Goodwin Family's First Every Plant Sale on April 27th is a Heartwarming Tale of Family, Gardening and Community Support
Editor's Note: This article contains shameless self promotion. :)
By Cole Goodwin
The Dalles, Ore., April 26, 2024 – Hi ya’ll! My family and I are super excited to share our passion for all things nature, plants and gardening with our friends and neighbors at our first ever plant sale on April 27th, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at 300 W 21st St in The Dalles, OR! We will have a delightful assortment of locally nurtured indoor and outdoor plants, lovingly tended by all of us in the Goodwin family!
How it all began:
This winter I was talking to my Dad, Brian Goodwin about how broke I am despite working full time at CCCNews as a journalist and how I wanted to start a side hustle but I felt super intimidated and overwhelmed by the idea of taking anything new because of my already packed schedule.
Plus if I’m being totally honest, I felt some guilt too and wondered if I should be putting that energy towards my business CCCNews instead.
But my Dad and my Mom, Sue-Ann Rodriguez Goodwin, convinced me to take a chance and try something new. And after some back and forth we came up with the idea of doing something we all enjoy: gardening!
So we decided to embark on a journey to create something special – a family garden that would not only bring us closer together but also enrich the lives and gardens of our community.
It took some work, and some aesthetic sacrifices but we transformed part of my parents kitchen into an indoor grow space. And for a few weeks while the seedlings grew, my parents' kitchen smelled like…well, wet garden dirt. Luckily my parents are very cool about these kinds of things.
With each plant's growth, so too grew our bond as a family.
In fact, repotting day has now become a cherished family memory of mine. I remember as we began to move the root bound seedlings into their 4 inch pots it began to hail horribly and we all paused and just kind of stared out at the sky in awe and listened to the hail pinging off the tin roof as the temperature dropped a notch. My mom and I put our hands to catch the falling ice in our hands and watch it melt.
And in the background my Dad could be lamenting the wheat he’d planted, doubtless done in now by the hail.
But before the plants could be moved into the greenhouse, a bit of renovation was in order. If you know my dad, he is a master of repurposing materials. So, our greenhouse is a bit of a mish-mash of various bits of free wood, metal, windows, and insulation and periodically things have to be reworked. Thankfully, he’d had the foresight to pick a sunny day for us some weeks ahead of time to repaint our steel grate shelving so that our plants could rest securely and we could keep the space rust-free. Thanks Dad!
After moving some things around we got the plants snugly settled in their new home, complete with a gentle fan and a vintage radio to serenade them with classical music to help them grow strong and well cultured! (They especially love string instrument music.)
Now weeks have passed and those plants are getting big and are ready to head home to people’s gardens. Which is exciting….and a bit nerve wracking. If people don’t show up…We’ll have hundreds of plants to deal with and we’ll be out some cash.
But while I have some nervousness about the financial outcome, (please God let us at least break even) I know the true success of this endeavor lies in the journey we've embarked upon as a family.
This adventure has made me realize that it’s one thing to spend time doing frivolous things as a family…but it’s something else entirely to work towards a common goal together.
It’s been great to see how well we work well as a team. And how we know how to play on each other's strengths and weaknesses.
My Dad really took on the role of the spreadsheet, soil science, math guy and greenhouse manager. And my Mom is really good at adding a touch of elegance and order to the operation, crafting labels and making things look pretty. She’s also the houseplant propagation master. And me? Well like both my parents I’ve gotten my hands in the dirt and done a bit of everything, but I’ve filled the marketing gap need and worked on making fliers, setting up our social media, and the fb ads side of things. (Truthfully I could have done more. I slacked a bit on the marketing and social because of the aforementioned guilt and busy schedule. Sorry everyone! Hopefully it’s still a success!)
(Also luckily within minutes of posting our sale to facebook we already had 50 followers and people reaching out saying they would be there! It was a good feeling to see our community show interest in our hardwork! So thank you all!)
Overall, I'd say it just feels really good to do something like this together and to show up and support each other in doing something we love to do.
We’re also excited because my Grandma is coming down from Umatilla to visit us and support our plant sale this weekend! She’s worked at Walmart for over 30 years so maybe she’ll volunteer to help me at the register, so to speak! (By the way we’re keeping it low tech so our sale is cash only.)
If we have any remaining plants I hope to send my Grammie home with some as a thank you for all her support not just in the plant sale but for all those years of being the best Grandma I could ask for.
So…yeah. I hope you all come to our plant sale this weekend!
I think that for me, it’s going to be more than just a market, but a testament to the power of family, community, and the simple joys of getting your hands in the dirt, planting a seed, and watching it grow.
Hope to see you there!
Learn more about us and what plant varieties we’ll have at our sale at: https://www.facebook.com/GoodwinFamilyGardens/
About Goodwin Family Gardens:
Goodwin Family Gardens is a newly established small family adventure based in The Dalles, Oregon based on a shared passion for gardening and a commitment to community, they aim to provide locally grown, high-quality plants to enrich local lives and spaces.
