An era for local gardeners has come to an end with the closure of Ladybug Greenhouse.
Sharon Sigg, who has run the greenhouse for the past 25 years the first 15 with her late husband, Don announced this week she will not reopen the greenhouse this spring.
After 25 years, its time to move on and do something different, she said. Physically, I can still do it, but mentally, its a grind.
While the spring growing season a mindset away, Sigg typically hits high gear with preparations by mid-January.
By the end of January the cold crops start coming in, she. I usually get seed and stuff ordered by December, but I wanted to put it off a while. It wasnt too late to change my mind, but Ive decided Im gonna stop.
With the closure, Sigg is going to sell off much of Ladybugs equipment, including both of her 30-foot by 100-foot greenhouse frames.
The frames are designed so a person can reassemble them identically, or split each into two smaller greenhouses, if space is a concern.
All you need is a place to put it, Sigg said.
Wood stoves to heat the greenhouses also will be sold, as will assorted equipment such as tables, benches, flower pots, landscape fabric and a pair of shade clothes that can be draped over the greenhouses plastic skin. Each cloth covers about half of a full-sized greenhouse, Sigg explained.
The plastic skin will not be a part of the sale.
Weathers hard on plastic, Sigg said. Its not worth saving. Weve replaced the plastic several times.
The second greenhouse was without plastic in 2018. By then, Siggs pace had slowed, and she realized she could no longer keep up with the demands of keeping both in use.
Its a lot more difficult to do something by yourself than it was with a spouse, she said, noting Don retired from the operation in 2009, and died in January 2011. And its more of a financial burden to work with one income. It makes it harder to do all the things you want to do.
Im 67 now, Sigg continued. Instead of struggling with it all again, Im ready to stop right here.
Sigg has begun contacting her numerous vendors and some of her regular customers.
Word of the closure has spread. Earlier this week, she fielded a visit from somebody interested in buying one or both of the greenhouses.
