MEMBER PROFILE 



Ron Hill — 2003 NH's Young Nursery Professional 



BY MELISSA MOORE 



Ron Hill of Londonderry is New 

 Hampshire's 2003 Young Nurs- 

 . cry Professional of Year. This 

 award, sponsored by the New En- 

 gland Nursery Association, honors a 

 grower under the age of 40 who has 

 shown exemplary achievement in the 

 area of horticulture. Recipients have 

 demonstrated involvement in his or 

 her state association and have been 

 active in promoting a positive image 

 of horticulture to the public. Ron was 

 recognized as this year's recipient at 

 the NHPGA Annual Winter Meeting 

 in Bedford and New England Grows. 



Ron is an experienced grower with 

 in depth knowledge oi plant produc- 

 tion. Beginning in 1995, Ron and his 

 wife Kathy purchased nine acres and 

 established Shady Hill Greenhouses. 

 They currently grow plants in three 

 greenhouses, and raise approximately 

 11,000 chrysanthemums outside on 

 the ground. They started with just 

 one greenhouse and supplied gerani- 

 ums to wholesale markets. As more 

 greenhouses were built the inventory 

 and business hours expanded. Ron 

 says, "Last year, was the first year we 

 were open for retail sales. " In 2003, 

 Ron plans to open soon after Easter 

 and will stay open seven days a week 

 through the fall. 



Each greenhouse is a double poly. 

 Northern Star model measuring 30' x 

 96'. Ron says, "I prefer this length. 

 With twenty years of experience in 

 the green industry, I've learned that a 

 100 ft. greenhouse is a good length to 

 heat, irrigate, and pull orders from. A 

 house even fifty feet longer is just a 

 little too long. A smaller house isn't 

 advantageous for growers when you 

 consider how much space is lost to 

 benches and walkways." 



The first greenhouse was filled with 

 a mix of plant material. Now with 

 three greenhouses, plants with similar 

 needs can be grouped and grown to- 



18 



gether. The optimal temperatures for 

 the particular plant species can be 

 maintained in each house. Ron has 

 automated some key labor-intensive 

 areas of his business. Each house is 

 watered automatically. The geraniums 

 are grown on 8 " trough benches. All 

 other crops are on drip irrigation. 

 The greenhouse climates are moni- 

 tored around the clock. Should a 

 problem arise, an alarm system deliv- 

 ers the information to Ron or Kathy. 



A pot-filler eliminates hours of 

 hand labor at potting time. Ron says, 

 "The hours saved can be spent on 

 more important things such as moni- 

 toring plant growth. " 



Retail customers are encouraged to 

 stroll through the greenhouses and 

 choose plants. Here they will find a 

 mix of traditional favorites, new spe- 

 cialty annuals, and perennials. Future 

 plans for Shady Hill Greenhouses in- 

 clude installing more display gardens 

 around the property. "Display gardens 

 give customers the opportunity to see 

 how a plant will perform, and how 

 different plants work together, " says 

 Ron. "We want to be a place where 

 people can see and enjoy the plants. 

 We're striving for a garden atmo- 

 sphere. " Perennial beds and window 

 boxes on fences are likely to appear in 

 upcoming seasons. Ron also envisions 

 building a shade structure for shade 

 loving plant material. 



In June, mum pots are set out in 

 rows 4 pots wide that alternate with 

 grass walkways. The rows of mums 

 perpendicular to the main road are a 

 spectacular natural attraction. When 

 deciding which variety to grow, Ron 

 considers color, flowering time and 

 bloom type. He says, "My goal is to 

 strike a balance between color and 

 blooming time so we offer a consis- 

 tent supply through the season. " The 

 utmost care is lavished on these atten- 

 tion-grabbing fall plants. Each plant is 

 pinched three times before it is con- 



sidered ready for sale. All mum pots 

 are grown on drip irrigation. A soil- 

 less mix is the media of choice for 

 producing quality plants. Under this 

 growing system, plugs planted in a 

 variety of different sized pots will 

 grow into a strong and well branched 

 plant by Labor Day. 



Ron also works as a salesman for 

 W. H Minkowski in Stafford Springs, 

 CT. His territory is all of NH, 

 Maine, and northern Mass. He stays 

 current with new developments in the 

 field through his work in plant sales. 

 On the road, he has the opportunity 

 to visit with many growers. He can 

 observe first hand how a plant grows 

 throughout the season. In his own 

 greenhouse, Ron tries a handful of 

 new introductions every year. The 

 new varieties are offered along with 

 traditional favorites such as fuschias, 

 ivy geraniums, specialty annuals, and 

 perennials. 



Since Ron is on the road during 

 each weekday, he is very strict with 

 the delivery schedule of his own in- 

 coming plant material. The ideal de- 

 livery day is Friday, so the material is 

 held just a few hours before it s pot- 

 ted up. All planting is completed on 

 the weekends. To insure optimal 

 growth, water and soil tests are sent 

 out on a regular basis. 



Ron enjoys plant production and 

 greenhouse management because it's a 

 diverse business. "You're never doing 

 the same thing day in and day out," 

 he says. "It's a four season business 

 with a lot of variety." 



Three years ago, Ron was elected 

 to serve as a director for the NH 

 Plant Growers Association. Through- 

 out his term on the board he has 

 spearheaded the membership commit- 

 tee. As a result, growers statewide 

 have discovered the benefits of 

 NHPGA membership and signed on 

 as members. 



The Planlsman 



