Elzerman’s Grenhouse is located at 3620 VanOrden Road in Webberville. Bill Elzerman is the fourth generation of the family to be in the Greenhouse business. The business was originally located in Plymouth, Michigan. After his grandfather retired in 1959, his dad moved the greenhouses to Webberville. He started the greenhouse business here in 1966. Bill Elzerman joined the business after graduating from M.S.U. in 1971. Now his son Aaron is the fifth generation to be involved in the business.

 

It is a year around business for the owners. Since it is a family operated business there are 7 employees year around. Then they hire 14-16 people during the busy season. Christmas through May is their busiest months. They ship most of their plants during the month of May. Mother’s Day and Memorial Day are really very busy times. Most of their plants are transported to the Detroit area to sell. They also sell to places in Mason, Eaton Rapids, and V’Z in Webberville. When they go to Detroit they usually leave at 4:00am and get home around midnight.

 

Geraniums are their main crop. The workers can plant 20-30 thousand plants in one day. The plants are flown in from Guatemala and other foreign countries. The plants must be inspected before crossing the U.S. border. It takes about 8 weeks for the cuttings to get large enough to sell The first planting takes place right after Thanksgiving.

 

Elzerman’s Greenhouses have 12 computers to help do their operations. They are used to control the temperature and irrigation systems for the plants. They control the amount of sunlight, temperature and water. The climate control computers let them know the temperature inside and outside. They will automatically open or close vents according to the temperature.

 

The Greenhouses cover 2 and one-half acre and are completely filled by February. When you go there you can see over 20,000 flats of geraniums which are 250,000 plants. They also grow some annuals such as alyssum and pansies. They fill over 4,000 hanging baskets.

Greenhouses are called farms and are under the control of the Department of Agriculture. The owners must follow the same guidelines set for farms by the State and Federal Department of Agriculture. They also have the same risks as farmers. They depend upon sunlight and temperature for the plants to grow.

 

The Elzerman family has had an alarm system installed in their greenhouses. The alarm has a sensor in case the temperature drops. The alarm sometimes awakes Mr. Elzerman during the night. He has to do any repair work immediately so they don’t lose their plants. He also carries a beeper to let him know if there is a problem with the temperature. They have generators to use in case of a power failure.

Bill Elzerman enjoys his job because he likes the variety. He also gets to have the joy of starting a plant and is able to see them grow to finish. The only part that he doesn’t enjoy is all the paperwork that you must do for the government. He works hard during the day inside the greenhouse and at night he must do the payroll and other bookkeeping. Mr. Elzerman likes the out-of-doors work the best. He has created a very nice place of business.

 

By Steffen , Mrs. Johnson's class, Webberville Elementary