Grown by Experience - Grown by Al's by Sylvia Peterson, Freelance Reporter and Al's
Shopper
 Since then, I have started my own family and my own garden. While it
always seems to be a work in progress, specifically the gardening, it has
been a great journey. I have learned a great deal and have found some
fabulous resources along the way – including Al’s Garden
Center.
As a member of the Woodburn community, and a former Sherwood
resident, I know Al’s roots run deep. Since 1948, Al’s Garden
Center has been evolving to meet the needs of gardeners and instilling the
love of gardening in many, including myself. As part of that evolution,
Grown By Al’s, an innovative process rooted in experience and driven
by the desire to provide high quality plants and customer satisfaction,
began.
I had the opportunity to get a closer look at the Grown by Al’s
process on a tour of all their growing sites and work rooms. Since I was
working I had to remain professional, but I felt like a kid in a candy
store walking among the greenhouses. Being among the purple people while
they handled young plant cuttings or mature trees was a great experience.
Understanding this process gave me a new appreciation for the quality of
Al’s Garden Center and the plants they grow.
Grown By Al’s tells the story of how a plant begins life,
thrives within the growing facilities and arrives at one of three
Al’s Garden Centers retail sites. Throughout this process, human
attention is key to ensuring that the plants have a strong root system and
are ready for gardeners when the gardeners are ready for them.
During my tour, I learned there are three methods of growing to
create Grown By Al’s standard, the annuals greenhouse, the
pot-in-pot farm and the perennial facility. While each process is
delicate and time-sensitive, purple people have perfected it over the
years by rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty.
Annuals Greenhouses
Unlike the hustle of the contemporary retail sites, Al’s Garden
Center growing site sits quietly on approximately 30 acres outside Hubbard,
Oregon. About 95% of Al’s growing happens inside the unassuming
greenhouse facilities. Annuals, plants with one growing season, begin the
journey in one of two ways - via seed or from cuttings. Each process is
successful on a massive scale, yet is very delicate and requires
synchronization and a human touch to ensure plants are of the highest
quality and meet the demands of the sales cycle throughout the gardening
season.
Seeding
  Timing is everything. Starting a plant from seed
begins in the seeding room on the farm. These rooms contain racks of trays
with seeds poked into the soil. The trays are then moved to the growing
room, where the seeds are warmed and allowed to germinate. Next, the
trays of newly germinated plants are moved into a colder room and are now
transplantable plugs. A moment too long in any step of the seeding process
can disrupt the growing cycle; so much attention is focused on the stages
of seeding to ensure enough stock is on hand to meet demand. Cutting
Another way for annuals to begin their journey is from cuttings. Most cuttings are grown in South America, and begin their journey almost immediately after removal from the mother plant. The small cuttings are placed in a cooler type box; typically the box contains 3,500 cuttings. Cuttings are received within 2-3 days after they are cut, and are immediately given the Al’s Garden Center treatment. Human hands remove the cuttings from the box and place them into
orderly trays. The trays create a carpet of greenery, while they sit in
the warmth of the growing house and take root. Meanwhile, Al’s
growers keep constant watch to ensure things are moving along at the right
pace.
The cutting process is much more expansive in comparison to the
seeding process. Al’s Garden Center has carved a niche with this
unique process, as it can be too time consuming for most nurseries to
invest resources into. Al’s Garden Center has become the biggest
rooting station in the Willamette Valley, as they provide rooted annuals
from cuttings to many other growers in the area.
"We got into the rooting business by a fluke. When we first
created city baskets, we only rooted for ourselves. However, the city
baskets became so popular, the demand for annuals rose significantly. So,
since we had the process down, we began growing for other folks,”
said Jack Bigej. “We grow about 40,000 baskets per year."
Once the annuals have made their way to the greenhouse via seeding or
by cutting, the continued care through human interaction is a key component
to the Grown By Al’s process. As the small plants mature from the
transplantable plug, they are transplanted by a special machine imported
from Italy. Al’s purple people oversee the transplanting and
make sure each plant has been transplanted correctly. The plants are then
moved into the greenhouse where they are continually watered, fertilized
and observed by growers. There are many touch points for each plant by
Al’s growers. It is this high level of attention to nursery
stock that helps place a Grown by Al’s plant ahead of most others.
 Pot-in-Pot Innovation continues to drive Grown by Al’s in a variety of
ways. Approximately 7 years ago, Bigej learned of a new process to grow
“woody” plants like trees and shrubs. On the east coast,
growers were utilizing the pot-in-pot method, which allows for higher
efficiency, lower maintenance and higher quality throughout the growing
process.
Trees and shrubs are placed in a growing pot, with soil via a potting
machine. The plant is then taken to a field where pots have already been
placed into the ground. The grounded pot sits atop a tile and is connected
to a drip system. The tiles and pots are part of the initial installation
process that can be costly, but is permanent and has proven to be
effective. Once the newly potted plant is placed into the grounded pot, it
is less effected by wind, frost and the roots are better protected.
 Much of the pot-in-pot work happens during the winter, while the
plant is dormant. A team of approximately 5 growers work to plant a large
variety of trees and shrubs so that consumer demand can be met on a more
efficient scale. The trees and shrubs are grown in one of 3 sizes, 7, 10
or 15 gallons. The growing team ensures trees and shrubs are thriving and
ready for the consumer during the planting season. Pot-in-pot plants can
be moved fairly easily without disturbing the delicate root system.
"Basically, this allows for mistake free gardening. The trees
and shrubs have a strong root system, thanks to the pot-in-pot
process,” said Jack. “We can go out there and pick and
choose any plant we want and it is taken out of the outer pot, yet remains
in a pot and ready for the retail table."
Perennials
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