MANITOWOC, Wis. — It’s humid in the greenhouses at Hartman’s Towne & Country Greenhouse in Manitowoc.
What You Need To Know
- Heating costs and gas prices are driving up costs at greenhouses
- A number of greenhouses and garden centers say consumers can expect to see some increased prices this year
- COVID-19 gave gardening a boost, something expected to continue in 2022
That’s just the way the plants like it. In just a few short weeks many of them will be going home with customers eager to get outdoors and get their gardens started.
“People get anxious. There’s a lot of cabin fever out there right now,” said Tom Hartman, president of the business. “We get people walking around in the greenhouse at times just to look at things that are green and growing.”
The greenhouse, and a number of others around the state, are facing increased costs for everything from gas to heat the expansive growing areas to additional charges on items delivered to the store.
Those items range from gifts to bags of soil and dirt.
“(Consumers) can expect maybe a little higher prices for spring,” Hartman said. “All the input material we deal with, whether it be plants or seed or soil or heat or labor, all of those things have gone up so we’re going to have to increase prices a little bit.”
He said the business has yet to set its prices for spring.
It’s not just high fuel costs and inflation impacting garden centers this spring, there’s also lingering supply chain issues.
Mackenzie Mraz, the retail manager at Hartman’s greenhouse, said some of the usual gifts and products they carry have been delayed.
But the business is working to find alternatives.
“We might have new or different things you don’t normally see here, especially a lot more USA made products because they can ship to us faster than ones made overseas,” she said.
That could mean some patience when it come to finding just the right pot for the front of the house.
“Some of the fancier, more designer, pots and stuff might be harder to come by and you might see higher prices on those, but probably nothing to cause shock and awe,” she said.
COVID-19 gave gardening a boost, something Hartman said he expects will continue.
“We anticipate a good year. They last two seasons have been very good,” he said.