In January 1971 Jerry and Nancy (Sheehan) Neff thought it would be fun to raise flower and vegetable plants at their home to sell at Nancy’s parents’ farm on Gerlaugh Road where her brother sold fresh produce to the public. So they built them a small wood framed and plastic covered greenhouse on top of their snowmobile trailer. They added electric heating and louvered sides that could be manually opened for ventilation. When their plants were ready they took the trailer over to the Sheehan farm to sell and were surprised at how fast they sold.
So they decided to build a bigger greenhouse at the Sheehan farm to have more room for plants. That fall they purchased 800 poinsettia cuttings to try a winter crop and their new greenhouse. The plants flourished and bloomed in time for Christmas. Over the next couple years they enlarged the greenhouse to grow even more plants. They soon realized that they needed more room so they decided to purchase 7 3/4 acres on Lower Valley Pike across from the intersection at Gerlaugh Road. They built them a large greenhouse and moved their business there. They also had a large strawberry field planted for a pick your own business.
Neff Greenhouse on Lower Valley Pike as it looked in 1983.
Nancy Neff taking care of the flowers in the greenhouse in 1972.