LIVERMORE FALLS — Roland Chretien is getting older. His brothers are, too.

The family started Chretien & Sons Greenhouse 26 years ago and grew it into a viable business.

The work is physically challenging and labor intensive. And with nieces and nephews and grandchildren having their own vocations, and not interested in taking over, the family thought it best to put the business up for sale.

“Physically for the past three years I have gone down hill and everyone else is in the same age bracket,” Chretien, 72, the oldest, said.

They plan to continue to run the business until they find a buyer. They do have someone interested who is trying to buy the place. The price is $350,000, which includes the Chretien’s parents’ house and all buildings.

It all started one year when Roland and his wife, Sandy Chretien grew some vegetables in their solar-attached greenhouse at their home. When they found they had too many, they brought them to the Chretien family’s chicken coup on Hinkley Hill on Route 133 and put them outside.

“They were gone within no time,” Roland Chretien said.

The family, including father, Leo Chretien who died in 1995, decided to remove the two top floors of the three-story coup, since the chicken business was gone, and fill half of the building with plants.

“Those were gone in no time,” he said.

From there the Chretiens developed the main greenhouse, which is 36 feet wide and 244 feet long. In subsequent years they put up eight more.

After the first three greenhouses, Chretien said, he read an article that said do not plant on a hillside because of the walking and moving up hill.

He understands the reasoning. In less than an hour, Chretien already had walked the hill three times Thursday morning.

In between, the retired math teacher watered plants. His wife planted one seed at a time in plug trays nearby. Two helpers hauled plants to other greenhouses.

Since Monday, nearly four of them have been filled.

In the early years, his father was retired and worked the greenhouse full-time. Chretien and his brothers worked at jobs and came in afterward to help. Other members of the family including wives also pitched in.

“We have always opened for Easter until July,” Roland Chretien said. “Then we open again in September for mums and usually stay open through October. We open again in November for poinsettias. We start in planting seeds in January and it starts all over again.”

They plant everything from alyssum to zinnias including vegetables.

“We are one of the few greenhouses that do begonia pillows for memorials,” he said.

They also do two different flower bags, where the flowers grow out of a bag.

They bring in some of their plants as plugs from the outside because of patent restrictions.

“Once we get going, we put in at least 10 hours a day from about the end of March until July,” he said. “May is the month we rely on financially.” People are ready to plant then, and there’s Mother’s Day and Memorial Day.

It is the month that they break even and gain a profit. Chretien walked up the dirt driveway and opened the door to a greenhouse where potted tulips, daffodils and Easter lilies sat. Chretien said they keep the temperature down so it stops them from opening up too quickly.

In another greenhouse, rows of growing petunias were strategically placed.

The newest greenhouse built three years ago at the top of the hill is one of their best.

“We did a lot of new things that are not done in the others,” Chretien said. “Under the cement there is 2 inches of Styrofoam. We grow only tomatoes in this house. This building here has all the bells and whistles.”

dperry@sunjournal.com

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