April 10
The greenhouse will open April 22, but, there are some rules that need to be explained.
The following is our plan of operation as long as schools remain closed in Iowa.
Obviously this spring has been a trying experience for all of us and our new “normal” is not always the easiest or most accessible.
After much discussion with Mr. Hoeger, we have decided to open the greenhouse business starting Wednesday, April 22, using two methods of selling to the public:
Option 1 is our preferred method and will be curbside pick-up.
Curbside pick-up orders will need to be placed at least a day in advance and will be available to be picked up during the following time slots: M-F from 10:00 – 11:00 am or 4:30-6:00 pm.
Saturday’s time slot is from 10:00 – 11:30 am.
Although not necessarily the most user-friendly, it offers us the safest way to practice the state’s rules regarding COVID 19.
To assist our customers, we will be posting a list and picture albums on Facebook of all the products available in the greenhouse, prices and information about the plants.
We have expanded this past year and are carrying quite a few new plants and color options.
You will need to send your order with all of the specifics and your desired pick-up time to the following email address: elise.boulton@montezuma.k12.ia.us.
Elise and Mia Boulton will assemble this information, forward it to Mr. Swenson, and send you an invoice for payment.
We will start taking curb side orders April 19.
The school does not have the ability to process credit cards or debit cards. Therefore, checks or exact change will work best. Please put either one in an envelope with your name on it and we will have an area for you to drop off your payment.
Option 2 is by appointment only. We will schedule appointments every hour for a maximum of three customers per hour time slot.
When setting an appointment, please understand we are scheduling for one person unless otherwise noted.
At this time, according to the state’s guidelines, our campus is closed to all students and minors. The greenhouse will follow this policy, also. As much as we would like to see the kids back, we just cannot allow them in school-operated facilities under any circumstance.
All customers will need to wear face masks and gloves to enter the greenhouse facilities. Gloves will be provided, however, face masks must be provided by the customer.
Mr. Swenson will be the only one working the greenhouse at this point and will be there to assist with questions and check-outs. In order to schedule an appointment, you must call or text Mr. Swenson at 641-990-6236 and work through the time slots with him.
Daily time slots will be: M-F: 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm. We will not start taking reservations for time slots until Monday, April 20.
Please note: walk-up customers or visitors to the greenhouse will not be allowed. We simply cannot have extra people around and our business is not set up to comply with social distancing and/or gatherings of 10 or more people.
Obviously, this is not the way we wanted to open the season, but it is what we have to deal with. Please understand that this is all new to us as well, and we are committed to making this work and still serve our customers as best we can. We will have multiple updates to the Facebook page next week.
Some of the more common questions we have been asked are:
Will we still do custom fill orders? The answer is yes!!!
Will we still do specialty arrangements and planters? The answer is yes and we will try to picture these on Facebook.
Will we still do our traditional “Mother’s Day” stuff – yes we will.
The Montezuma FFA thanks you for your understanding with this very difficult situation. If you have questions or concerns – please contact Mr. Swenson at 641-990-6236.
We would encourage you to forward this and help us spread the word.
Once again, we look forward to helping you with your planting selections again this year and hope all of you are well and staying safe.