Joel Daeschel is one of those lucky people who knew what he wanted to do from an early age, and then was able to do it. Joel "always liked to garden" and took two years of vocational horticulture in high school. He has spent most of his career working in greenhouses and went into business for himself about ten years ago. Joel now has ten thousand square feet of greenhouse space as well as outdoor gardens, and they keep him busy all spring and summer and in to the fall. In the peak of the season, seventy-plus hour workweeks are common.
Joel lives just southeast of Santa Fe, but his greenhouses are located about 30 miles away, on the high, windy plains outside the tiny town of Stanley, NM. The greenhouses produce several hundred hanging pots, about 10,000 pots of herbs, about 4,000 gallon pots of perennials, lots and lots of annuals for seasonal color, and even "a few" veggie starts. Joel sells most of his plants at farmers' markets, but does some custom orders for landscape gardeners and even some bedding plants for farmers. He grows all his plants with no artificial sprays and he is heavily into recycling. A plant pot at Joel's is in for a full life!
Farmers' markets, says Joel, are a challenge and can wear you out. Each market requires grooming the plants that are going for sale, packing all the plants and display paraphernalia, getting up very early to drive to the market, setting up and arranging all the wares, meeting and greeting and answering questions and selling plants, dealing with any weather threats that may occur at the market, and then packing everything away and driving home again, where the plants still have to be unpacked and settled back in their spots in the greenhouses. Whew! And then you do it all over again for the next market.
Joel's daughter Makaila has worked with him for the past six or eight years and is a great help. She is especially adept at setting up the displays at markets. Joel also has some help in the greenhouses during the spring and summer. By the time growing season draws to a close, Joel and his family are very ready for some late-fall and winter 'down time' when they can finally relax and spend some quality time with each other.
The Los Alamos market, says Joel, is very loyal and friendly once they get to know you. Joel has had some of his customers for five or six years. The market is small, too, which makes the vendors "like a small family". Joel's family business is very focused on the environment, and this has become more and more important to his customers as well.
You can contact Joel Daeschel at (505) 466-3388.