Swift
Greenhouses, Inc.
phone
HISTORY OF SWIFT
GREENHOUSES, INC.
1950 In 1952, Earl and Mildred Swift
purchased a small greenhouse from John and Audy Zesch, which included 15,000
square feet of glass greenhouses and a clientele of grocery stores and 
seed stores
who purchased plants out of the back of John's pick-up. This was the beginning of Swift Greenhouses,
Inc., in
Earl prepared all year long for
the short sales period which consisted of the month of May. He primarily grew vegetables for gardens in
Central and West Central Iowa. Over the
years he added several basic varieties of bedding 
plants
and even a few varieties of perennial crops.
The plants were sown and grown in homemade wooden trays and were then
uprooted and sold by the dozen. These
open trays gave way to individual wooden boxes which, in turn, led to the
plastic packs and pots of today.
1960 In 1965,
Earl Swift sold the business to his son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Carol
Swift. Earl passed away in 1969. Carol and Larry kept the greenhouse
operational at a steady pace with few changes until the 1970s when the
“Houseplant” fad hit.
1970 Larry added houseplants to the
operation in 1972, a decision that allowed him to turn Swifts from a small,
part-time, seasonal business into an expanded, full-time greenhouse operation.
In 1973, a new head house was added - the first structural expansion in over 20
years!
The new house made production and
distribution more efficient, providing a more favorable environment for further
expansion. Three of the next four years
experienced the addition of new, double poly greenhouses as Swift's grew from
15,000 to 44,000 square feet (just over one acre) of greenhouse space.
In the fall of 1979, disaster struck.
A fire claimed the offices, planting area, and most of the original
glass structure and Swifts was forced to close the doors in order to
rebuild. When Swifts reopened the
following spring, a new gutter connected greenhouse with a plastic roof had
been built. Meanwhile, a new vision was
developing in the horticulture industry - the houseplant market was fading and
garden plants were making a comeback.
With the increasing
popularity of bedding plants and perennials, new production methods 
were
being tested. The concept was to give
each seedling starter plant its own
root system (cell) so that each plant remained virtually undisturbed
during transplanting. This marked the
end of tearing roots apart
when removing each plant from the tray which, in turn, produced healthier
plants that finished faster in the pot.
Thus, the "plug" was created.
Swifts had been experimenting
with plugs before the fire and continued working on this new technology during
their rebuilding. Over the next few
years, Swifts concentrated on expanding their annual and perennial potted plant
production while their seedling plug technology expanded and the plug market
developed into a permanent product listing.
1980 In 1987,
Larry and Carol's eldest son, Scott, joined the business, taking over much of
production while continually fine-tuning Swifts plug processes. A 22,000 square foot plug range was added in
1989 as Swifts plunged full force into the plug production world. This new facility was equipped with grow
lights, rolling benches with root zone heat, a shade/energy curtain, automatic
watering and computerized temperature controls.
2000 Swifts produces nearly 20 million
perennial, herb, and annual seedling plugs per year,
which are sold through brokers and shipped to greenhouses in all 50 states and
Today,
Swift Greenhouses, Inc. has 75 employees during peak season, including all five
members of the Swift family. The current greenhouse structures consist of
nearly four acres of plastic and glass growing space. Swifts grow over 
1,300
different varieties of perennials, herbs, and annuals, in both plugs and potted
products. Potted (finished) plants and hanging
baskets are still trucked to greenhouses and garden centers in the spring, just
as Earl's plants once were, with delivery routes expanded to include: most of
Iowa and parts of Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska.
While the sale of these spring
potted plants continues to grow, the perennial plug production is the primary
focus for the remaining nine months of the year. The plants grown over the last 50+ years have
awarded us the reputation for producing reliable, top quality plants; making
Swift Greenhouses, Inc. one of the top 
perennial
producers in the United States.
Remember, Swifts’ plants thrive, as our motto says…