Lincoln greenhouses and gardens prepare for warmer weather

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) -Spring is just around the corner here in Lincoln, and garden stores and greenhouses are preparing for their busiest time of the year. While the prime growing season is coming up, these shops said they’ve been getting ready for months.

Loading and unloading feels like a constant task for Campbells Store Manager, Jason Orth these days.

“We started in basically, you know, like, July, we’re in November, doing our orders for this year,” Orth said. “So you got to plan ahead, and then getting all those trucks and loading the trucks, hiring people to help get everything out. And then just putting everything out, getting signage out, and all that stuff. "

Big hits for busy months like April and May are trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and tropical plants. With all the new plants come about a thousand customers on a good day and a new crop of seasonal employees.

“During the busy months, we have a lot of seasonal help, because there’s a lot of watering that needs to be done a lot of moving merchandise, re-merchandising, the plants and all that stuff,” Orth said. “So we generally have maybe 20 seasonal workers that will hire.”

In southwest Lincoln, a quieter production for this one-woman plant nursery.

“Spend the winter planning, you would think there wasn’t anything over the winter, but it’s a lot of planning,” said Nicole Ngirchoimei, Grow With Me Gardens. “And then just fill pots and plant the seeds.”

Ngirchoimei is planting for her opening day on May 6. She’s hoping for about 100 people.

“I’m really excited every year when I get my customers back from the year before,” Ngirchoimei said. “Or someone says my friend or my daughter shops here. And so I sent them to you or they sent me to you. Yeah, I love that.”

Among flowers, vegetables, and even peanuts, Ngirchoimei specializes in growing hot peppers and turning them into a seasoning.

“I have to wear N-95 and gloves and goggles to do it and I can’t eat it but my customers say it’s good,” Ngirchoimei said.

Ngirchoimei said if you want to get started with your garden now, you can. Conditions are just about right for starting with your cold-weather vegetables.

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