Roberts Greenhouse and Tree Farm
Kim and Teresa Roberts opened their new venture, Roberts Greenhouse and Tree Farm, with a grand opening on Saturday, June 7, offering beautiful plant options, hot dogs, lemonade, and kind hospitality. The Greenhouse was born out of a desire to help others grow the gardens of their dreams and their shared love of gardening and the outdoors.
Husband and wife owners, Kim and Teresa, had been considering how they wanted to spend their future years as Kim retired a few years back and Teresa will be retiring at the end of 2025. The idea of a greenhouse took shape in light of their shared interests of working with plants and helping others.
Kim retired from dry land farming in Genesee growing garbanzo beans, wheat, malt barley, lentils, and hay. Kim still enjoys getting on the tractor for some hay farming, mainly for their daughter’s horses. Teresa will be retiring from working in insurance. Besides their gardening interests, the couple enjoys skiing and ATV riding.
Teresa said of gardening, “It’s a great stress reliever, and it hits on our artistic and creative side as well. There is nothing as rewarding to us as seeing something grow from a seed or seedling into a beautiful plant or sustaining food product.” The couple looks forward to sharing this joy with others from seasoned and skilled growers to new gardeners.
Kim and Teresa also hope they can help with the challenges of growing in the high altitude, short season climate of Meadows Valley. I asked Teresa for some advice for beginners, and she recommends starting with a tomato plant. She expanded, saying “there truly is nothing like a home-grown tomato, and once you learn to grow your own food most people get hooked.” Teresa also recommends Marigolds for their color variety, pollinator attraction, and ease of growing.
Teresa shared they have personally had great luck growing perennial Shasta Daisies, Salvia, and Day Lillies as well as Delosperma in New Meadows. The couple said they aim to increase their inventory of perennials that can live in Zone 3 and 4, including Lupins, Columbine, Foxglove, Creeping Phlox, and Hosta. They also hope customers will share what plants they need and love so they can carry more favorites in the greenhouse. The Roberts look to offer trees, shrubs, and even Christmas Trees in future years.
Teresa shared of Kim that he is a true plant rescuer. She said he has found plants growing in sidewalk cracks, potted and cared for them until they are healthy enough to transplant and even grown new shrubs and trees this way. I’m sure Kim will be a good source of help for nurturing plants to fuller potential.
The Roberts shared their excitement at their grand opening with around 70 people. They said they were so happy and surprised at how many people chose to come out. They have appreciated meeting everyone who has stopped by and all the kind words of encouragement from the community. Teresa said, “New Meadows is such a wonderful town filled with great people. We hope to tap into the skills and experience of other local nurserymen and growers, some who we met at the grand opening. We know there is a wealth of knowledge in the valley.”
Roberts Greenhouse is open Fridays and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 400 McLain Street near the school. This coming Saturday, they plan to be at Opening Day of the New Meadows Farmer’s Market. Check out their website www.roberts-greenhouse.com/ or stop by for more information on available plants and future events.
