve been able to roll with the recession.”
- “Being small, you have more control over your greenhouse; in the
spring, there are three other employees. Our family volunteers their
help with the Herbal Open House. Gaynor and Rosemarie take care of the
retail and put in the crops in May. They are the wrappers and packers of
cucumbers. With no disrespect, Mum is like the Energizer Bunny.”
- “There are not a lot of upgrades. We do have a plan to update the structure ourselves, one step at a time.”
- “What started as a hobby three years ago has grown into sales.
We have six beehives and have harvested 350 lbs. of honey. We hope to
grow to 10 to 12 hives.”
- “With the use of biological controls, the use of fungicide has decreased.”
Tips from Stephen:
- “We’re very involved in the local community, and we offer personal service and high quality.”
- “We can experiment with small changes and we’re able to move with changes sooner.” GT
Pam Buddy-D’Ambrosio is a freelance writer in New Rochelle, New York |
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