On October 1, the sale of the land, house and greenhouse was closed. The process was tense until the very end. The Chinese families who bought the property initially wanted to grow marijuana in the greenhouses. But the market for this has collapsed in the past year due to overproduction. Two weeks before the transfer, the buyers came by for a final viewing. They asked if they could take over our crops.
Unfortunately for them, we had sold it to a local grower a few weeks earlier. The potting machine and supplies for cultivation have been taken over by the new grower. The mother stock plants of Hibiscus and Ficus have also moved. We propagated cuttings that were ready to be potted. We are also working on the planning and purchasing of the Bromeliads. In the meantime, he is working on the necessary changes in the greenhouse.
October 6 and 7, the 40th Canadian Greenhouse Conference was organized online. Due to COVID-19, in Ontario restrictions are still in effect: face masks, keeping your distance, avoiding visitors. Government employees are required to be vaccinated as the best protection for public health. Restaurant visits and travel within Canada is only possible for double-vaccinated (74%) both by plane and by train. The people comply with these rules.
At the end of September, we moved to our townhouse in Simcoe. Work at the new location is making good progress, but the progress is slow. The plan was to finish construction of the warehouse before we moved. The high-voltage cable for the electrical connection is buried on our land. Now the utility company can start building 4 hydro poles along the provincial highway. Windows and doors will be installed next week. We notice that delivery and work are taking more time due to COVID and increased demand. Hopefully the warehouse will be finished in early December.
Due to the extreme rainfall in September and October, the amount of water during the construction of the warehouse was a challenge. The water in the municipal drain system that runs through our property almost overflowed last week. Fortunately, we have taken high water into account in our plans. The warehouse is built 60 cm higher than the rest of the land and a water collection pond has been dug for better water management. In the end, it is in our Dutch nature to manage the water.
Angelle van Kleef,
Ontario, Canada
