814-Lancuter Farming, Saturday, May 1, 1999
(Continued from Pag* B 2)
its own separate square, the fragile
seedlings suffer minimal trans
plant shock when moved to mar
ket packs or pots.
“Seeders are expensive and re
quire a little more management,
but enable us to transplant twice as
fast,” Miller says of the tech
nology.
Seeded flats are moved into a
germination structure Miller de
signed, where gentle heat is added
as needed by tapping warm water
from the heating boilers into a ser
ies of piping which runs through
the unit. Flats in the warm, humid
area are watched closely and mov
ed from the heated unit to the cool,
airy atmosphere of the green
houses as soon as a percentage of
the seeds have germinated.
“Don’t call it dirt,” Miller re
minds his employees of the blends
of potting soil which they mix as
needed in a 3-cubic-yard mixer.
All greenhouses are sterilized an
nually and new flats used for
many seedling crops, especially
peppers and tomatos.
Watering is critical in green
house operations, with tempera
tures in the enclosed environment
susceptible to abrupt changes, as
weather conditions may swing
from sunshine to clouds many
times daily. And, since plant spe
cies vary in their responses to
temperatures and soil moisture,
watering expertise is determining
factor to flower and vegetable
plant success.
“Our watering is still done by
hand, except for our hanging bas
kets. The person at the end of the
hose makes a Mop,” he empha
sizes. “And not watering is some
times the most important part of it.
You have to really watch the
plants during long, cloudy spells.”
Ventilation is likewise import
ant, aimed at keeping the inside
environment of lower humidity
than the outside air to dry plant
foliage and limit dampness-relat
ed diseases. Newer houses at Mil
ler's are equipped with more
automatic venting systems than
the older structures, but are still
monitored carefully.
Improvements in structure plas
tic have enabled greenhouse
operators to re-cover their houses
much less frequently than when
plastics first began replacing
glass. Replacing plastic every year
was one of the jobs Miller remem
bers working with as a teen-ager
Dave Miller checks on the Niagra seeder unit, which
seeds 512 small “cells” in trays, a seed to each cell, using
an electric eye. The specialized unit makes handling small,
costly seeds more uniform and resulting seedlings suffer
less transplant shock.
Miller Plant Farm Blooms With Sprin
helping with the family operation
after school.
“When we change plastic on a
house, we do it in early morning,
at first light, when the air is the
most calm," he explains. General
ly, this maintenance chore is cm
die schedule for late fall's chilly
mornings, before breezes pick up.
When snow blankets the dou
ble-plastic-layer structures, even
those empty of plant crops, ther
mostats are pushed up to generate
more heat to melt the accumula
tion. Miller explains that snow
tends to hang on the sides of the
structures, which may cause the
support pipes to buckle sideways.
During the blizzard of January
1996, props were shoved under
leaning support pipes which
threatened to collapse greenhous
es under the weight of the heavy
snow accumulation. Miller recalls
being on the greenhouse roof and
scooping off snow with buckets,
then hearing the props fall to the
ground as the pipes sprung back
into shape once freed of their bur
den. While their heating fuel bill
escalated, the structures were sav
ed, with only some minor damage.
“I like to see rusty snowplows,"
quips Miller, of the past two win
ters which have been relatively
mild, with minimal amounts of.
snow in the York area.
While some flower seedlings
are purchased from specialty
growers, the Millets start from
seed all their vegetable plants.
"That way, we can get the spe
cific varieties we want,” he rea
sons. “We try new varieties for
our own use and then can
seedlings of-the ones' that do' well 1-
for our plant customers in succes
sive seasons.”
Some 20 acres of sweet com is>
grown, planted at weekly intervals
from late April through July for
succession of harvest. Another
five acres are cropped in canta
loupes. These two summer main
stays supply the needs of many of
the Miller’s wholesale customers, ,
while plantings of tomatoes, pep
pers and watermelons supplement
the variety available for their loyal
retail following. All vine crops,
like melons, are cultivated under
plastic, with trickle irrigation used
for maximum moisture utilization.
“In one week last year, we pick
ed 12,000 cantaloupes,” remem
bers Miller with a .grin. “Plant
breeders have made great strides
in developing cantalriap^Afhcna
Miller Plant Farm business partner Steve Slyder quips that he is “the mover” of the
operation. His moving often entails a tractor and handling equipment to facilitate the
constant movement of plant materials and supplies through the 60,000-square-foot
under-roof complex.
and Eclipse are two much firmer
varieties which will hold a day or
so. That gives us much more flexi
bility.”
11l fact, the cantaloupes con
sumers are purchasing right now
in the markets may well be the
Athena melon, a variety popular
with growers along the East Cpast
Harvest begins in Florida and
moves north with the season to
supply the retail pipeline.
September brings a work force
disruption to Millers’ busy sched
ule, with many-tof their school-age
employees returning to classes.
While plant work has slowed, the
produce continues to ripen. An
other cutting of hay might be
ready for baling for the 20-30 held
of cattle they fatten annually and
the fall decorative mainstays
gourds and pumpkins are ripe
for harvest. Some 60 acres of field
com are also beginning to dry
down. Often, retirees help round
out the work crew.
Poinsettias command center
stage in the fall greenhouse sea
son, with shipments of cuttings
usually scheduled at three differ
ent intervals. The mid-August cut
tings grow into the large multiple
bloom plants, while later cuttings
provide more individual plants. At
peak, some 12,000 poinsettia
plants are growing in the complex.
“We Uveat the latitude where
October 6 is the date for bloom in
itiation for our poinsettias,” notes
Miller of toe darkness-sensitive,
traditional holiday plant. “We
might begin to see a hint of color
on some by toe end of the month;
and by Thanksgiving, toe earliest
are ready to go.”
Diane Miller handles much of
the business’ steady stream of of
fice and paperwork, as well as
overseeing the busy market and
retailing enterprises. She and
Dave married in 1974, two years
after he graduated and began full
time employment with the family
operation.
“She learned fast,” he says in
praise of his wife, who along with
overseeing retail sales, has com
puterized the office records sys
tems.
Although the Miller farm is a
few miles off any major traffic ar
tery, growing numbers of cus
tomers regularly stop at the sales
area to purchase their seedling and
potted plant needs right at the
family farm.
“Customers seem to like com
ing out to the greenhouses,”
acknowledges Miller. “There
seems to be a sense of satisfaction
at buying right at the source, at
picking up plants right where they
were grown and having hundreds
of toon to select from. We believe
quality and value play a role in
serving customers. And we also
try to grow some polled plants,
'some perennials, seme herbs that
'aren’t available juSt anywhfc*fcs
Four bays of toe growing area,
adjoining toe busy sales room, are
kept to customers for browsing
add plant shopping. While they
like to visit with enstotners about
plant needs and answer questions,
toe Millets are limited ixj time
available for that due toilfcmands’
of the business. So Miller hopes to
expand customer education with
more signs posted around toe
greenhouses offering plant and
cultivation information; they have
also developed a customer bro
chure. With retail growing rapid
ly, Miller’s are already thinking
•head to possible future expan
sion. But quality of life, and fami
ly time, are very important among
their life priorities.
For instance, once the fall har
vest is wrapped up, and toe poin
settia crop waiting in toe wings,
they do take advantage of a Slight
break in the busy schedule.
“If everything is under control,
we go hunting,” said Miller of IMS
favorite family pastime. “Mold
ings mid evenings, we’ll be in the
woods.” Attesting to their success
are numerous trophy mounts
wMch hang in toe business office.
Dave and Diane have three chil
dren, Courtney, 21 and a profes
sional barber, 18-year-old Whit
ney, a physical therapy major, and
Dustyn, 16, a sophomore at Dal
las town High School.
“He takes a lot of kidding about
being called ‘Dusty Miller’,"
jokes Miller of his son sharing the
popular name of the whitc-foliag-
Lancaster Farming
✓Check Out Our
Web site
www.lancasterfarming.com
time
ed bedding plant “But there was
no pun intended.” Dusty, adds his
dad, does help with the business
and shows some interest in carry
ing on the horticultural tradition.
“But it will be up to him,” he
emphasizes of their son's future
career jhoice.
0 A )|Het in the region's horti
*“cUl(mS industry. Miller is involv
ed Sr thJwork County Vegetable
r . Growers Association and the Penn
" State Horticulture Council, a
curriculum adyiaory the
university. He fifth
year on die state-appointed Penn
sylvania Vegetable and Marketing
scssmcnt among its mcmbcrsfor
research and promotion. '
hi 1997, more than $63,000 wra
contributed by the
pating ppoduoc growers ift&jgip
portod the program, with raiding
awarded to the most cost-effective
university and/or private firms’
program* targeting selected re
search projects. A sweet com pest
monitoring program is just one of
the research studies currently un
der way. Some matching funds
from the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture help with
promotional efforts, including the
Simply Delicious logo developed
for use with the program. The
Board holds a referendum every
five years among the growers to
determine support and levels of
voluntary acreage checkoffs for
the program.
Such community leadership ef
forts, development of the retail
business and willingness to work
with the agriculture industry all
played a role in the Miller Plant
Farm’s recognition by the York
Chamber of Commerce.
“Knowing some of the earlier
recipients," Miller says modestly,
"it's quite an honor for us to have
been selected.”