By the time you’re reading this, hopefully the cold, wet, gray days of early spring are in the rearview mirror, and we’re ready to gussy up our landscapes and fill our planters. In the Mohawk Valley, we’re lucky to have so many local greenhouses to choose from. The hardest part isn’t finding one, it’s narrowing down where to go first.
Most of us have our personal “go‑to” spots (including the person writing this piece), but why limit yourself to just one? This spring, we invite you to get in the car and visit a few nurseries that might be new to you. Whether you’re searching for colorful annuals, hardy perennials, or outstanding local owners who know what they’re talking about, we promise you won’t be disappointed.
Beyond Your Garden
162 County Road 109, Broadalbin
Beyond Your Garden was born out of a question many twenty‑somethings ask themselves: What do I want to do with my life? While his mom enjoyed gardening, it wasn’t until Jesse Walter learned that you could propagate a plant from a cutting that he caught the horticulture bug. Schooling, professional credentials, perennial growing, and landscape design all followed, eventually leading him to his own business.
Today, Jesse grows about 90 percent of what he sells and is a Proven Winners® destination, a distinction earned through consistent quality and strong sales. That partnership has helped shape some of the nursery’s design, and gardeners know Proven Winners® rarely disappoint. At Beyond Your Garden, Jesse is committed to offering high-quality plants at prices that make gardening accessible to everyone.
Jesse is quick to talk about the tangible benefits of growing plants, but he’s just as passionate about the idea that a well‑planned garden is an extension of the home. “It’s a place to relax, entertain, eat, and enjoy the outdoors.” I suspect that sentiment is exactly where the name Beyond Your Garden comes from.
Open: May-October
Hours: beyondyourgarden.com
Annutto’s Greenhouses
156 Gros Blvd., Herkimer
facebook.com/annuttosgreenhouses
In 1955, Anthony Annutto was a vegetable farmer with 153 acres and a farmstand. Over time, his business evolved into Annutto’s Greenhouses, which he successfully developed on land that is now home to a Lowe’s. Thankfully, Annutto’s was relocated to its current location and is now run by Anthony’s son, Jim, and grandson, Phil.
While they offer all the usual greenhouse staples, Annutto’s hanging baskets are what truly set them apart. “My father and I take care of everything–just us,” Phil says. “We know when to water, how much to water each plant, and our consistency really shows.”
Open: May 1 through mid-July
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Brick House Acres-Garden Center & Berry Farm
10628 Roberts Road, Frankfort
brickhouseacres.com
A 200-year-old brick house anchors this farm, and beyond the significance of its age are the secret rooms and underground tunnels said to have helped many enslaved people in their flight to freedom. To the right of their historic home is Alyssa and Sean Davis’s organic farm and garden center, which they run with their seven children.
Alyssa trials most of the plants she grows in her own garden, often for years, ensuring that the varieties she offers are truly tried and true for Upstate New York growing conditions. Brick House specializes in what Alyssa calls “practical plants,” focusing on vegetables and herbs that help people grow nourishing food at home. Companion flowers are also a staple here, chosen specifically to attract beneficial insects and boost vegetable production.
Shoppers can expect “clean” plants at Brick House Acres. This is a no‑spray greenhouse where plants are grown on site using a full‑spectrum feeding approach—no “junk food” fertilizers that force quick growth at the expense of strength. The result is sturdier, more resilient plants that are better equipped to handle pests naturally.
After May and June, the greenhouses empty out, and from mid‑July through early August the farm transforms into a pick‑your‑own blueberry destination, featuring plump, sun‑ripened organic berries.
Alyssa is also passionate about the principles of organic gardening and is eager to share her foolproof raised‑bed method, designed to grow healthy plants year after year. She says her method is simple: “Anyone with a black thumb can do it.”
Opening: May 9
Hours: Monday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m
Candella’s Farm & Greenhouses
9256 River Rd., Marcy
In business for 120 years, Candella’s Farm & Greenhouses is clearly doing something right. An agricultural cornerstone of the Mohawk Valley for four generations, the operation remains as busy as ever.
Cultivating more than 300 acres of land, this family-run farm grows an impressive variety of crops: corn, herbs, eggplant, pickles, cousa, hot and sweet peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries—and there’s more to discover at the stand.
Candella’s offers an annual “Harvest Box,” the farm’s version of a CSA program. A rotating assortment of fresh produce, freezing tips, and time‑honored family-favorite recipes from Grandma Candella’s kitchen are included beginning in July. Interested? Sign‑ups are available on their website, or forms can be picked up at the stand.
Candella’s also grows plants that are easy for people to take care of. A great example is their ornamental purslane—also known as portulaca or moss rose—grown specifically for hanging baskets. It has all the hallmarks of an easy‑care plant: heat-proof, drought-tolerant, continuous summer blooms, and minimal pruning—sounds perfect.
Just as enduring as the farm itself are the relationships Candella’s has built. They welcome generations of customers, including grandchildren and great‑grandchildren of some of the earliest patrons. Shawna Papale, co‑owner of Candella’s with her brother Michael, puts it simply: “Seeing the same customers year in and year out is rewarding. I love the people.”
Opens: May 1
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Casler Flower Farm
895 Babcock Hill Road, West Winfield
Facebook: Casler Flower Farm
Tracey Casler is a ray of spring herself, and her flower farm reflects that. She grows an abundance of colorful annuals, and runs Casler Flower Farm largely as a one‑woman show, with lots of help from family, and her daily companion, Charlie Brown, her one-year-old King Charles Cavalier. He’ll greet you warmly and may even follow you around, just to be sure you’ve found everything you need.
“I’m a little off the beaten trail,” Tracey says, “but I want to give people color, great quality at a fair price, and be their destination location.” Three greenhouses filled with hanging baskets, vegetable plants, unique perennials, pansies and a small gift shop, makes Casler’s an easy go to.
Casler Flower Farm is one of those places you’re happy you found. It’s welcoming, unpretentious, and full of life. It’s the kind of stop that reminds you why buying local is about more than just plants; it’s about the people who grow them.
Open: May 1 until sold out
Hours: Monday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
North Star Orchards
4741 NY-233, Westmoreland
northstarorchards.com
I’ve always been jealous of family members who have North Star Orchards just five minutes from their house. Don’t be fooled by the “orchards” in the name, North Star is much more than that.
What began as a humble roadside fruit stand, selling apples from trees the family planted themselves, has grown over three generations into something far larger. Today, the Joseph family operates several greenhouses filled with annuals and perennials, including one dedicated entirely to cut flowers, a response to growing demand.
Michael Joseph, who runs the greenhouses, explains: “I know I can’t grow everything, so I grow what I know I can grow well. The rest of what we sell comes from the local suppliers who grow certain items better than I can. Customers like variety, and it’s impossible to grow it all. But what sets us apart is that anything on display is perfect.” He is also quick to credit his employees, all gardeners themselves, who bring deep knowledge to their work and are genuinely friendly.
Michael grew up around the orchard, and now his two-year-old daughter, Gemma, can often be found roaming the greenhouse aisles. Once known as the “greenhouse mouse,” quiet and careful around the plants, she has since earned the nickname “greenhouse raccoon,” now climbing, handling her father’s tomato plants, and ending her days with soil-rich pockets. She has become such a fixture that the newest greenhouse bears her name, and at this time of year she can be found singing to the seedlings. Gemma and her greenhouse will allow North Star to expand its in-house vegetable and herb offerings.
Although not directly related to our greenhouse theme, it’s hard not to mention North Star’s fantastic farm market. With its wide range of fresh and specialty foods, there’s little need for an additional grocery store stop.
Open: May-December
Hours: Monday–Sunday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Olney’s Landscape Center
6855 Wright Settlement Road, Rome
When asked about their history, owner Will Olney replied, “It goes back to prehistoric times.” It definitely sounds like he might have been predisposed to his interest, given his father, Floyd Olney had his own greenhouse by the age of 14, where he grew orchids. Floyd is now 91-years old and he has never been without a greenhouse—they’ve simply grown in number over time.
Will and his wife, Emily, bought the business from Will’s parents in 1988. Since then, they’ve built a new greenhouse every year, growing to 18 greenhouses and operating a landscape center closed only three days out of the year.
When you talk to Will, it’s clear he’s committed to what he does, and that he loves it. “When you’re growing plants, you’re never doing the same thing. It’s an art to get it right with Mother Nature—you really need to be at the top of your game.”
Hours:
Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–7 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Origins at Carefree Gardens
558 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown
Brent and Mary Leonard built a small hoophouse on family land in 1984 and called it Carefree Gardens. When their children were born, cribs were added one by one to the corners of the hoophouse, and the family grew up alongside the land and the business. “It was a beautiful upbringing,” says daughter Kristen Leonard.
Kristen and her sister, Dana, were always drawn to environmental science and the food system, becoming lifelong learners of both. As adults, they began to see the potential for creating an environmental platform on the special land they grew up on. In 2012, the sisters bought a “tiny truck,” parked it beside Carefree Gardens, and began serving food using an “Alice Waters approach” (a woman credited with starting the farm-to-table movement). From the outset, their focus has been on simple, fresh food.
The food truck has since evolved into an exceptionally lush greenhouse café. Now in its 15th season, Origins continues to serve the community local harvests for lunch, brunch and dinner, and has also become a gathering place for weddings and special occasions.
Carefree Gardens offers every category of plant imaginable, and wandering through the grounds feels like a lovely, serene treasure hunt. Speaking from personal experience, grab a friend and make a date to go.
The Leonard family also operates the Origins Community Foundation, a nonprofit after-school program that introduces kids to cultures from around the world through hands-on planting, growing, and cooking activities. “Our goal is to teach the importance of biological and cultural diversity.”
Open: early May through mid-October
Hours: visit originscafe.org for lunch, brunch, dinner, and the live music schedule.
River Road Greenhouses
9182 River Rd, Marcy
riverroadgreenhouses.com
Dennis LoGalbo bought his first push mower in his early 20s for $150 and launched a landscaping business. Trimming lawns was his bread and butter for a long time, and he eventually expanded into landscape design. However, the gardenscape business was labor-intensive, and no one escapes the aches and pains of aging.
One morning at the crack of dawn, Dennis sat with his coffee, searching online for local land to build storage units. He happened upon the River Road Greenhouses sale listing, and something clicked. “I put in a bid, prayed and waited,” said Dennis. Now the owner for four years, he says he took on an already successful business, one that requires far less physical labor.
When I first discovered River Road, I felt like I had struck gold. There is an enormous selection of perennials, vegetables and herbs, hanging baskets, and patio pots, all of which they plant themselves. As the seasons change, so do their offerings. Lush spring and Easter blooms kick off the season, with offerings continuing through December, details of which we can’t possibly describe in Mohawk Valley Living’s May issue.
If you haven’t gotten your walk in for the day, save it for your visit to River Road, where you’re welcome to peruse all that’s growing across its 16 greenhouses.
Open: April–December
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
