About Shirley'S Greenhouses
We have a 36000 square foot greenhouse and 9 acre garden. We also work closely with other Alberta farmers: )
Shirley'S Greenhouses Description
I along with my husband Cameron own a 36 000 square foot greenhouse East of Didsbury. We sell as Shirley’s Greenhouse. We grow 2 different types of cucumbers, 8 types of tomatoes, butter lettuce, kale, eggplant, hot peppers and bell peppers. This year we also added a 2 acre garden plot to grow a variety of other veggies. We grew mostly potatoes, carrots, zucchini, onions, beets and lettuce.
I grew up in the greenhouse industry. My parents greenhouse was west of Airdrie and they grew mostly cucumbers to sell wholesale. They made a great living at it. 10 years ago they sold and we built intending to do the same thing: cucumbers for wholesale. The only problem is our costs were higher and cucumber prices had dropped. Selling wholesale everyone elce takes large pieces of the pie. The last straw was when the wholesaler said he would pay us $5. 25per dozen in the winter when our gas bill was at it’s highest. We then found out they were charging the stores $10. 50and not passing the savings onto the customers. We decided then that we had to change something.
We now sell mostly at farmers markets and directly to 3 local stores. Selling to the stores is great. The stores are super exited to get fresh local produce and we are able to move a fairly large volume at a time to each store. Selling to the stores we have more control over price which helps us pay our bills.
I happen to love farmers markets and thrive on talking to people. I’m better talking one on one than public speaking. I love talking about food to people and letting people how we grow and what we do. I love it when people eat our tomatoes and tell me that that’s how tomatoes should taste. My absolute favorite is when customers come back week after week because they need groceries and when they depend on me for their food. Selling at market we get 100% of the price to be able to pay our bills. It comes at a bit of a cost as I’m away from my kids a lot in the summer but is the only way we can make things work for our farm. Last year we joined our first year round market Symons Valley in Calgary. There we have turned the tables a bit and work with other farmers selling their veggies as well.
Many customers come to our booth and ask if we are organic and our answer has to be no. BUT
On our farm we grow a little bit differently than many other greenhouses. We grow without pesticides. In our growing we don’t use incecticides we use good bugs to eat bad bugs. I think one of my pictures is R rated lady bugs. We don’t use fungisides unless they are certified organic and herbicides kill our plants. A couple of years ago we lost our tomato crop to herbicide that ran off into our water system. We now have charcoal filters to get rid of the garbage that may get into our water. We want our kids to eat off of our plants and never worry. As well none of our seed is genetically engeniered. All of our seed comes from the Netherlands where most greenhouse seed comes from. The reason we are not organic is we still use elemental fertilizer. We send water samples away, get them back and add in exactly what the plant needs to grow, right down to the trace nutrients. Plants need sunshine, water and nutrients to grow.
Having the greenhouse we get a longer growing season. In Alberta we have winter 6 months of the year. Our plants are seeded in Novemer at a propagating greenhouse in BC, we get them in January start picking cucumbers in February, baby tomatoes in March, and large tomatoes and peppers in April. We pick right through until the end of November when we shut down our greenhouse, clean it out, let a crop of bad bugs hatch and starve and start all over in January again. It is so much fun to have a huge garden in our back yard to make great salads 10 months out of the year!
Another thing we have done this year is all of our scratch and dent produce we have taken to a local resteraunt to be preserved as pickles or salsa. It’s all of the little value added things that make our farm work.
One thing I say to each customer everytime they leave our booth is we stand behind our product 100% if you’re not happy we’re not happy and let us know. I also say Thank you for supporting our farm. Without our customers we wouldn’t have a farm.
Reviews
Super excited! We are having our first feed of Kohut corn tonight! Watch for it next week at markets!
I love love this! We have had customers say that their kids won't eat veggies but they will eat our veggies 😉 Comment or share your kids favorite veggie. From a customer at Symons Valley Ranch Market and Mercantile My daughter enjoyed your tomato’s so much, she ate one whole this evening.
We have baby field crops, baby tomatoes and we even had nearly baby tomato sized hail at The Market on Macleod ! Stay safe out there and when the weather lets up stop by to get some veggies! We're here 9-5 Thursday to Sunday!
What a deal at The Market on Macleod!! These super tasty preserves are on sale so hurry in! We're here 9-5 Thursday to Sunday!
New potatoes!!!
We are set up in 2 locations today. Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers Market and @airdriefarmersmarket
We had a fun evening with all of our staff! Both our farm staff and @oldsuptownemarket staff! Thanks to our local Carstairs Steak and Pizza for a great evening!
All set up at Symons Valley Ranch Market and Mercantile! If you haven't checked it out yet there are 30+ vendors represented under 1 small roof!
Look how bright and beautiful everything looks this morning at The Market on Macleod! Come by and visit us from 9-5 Thursday through Sunday every weekend to get some colour in your life (and food in your tummy)!
All set up today at @airdriefarmersmarket and at hillhurst
We have worked with Ken for several years now. We are a Symons Valley Ranch Market and Mercantile vendor as well as a The Market on Macleod vendor until the end of October. Avenida will be our new home in the south later this fall when it opens. 😊😊
Have you been eating your (micro) greens? We have a great selection at our The Market on Macleod location!
We'll be open until 5pm so stop by for your last minute veggie needs!
All fresh stocked up at Symons Valley Ranch Market and Mercantile! New this week is beet bunches, onions and zucchini that was picked this morning! We are soooo thankful to have this location. 💜
We get asked why plastic all of the time. We realize we have plastic problems. Some things we can change and some things we can't... like our cucumbers. A half hour out of the plastic and look at the difference. 🥒
If you are from Didsbury to Bowden, Torrington to Sundre we have a great FRESH selection of our veggies available at Oldsuptownemarket! Open 5 days a week, Tuesday to Saturday 10 to 5!
Some pretty things coming out of the garden this week!
Need a break from the hustle and bustle of the Stampede? Stop by The Market on Macleod for some fresh Alberta veggies!
Such good, fresh produce. Super friendly people! My favorites have been the peppers and carrots. Really recommend signing up for their weekly food box!
Love the freshness we've bought at local markets
Dawn is the best love the cucumbers
Love picking up grape tomatoes and other ridiculously tasty and fresh veggies from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley Market. Also got to go to their open house today and see their giant greenhouse and excellent operation. Very friendly too!
Just purchased from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley pop up market some fresh basil, green beans and tomatoes. They were all wonderful, so fresh and tasty, thank you, we will be back!!
I have a serious problem with the grape tomatoes. I'm highly addicted, best flavor ever. I purchase from AG foods often and start to panick if they are low or run out haha! Great wholesome products. Will tell everyone!!!!
Freshest, tastiest produce....EVER!
Loved the borscht I made a few weeks ago with your beets (the beef marinade was spiked with a splash of Jack Daniels instead of red wine...OMG, the beets approved).
The corn I bought today....scrumptious! Looking forward to making a corn & salmon chowder. Not a moment too soon! Frost & cooler temperatures have arrived in Calgary!
Thank you for the quality and variety of vegetables!
Favorite stop at the Bearspaw Farmers Market!
Friendly staff......awesome, clean produce!
Their Kale is perfection ���
Best veggies EVER! Fresh, juicy, like you grew them in your own backyard. And the friendliness and customer service is bar none. So happy Shirley's Greenhouses are in and around our local communities to provide such a great service with wonderful products!
Best grape tomatoes I have ever tasted. We eat them like candy, more addictive than chips. My kids even eat them... that says a lot. I drive 40 minutes just for tomatoes. That good. Of course I pick up other veggies also. Today I picked up Kale for dinner that was picked today, and beautiful yellow low acid tomatoes along with some beefsteak tomatoes and grape tomatoes for salads. Mini cucumbers for kids lunches are awesome. Thank you for feeding our family healthy natural food locally.... AND I must mention fantastically nice people. I couldn't rave enough about the awesomeness...
Such good, fresh produce. Super friendly people! My favorites have been the peppers and carrots. Really recommend signing up for their weekly food box!
Love the freshness we've bought at local markets
Dawn is the best love the cucumbers
Love picking up grape tomatoes and other ridiculously tasty and fresh veggies from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley Market. Also got to go to their open house today and see their giant greenhouse and excellent operation. Very friendly too!
Just purchased from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley pop up market some fresh basil, green beans and tomatoes. They were all wonderful, so fresh and tasty, thank you, we will be back!!
I have a serious problem with the grape tomatoes. I'm highly addicted, best flavor ever. I purchase from AG foods often and start to panick if they are low or run out haha! Great wholesome products. Will tell everyone!!!!
Freshest, tastiest produce....EVER!
Loved the borscht I made a few weeks ago with your beets (the beef marinade was spiked with a splash of Jack Daniels instead of red wine...OMG, the beets approved).
The corn I bought today....scrumptious! Looking forward to making a corn & salmon chowder. Not a moment too soon! Frost & cooler temperatures have arrived in Calgary!
Thank you for the quality and variety of vegetables!
Favorite stop at the Bearspaw Farmers Market!
Friendly staff......awesome, clean produce!
Their Kale is perfection ���
Best veggies EVER! Fresh, juicy, like you grew them in your own backyard. And the friendliness and customer service is bar none. So happy Shirley's Greenhouses are in and around our local communities to provide such a great service with wonderful products!
Best grape tomatoes I have ever tasted. We eat them like candy, more addictive than chips. My kids even eat them... that says a lot. I drive 40 minutes just for tomatoes. That good. Of course I pick up other veggies also. Today I picked up Kale for dinner that was picked today, and beautiful yellow low acid tomatoes along with some beefsteak tomatoes and grape tomatoes for salads. Mini cucumbers for kids lunches are awesome. Thank you for feeding our family healthy natural food locally.... AND I must mention fantastically nice people. I couldn't rave enough about the awesomeness...
Such good, fresh produce. Super friendly people! My favorites have been the peppers and carrots. Really recommend signing up for their weekly food box!
Love the freshness we've bought at local markets
Dawn is the best love the cucumbers
Love picking up grape tomatoes and other ridiculously tasty and fresh veggies from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley Market. Also got to go to their open house today and see their giant greenhouse and excellent operation. Very friendly too!
Just purchased from Shirley's Greenhouse at Symon's Valley pop up market some fresh basil, green beans and tomatoes. They were all wonderful, so fresh and tasty, thank you, we will be back!!
I have a serious problem with the grape tomatoes. I'm highly addicted, best flavor ever. I purchase from AG foods often and start to panick if they are low or run out haha! Great wholesome products. Will tell everyone!!!!
Freshest, tastiest produce....EVER!
Loved the borscht I made a few weeks ago with your beets (the beef marinade was spiked with a splash of Jack Daniels instead of red wine...OMG, the beets approved).
The corn I bought today....scrumptious! Looking forward to making a corn & salmon chowder. Not a moment too soon! Frost & cooler temperatures have arrived in Calgary!
Thank you for the quality and variety of vegetables!
Favorite stop at the Bearspaw Farmers Market!
Friendly staff......awesome, clean produce!
Their Kale is perfection ���
Best veggies EVER! Fresh, juicy, like you grew them in your own backyard. And the friendliness and customer service is bar none. So happy Shirley's Greenhouses are in and around our local communities to provide such a great service with wonderful products!
Best grape tomatoes I have ever tasted. We eat them like candy, more addictive than chips. My kids even eat them... that says a lot. I drive 40 minutes just for tomatoes. That good. Of course I pick up other veggies also. Today I picked up Kale for dinner that was picked today, and beautiful yellow low acid tomatoes along with some beefsteak tomatoes and grape tomatoes for salads. Mini cucumbers for kids lunches are awesome. Thank you for feeding our family healthy natural food locally.... AND I must mention fantastically nice people. I couldn't rave enough about the awesomeness...