10/18/2026
Recently, while looking for something else I found a manila envelope with an eclectic group of pictures, my high school diploma, how that got in this batch of "stuff" will remain a mystery the rest of my days, lol, and several articles of press from my Goetz ancestors and their truck farming greenhouse range next door.
I never knew great grandpa Fred, only memories of his room that had the look and feel of the 1890's.
Grandpa Bill passed away when I was about 5.
My uncles Harry and Lester ran the business together until 1969 when Harry slipped on some plastic while working on their truck and fell on a screwdriver that killed him.
To this day that hits my mind every time I carry one reminding me to keep that point safe.
"Hey kid! Don't run with scissors! They're dangerous!"..
They are...
With Harry gone Lester just couldn't handle the two man operation and took a job firing a boiler and moved away..
Through the 70's Grandma still lived in the brick house and Harry's wife and kids lived in the frame and the greenhouses deteriorated into w**ds and overgrowth..
Even though it was sad to watch them die it still gives me a chuckle that one of the hippy guys down the street had a hidden patch of his w**d among the rest of the w**ds.. 🌿🤣
When Grandma died in the late 70's the place was sold off and cut three ways.
The back end where the greenhouses were went GFS on Winton Rd., the two houses and the barn went to a fellow who collected Crosleys and King Midgets which he stored in the barn and his daughter and her family moved in.
The side field came to us.
I went to same spot that the photographer stood when he took the picture for this article back in '56 and took the same view as it stands today for reference.
During my lifetime I've watched dozens of these family greenhouse ranges fade into the realm of history.
What really killed them was the interstate highway system which allowed the factory farms of the south and west to truck produce in at prices that could not support the local truck growers.
I remember the few that were left in the 90's occasionally composting a crop because market price for lettuce was less than the cost of cutting and shipping it.
Today there are some niche fresh market growers adopting the vegetable farming lifestyle which is why I cannot state any more proudly and loudly to support your local growers and other small businesses! And take them cash! Those fees add up.
Bless you for doing so! 🙏
I'm kind of in an "ancestral" mode right now since Helen just passed this Sunday morning at 93 so I'll be making some history posts from the family archive
She fell and broke her leg last week and went rapidly downhill from dementia to alzheimers and complete systems fails throughout her mind and body.
At 93 she had a good run and up until this past week she had good quality of life in her own home which ain't such a bad way to "cross the finish line"..
God love her, we sure did/do.. :)🙏
I hope you enjoy these posts and the glimpse into the lives and times of these truck farming people that called themselves "gardeners". 🌿
Enjoy this lovely fall weather my friends!
'til next time,
Happy gardening!
al
