Farmer JoAnn

A chill wind blew across the fields as I walked from my car and into the warm greenhouse on County Road G outside of Bryan, Ohio. Long tables of lush plants growing in pots, boxes and flats lined both sides of the shelter and paraded down the middle in vibrant colors. There’s something about a greenhouse that touches the senses of gardeners and gets the endorphins pumping with excitement.

JoAnn Beucler, busy at the other end of the greenhouse looked up and hurried to the front to greet my grandson, Redding and me. JoAnn, the owner of Farmer JoAnn greenhouses has been selling plants for 20 years. She started with a 50-foot greenhouse and has expanded her business to 375 feet, which includes a 50-foot shade house. JoAnn passionately shares growing tips, new varieties, and flower and foliage suggestions for hanging baskets and containers.

I talked to JoAnn about the tough economic times and her business, but her concern lay with the cold spring northwest Ohio has been experiencing. As I squeezed a thyme leaf between my fingers the scent escaped and filled my senses with the delicious aroma, I listened to her exuberant talk about tomatoes. The majority of her plant sales come from tomato and pepper plants. She currently carries 14 varieties of tomatoes in three sizes.

JoAnn and her son, Pete, start most of the plants from seeds, nurturing the seedlings until ready to sell. All the vegetable plants sold, started right there on the farm. Many of the annual plants available for purchase began as seeds inside her greenhouses. She carries between 50 and 75 different perennials, some she divided from existing plants on the farm.

Who could walk into the greenhouse and not look up? Over 300 hanging baskets grace the air space creating a riot of color. You can find beautiful mixed pots of flowers in six sizes, the largest one a large round 21 inches.

For foodies that love to cook, Farmer JoAnn offers an array of pepper varieties: Hungarian wax, jalapeno, habaneras, along with green and red bells, and some usnual ones just waiting to be grown and harvested for hot, spicy dishes. Popular culinary herbs like chives, sage, thyme, and rosemary offer home chefs a reason to start that herb garden or plant a few in a pot outside the kitchen door.

Farmer JoAnn offers so much for gardeners. Her expertise and knowledge is an added bonus that makes her plants that much more desirable. She’s keeping her prices low in order to compete, but don’t let the price fool you. Farmer JoAnn offers quality plants tended with passion and a genuine love of growing things. Now that’s something you won’t find at big box stores that sell plants.

You can find Farmer JoAnn 3.6 miles outside of Bryan at 13390 Country Road G off Ohio route 15

Garden Beginnings

As the world faces economic woes, individuals and families are doing their part to lighten the fiscal load. Grocery shopping puts a big dent into the budget and with soaring prices, opting to start a garden gets people back to nature. There have been surveys and articles written concerning the cost of gardening versus buying, but beyond the cost is knowing exactly what you’re putting on the table. If you’re a first-time gardener, getting started may seem daunting. You will have trials, tribulations, and triumphs. You will get dirt beneath your fingernails, a sore back, and joy from watching seedlings sprout.

My brother and his wife, Bill & Judy, are starting a garden from scratch. Follow along as I give weekly updates sharing with you building raised beds and how their garden grows.

Location, Location, Location
Let’s start with the location. A successful garden begins with a location conducive to growing. Your garden needs:

1. A level location.


2. At least six hours of sun each day.


3. Well-drained area. Plants with their feet wet tend to wither and turn yellow.


4. Rich soil.


5. A handy water supply.


6. As weed-free as possible. Do not to resort to using pesticides or herbicides to kill weeds, instead find a location well away from existing weeds. Remove sod before planting seeds and plants.

Preparing the Garden Location
Before you can plant, you need to layout your garden. Decide how large you want it to be. Will you build raise beds or add amenities to your existing soil? Take a sample of soil to your county’s Cooperative Extension office. You can find the closest Cooperative Extension office to you by using this site.

Go the do-it-yourself route with a soil testing kit from a garden center.

After testing the soil, you’ll receive a printout of the composition of your soil and what you need to do to make it fertile and ready for planting.

Garden Layout
How your garden looks is up to you. Most vegetables gardens are rectangular and lined with rows of vegetables. There’s the four square layout with paths running between beds, the three sister method of planting corn, beans, and squash, and whatever shape and size suits you and your yard.

Bill & Judy’s Garden
Bill & Judy decided on raised beds. After choosing the best location that met all the criteria, they measured out four rectangles using string and sticks. A can of orange paint marked the grass providing a guide for digging.

Once all four beds were marked off and the soil dry enough, Bill & Judy took turns tilling the ground. You may opt to spade off the top sod first and then till the soil. Once the soil was turned over, they plucked out grass and allowed the soil to dry.

Welcome to My Corner

Almost every house I’ve ever lived in was on a corner. I grew up in a big white house on a corner in a rural northwest Ohio town. One day I drove up a winding lane to a bigger farmhouse that had rested on a corner for well over a hundred years. This house became my home for over 20 years...the place where we’d raise children, he’d raise cattle and I’d raise flowers and herbs. I moved to a cottage on Cape Cod, after the end of my marriage, and it too sat nestled among trees and brush on a corner. Even now, I live in a small home on a corner, in yet another rural town. Yes, corner homes are as much a part of my life as my love for gardening and entertaining is, so why not name this blog The Cottage on the Corner…it suits my life and it satisfies my soul.

Once upon a time, a shop called Windy Corner herbs & flowers grew from a passionate hobby. A small building on the farm became a quaint location for the spill over from the garden. We installed a wood floor, brought light in with new windows, and added a heavy door of wood planks with a wrought iron door pull inviting guests to come in. New walls received a coat of paint and a stencil at the top. An old wood counter from a general store added flavor and much needed storage. I filled the shop with books on herbs and flowers, whimsical garden accessories, plants in the spring, and all manner of wreaths, garlands, and designs fashioned from flowers I dried or preserved. Potpourris, herbs and spices in bulk, and flowers hanging from wooden beams scented the air. Yes, I loved my shop and I miss it. Although, I no longer have my fragrant escape into the world I love so much, my goal is to recreate a similar experience through blogging.

I have no idea what path this blog might take and that’s half the fun…the mystery of what lies around the next corner. I hope by sharing my love for gardening and entertaining I’ll bring something new or so old that it was forgotten to the table. At the very least, I hope to delight you and encourage you to grow a few flowers and herbs, invite a friend for tea, and take a moment to smell the lavender.