“It’s great providing a finished product that people can take home with them and enjoy,” said Toine Overgaag, whose family-owned Westerlay Orchids provides 2.5 million orchids a year to the Western United States and British Columbia, primarily through supermarkets. Currently, there are more than 200,000 orchids of different sizes and varieties in Westerlay’s Carpinteria greenhouses, as the industry prepares for the busiest time of the year: Mother’s Day.
“Every day in the greenhouse is a new challenge,” said Overgaag, “but the climate here is great for growing, and it’s well located between the north and south markets.”
See for yourself this Saturday, April 18, as greenhouses across Carpinteria — known as America’s flower basket — open their doors for free, family-friendly tours. For details, see carpinteriafarmtours.com.