FALLS, Pa. — At Kettell's Greenhouse near Falls, it does not really matter what the weather is outside because it is always 75 degrees and humid inside. Still, a mild winter like the one we have been having certainly helps with the heating bill. While the price of fuel may have gone up, Daniel Kettell is using much less of it this year.
"When the sun is shining, it is a hot house. The natural light from the sun heats your greenhouse right up, so you open the doors or turn fans on to cool it," said Kettell.
Kettell has been able to keep the doors open a lot this winter. On a day like Monday, the 75-degree temperature happens naturally. This week, employees at Kettell's are starting the transplanting process, and Newswatch 16 was there to see what goes into it.
"These are the tiny seedlings that we plant, and we plant them into these cells. There's four plants in our cells, and these will turn into large perennials that will come back every year," said Sylvia Gruber, Kettell's Greenhouse.
They have the assembly line down at Kettell's. The staff can plant close to 1,000 seedlings a day. They think their record is about 1,500.
"You don't realize it, I think. You get going, once you get into a system, it goes fast," Gruber said.
Employees even put us to work. And while it is easy to get excited about all things spring on such a warm day, Kettell says it is still a little too early to plan an opening day. He knows what has happened in past years.
"March was very mild, and we got to April, and it was the coldest April we ever had on record. You just don't know what the weather is going to do, and it has a big impact on your sales," Kettell said.
Kettell's Greenhouse near Falls will open sometime mid-April in anticipation of Mother's Day. They will do about 80 to 90 percent of their yearly sales just in the month of May.