greenhouse

20 years - a note from Julie

22 years ago, I was looking for a place to build out some greenhouses for my herb and vegetable plant growing operation and came across this field in Hinesburg through a friend of mine, Charley McMartin, who was a stone mason and rented land on the property. The owners, the Ross family, took a bet on me and said a resounding “yes!” when I approached them about putting up a few greenhouses on their property. I built the first three greenhouses in the worst clay mud I have ever seen, and learned a lot about site work and excavators in the process. One man’s flat pad is another man’s deep pool. Words matter. We got through those hurdles and were able to supply plants to our wholesale accounts in 2006. The following year, we built the retail greenhouse, and invited you all to come and shop directly from the grower.

From the first three greenhouses and a team of 4 seasonal people, we have grown to 9 heated greenhouses, 5 unheated tunnels and a staff that grows to 28 during the peak season. We bought the land in 2022 and built out the building that houses our bake shop, offices and staff bathroom. It has been a journey full of people that lift you up when you feel down, plants that nourish every cell of our beings, and all of the ups and downs of weather, cash flow, hail storms, bad deals, the occasional strong drink, and lots of very good times. Thanks so much for following along, growing with us and sharing your garden stories.

We would love to keep the celebration going and invite you to send in photos and stories from your gardens. We will publish them here and on our social media pages if you are willing, but also happy to keep things private if you prefer. Your kind words and enthusiasm has fueled this fever dream since the very beginning.

Here is a fun little peek into our 2026 team, made up of some very veteran members (20 years! 17 years! 12 years!) and a few new folks we are excited to welcome to the crew.

Our crew from 2010….. me, Sophia, Anne, Lily, Danielle, Allison, and Eric. We will be peppering in photos from the way back time machine this year.

The 2024 Season is Opening and we are Celebrating!

Red Wagon Plants is opening for the season on Friday, April 12 at 8am.

Join us on our opening day to enjoy the colors and fragrance of our Spring crops growing. We will have many cold hardy flowers, herb and vegetable starts for sale, as well as all the seeds, soil, pots and tools you need to get the season started. We will open at 8 am.

Stay (or come back) for an evening of music, food and drinks during our opening day party!

Opening Day PARTY starts at 5pm

  • Live music by the Thaya Zalewski Jazz Quartet

  • Farmers & Foragers Food and Drinks

  • Las Hermosas Tacos

  • Caledonia Spirits Cocktails

and of course, good company with many friends, neighbors and gardeners excited to talk about plants.

We aren’t selling tickets for this event, but parking is limited. So please carpool, if you can.

Free flowers for full cars!

Our parking attendants will hand out 4-packs of pansies to every car with 3 or more people. Please carpool with your friends and neighbors because our parking is limited.

Starting April 12 we will be open 8AM - 6PM every day. We look forward to seeing you.

Open (Green)House '24

Join us for a sneak peek into our 2024 season!

We invite you to stroll through our greenhouses to see what’s growing and chase the winter blues away with a hit of green life.

We will be open Saturday, March 30 from 10am to 2pm for a sneak peek and an early season garden pop-up shop.

Free behind-the-scenes tour with Julie at 12pm.

Lily, Julie and Kat will be there to help you out and answer any questions about your upcoming garden dreams.

Our pop-up garden shop will be stocked with seeds, tools, soil, houseplants and early season, cold hardy plants such as pansies and herbs to get your season off to a great start.

Creation Station

During our Open House, we will set up a potting station so that you can make adorable springtime planters for your indoor table scapes.

No need to sign up…this is a free activity with some guidance from Julie, Kat and Lily as needed.

Cost is based on size of basket and amount of plants used.

March 30th - 10 am to 2 pm

Starting Friday, April 12th, we will be open every day from 8 am to 6 pm.

Our Production Team

If you are a regular shopper at RWP, you have likely met the kind and smart people that work in our retail spaces, but you probably have not seen behind the scenes. We have a team of incredible people seeding, planting and growing the plants you take home. It is because of their tremendous work ethic, attention to detail and love of plants, that our plants just hum with vibrancy. Thanks to Sara, Sarah B., Sarah M., Steph, Jill, Chad, Kat, Audrey, and Megan for making the magic happen with your hard work.