'^■ 



-I*. 



well cover, the stone wall, 

 peastone on the ground. The land 

 slopes slightly — customers can en- 

 ter the greenhouse at ground 

 level — so the area is also framed 

 by both the plants in the green- 

 house and the cut flowers in the 

 bubble. The variety of natural tex- 

 tures — none of it obtrusive — cre- 

 ates an interesting, intimate 

 space.) 



THE PRODUCE itself is tex- 

 ture — and the entire interior is 

 filled with it. 



Natural food, plants, and pro- 

 duce are still the three main items 

 and Bursey's is divided equally 

 among the three. "The business 

 has grown 25 to 33% every year 

 since we started," Dave says. "One 

 reason is that everyone else does 

 one segment and we do all three." 

 And within each area, Bursey's 

 stocks complete lines. For ex- 

 ample, tomatoes offered in mid- 

 December included Yellow, Plum, 

 Cherry, "Belgium," "home-grown 

 Florida," and organic. Tomitillos, a 

 small green tomato in a papery 

 husk and with a peppery flavor, 

 were also offered. 



Freshness is important. Dave ad- 

 mits there is waste ("the pigs here 

 are well fed"), but produce is 

 turned over every three days. 



Dave stresses quality. For ex- 

 ample, Bursey's sells 18-per-box ar- 

 tichokes. Most supermarkets sell 

 32-per-box types. Given that the 

 boxes are the same size, artichokes 

 here are twice the size of what's 

 usually available. People will travel 

 for quality. 



Julie attends three trade shows 

 each year (in San Francisco, Balti- 

 more, and Washington, DC) to keep 

 up with new products and trends. 

 And Bursey's consistently intro- 

 duces these products. Introducing 

 new types of produce can be ex- 

 pensive — but worth it; "1 started 

 displaying mushrooms for the first 

 time this summer," Dave says. "At 

 first I threw a lot away, but after 

 awhile, people started buying. 

 Now I stock twelve types." 



Apart from handout fliers 

 (printed on recycled paper using 

 soy-based inks) at the checkout 

 counter, there's little advertising. 



"Ads in the local papers didn't do 

 much," so Dave eliminated them. 

 "Word of mouth is the best — one 

 satisfied customer will tell three 

 other people." Customers now 

 come from a 50-mile radius — from 

 Keene and Concord and Amherst. 



Bursey's is the biggest maple 

 syrup retailer in the state, selling 

 over 7500 gallons each year. Dave 

 buys bread (some of it organic) 

 from five local bakers — he's a ma- 

 jor outlet for area bakeries. He 

 also sells local apples and cider. 



During the growing season, much 

 of his organic produce is also na- 

 tive (Dave buys from The 

 Nesenkeag Coop in Litchfield), but 

 sometimes it's difficult to get the 

 quantities he needs on a regular 

 basis — and the season here is 

 short. So he travels to Boston — to 

 the New England Produce Center, 

 the Boston Flower Exchange, the 

 Boston Market Terminal — twice 

 each week and more often if 

 needed. 



Most of the annual bedding 

 plants and hangers are supplied by 

 Lavoie's in HoUis; there's an in- 

 creasing perennial business — over 

 950 selections (Dave buys from a 

 Connecticut grower) offered this 

 year, but Dave still grows his own 

 mums— -2500 ten-inch, 3500 eight— 

 in Fafard mix in fiber pots — on 

 black plastic on the land below the 

 parking lot. Customers can see 

 them growing over the summer and 

 begin to buy before the buds have 

 opened. 



Next step? Dave recently bought 

 an adjoining acre — his mums will 

 go there and an expanded peren- 

 nial selection will go where his 

 mums are now. And after that? "1 

 need a store six times as big." 

 Given the growth, it will probably 

 happen. (B.P.) 



Bursey's Farm Markets, Route 101 in 

 "Wilton, New Hampshire 03086, is 

 open every day expect Christmas and 

 New Years from 9 AM to 7 PM. The 

 phone there is (603) 654-6572. 



Knowr Your Enemy! 



It pays to know your enemies! Some famous Chinese leader said 

 these words, but I never thought they'd be useful for pest control. 

 We have just finished the poinsettia crop and for the most part, white 

 fly was under control. The way of thinking for a lot of the grower com- 

 munity is: "If I spray often enough and use everything but the kitchen 

 sink, I should make it to December." Unfortunately, the thrips and 

 aphids have yet to arrive. 



But white fly seems to be the biggest problem and I'm inundated 

 with calls on its control and complaints of resistance. In most cases, 

 it's the coverage that's causing the problem, not the choice of insecti- 

 cide. 



Thrips, aphids, white flies: they all have something in common: all 

 suck fluids from the host plant rather than chew its leaves. Because 

 these insects use proboscis (like mosquitos), rather than mandibles 

 (like ants and beetles), their control is much more difficult. 



Those mouth parts, proboscis, change everything. These insects 

 won't feed on the surface of the leaf where the spray exists; instead, 

 they puncture the leaf and feed on the inside, barely disrupting the 

 surface. Local systemics like Avid^^ and Margosan'™ will help a little, 

 but just a little. And because of these eating habits and canopy prob- 

 lems, bombs and aerosols aren't the best choice of control either. 



You need to cover the undersides of the leaves. If you're not get- 

 ting good control, check your spraying techniques. Make sure your cov- 

 erage is 100%. Do this before you change your pesticide program. 



Remember: know your enemy; choose the right material; and cover 

 the surface completely. ^ 



\im Zablock'i \s Territory Manager. Scotts/Crace Sierra. Horlheasl. He can be 

 reached at (603| 224-5583. 



22 



The Plantsman 



