As a grade school student planting a bean seed in a paper cup was my initial introduction and still remains my first memory about growing plants. My dad always had a garden and a yard full of fruit trees which actually provided for the family especially during the long Bethlehem Steel strike in 1959. About 1972 I had the opportunity to get the small greenhouse which had been used by the Marion Le
rch family, a regular vendor at the historic South Side Market on 3rd Street in Bethlehem. With this "new" greenhouse I reconstructed on my grandparents' property there was an increasing volume of plants grown and so did the demand from my fellow teachers at Northeast Jr. High , neighbors and family friends.A small addition was added to the original greenhouse in 1974 and a decision was made to sell at Q-Mart. In 1974 after the purchase of a neighboring property a much larger greenhouse was erected and provided ample room to meet customer demand until a fire destroyed it in February 1995. I rebuilt and was again in plant production by the spring of 1996. After the summer of 2002 I thought my market days were over. However thanks to a small newspaper ad asking for vendors to help save the Easton Farmers' Market, I responded to that ad. Ed and I became one of the handful of vendors whose participation saved the Easton Farmers' Market in 2003! We have always offered a unique variety of house plants, annual and perennial flowers plus vegetable plants for spring planting at reasonable prices to help those with modest incomes. Later in the summer and into the fall we offer home grown vegetables and apples. We do not typically offer huge quantities of any item so " the early bird gets the worm." In 2021 another new opportunity has presented itself and although Backyard Growers will no longer be in Easton, if anyone would like information as to when and where you can connect with us, just send a message!!
