November 25, 2013 When I walked into Ashcombe Farm

November 25, 2013 When I walked into Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses to begin my internship, I felt very optimistic about the six months before me and very fortunate to be there. Now that I have reached the end of my internship, I feel much the same – very optimistic about the future and very fortunate to have spent time at Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses. Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses is an independent business that includes both production and retail operations. They have two locations: the original business in Mechanicsburg, PA, and a newer, smaller business in Sherman’s Dale, PA that is not open year-­‐round. I was working at the original business location in Mechanicsburg. One of the main reasons Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses was chosen for my internship is because of its joint retail and production operations. During my time at Ashcombe’s, I was able to gain experience first in the production area, growing the plants, and second in the retail area, selling the plants I had helped grow. This structure allowed me to explore my interests as a horticulture major and learn about multiple sides of the business. My boss at Ashcombe’s was Deborah Shearer. She is a co-­‐owner of the business and manages many of the departments in the main store. As a result, Deb is always moving. It seems she has endless amounts of quiet energy that allow her to move quickly between departments, pulling 60 flats of bedding plants for sale one minute, and helping arrange a sample tasting of the newest gourmet food item the next. Deb is always focused on making the store inviting to customers and going the extra mile to answer customer questions. I admire her work ethic and drive, and really enjoyed working for her because of this. The timing and execution of my internship could not have been better. March and April were spent in the greenhouses, helping with all areas of production. Ashcombe’s has six main growers at their Mechanicsburg location, and each one is in charge of certain crops and houses. I had the opportunity to work with each of them and gain experience with every crop. It was really helpful to learn each grower’s method and see how much planning went into each crop. I especially enjoyed working in the herb house, because there were always a variety of tasks that needed to be done – not to mention the variety of delicious smells that filled the house! The greenhouse operation at Ashcombe’s is entirely hands on. All of the watering, transplanting, cutting back, and cleaning is done by hand. Many of my days were devoted solely to watering, or transplanting bedding plant plugs, or cleaning and spacing geraniums. While all of the hands on work may mean longer hours spent in the greenhouses, it was invaluable experience for a potential greenhouse grower like me. In May, Deb moved me out of production and into the store. There are several different retail departments at Ashcombe, including departments called Springtime, Plant Shop, Garden Supply, Perennials, Nursery, Deli & Bakery, and Gifts. I worked in the Springtime and Plant Shop departments. The Plant Shop department handles all of the houseplants, terrarium plants, and herbs. Springtime handles all of the annual bedding plants, vegetable plants, containers, hanging baskets, and more. As the seasons change, so do the plants available in Springtime. Employees in Springtime and Plant Shop are always moving plants, watering, answering customer questions, potting and/or re-­‐potting plants for customers, and trying our best to keep things looking neat and tidy. This was a huge change of pace after working in production, and I loved it. During May, there was a constant flow of plants coming in the back door from the greenhouses at both the Mechanicsburg and Sherman’s Dale locations, and going out the front door into customers’ cars. There was also a constant stream of questions from customers on how to care for specific plants. I found that I loved the rush. I loved constant movement and constant demands. Most of all I loved interacting with other employees and customers, which is something you do not get to experience growing plants in the greenhouses. I am so glad that I was able to do this internship with Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses. Working at Ashcombe’s has taught me that while I enjoy growing plants, I enjoy selling them even more, and I enjoy interacting with customers most of all. One of the greatest benefits of completing an internship is that it gives you experience working in a field of interest, and allows you time to explore different avenues of those interests. I was given the time to explore my interests in production and my interests in retail, and my career path is now clearer because of this. My goal to become a greenhouse grower has now become my goal to manage a retail garden center that is as wonderful as Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses. I would like to thank everyone at The American Floral Endowment for giving me the opportunity to intern through the Vic & Margaret Ball Internship Program, and thus giving me the opportunity to explore and modify my career goals. I learned so much about greenhouse production and garden center retail. It has changed my future for the better, and I truly feel that it was a once in a lifetime experience for me. Thank you so much for making it all possible! Sincerely, Elizabeth Brooks P.S. – Below are some pictures of my experiences at Ashcombe’s! Containers in the greenhouse. Geraniums Begonias Jennifer trimming Solenia begonias. Kerri putting plants out for sale. Plant Shop! Herbs to the left and houseplants below. Springtime during the busy month of May (above). An example of a fairy garden (middle right). Fall mums are here! (Bottom left and right.)