WATER, SUN, soil, and lots of love is all it takes to grow plants. It’s even better in a greenhouse, designed to foster the growth of flowers, herbs, succulents, and other green stems of life. For some, that relaxing pastime can become a hobby; it’s easy to suddenly have a garden in your backyard. For others, that hobby becomes a family business that lasts four decades. That’s the story of the Davis family in Shelbyville. A simple bargain and a backyard greenhouse sprouted a family business.
When Richard Davis was younger, his mother and sister wanted a greenhouse in their backyard to grow their new plants. Richard’s father, A. Glover Davis Jr., made a deal with his wife and daughter. If they could make money from selling what they grow, he would get them an even bigger greenhouse for the backyard. Richard’s mother and sister, Martha and Loraine, got to work, planting vegetables in the greenhouse. They kept a watchful eye on the greenhouse in hopes of growing healthy and tasty veggies for the community. Then, Glover stepped in to help spread the veggies to buyers while he was on his mailing route. “[My dad] would let people know we would have certain plants. They’d tell him how many they wanted. He would carry them and drop them off whenever he was by their house,” Richard said.
Word spread around Shelbyville that the Davis family was selling fresh vegetables. The family would then let local stores sell their plants, and they’d later pick up the profits. The business was growing, just like the seeds in the greenhouse.
It didn’t take much time before Glover had to keep up his end of the deal. He happily purchased an even bigger greenhouse for his family. The hobby was starting to bring in money, and people around town were excited for their next batch of fresh produce. Then Martha and Loraine added flowers to the mix. Fast forward forty-two years and that greenhouse is now a family- owned and operated business with close to 25,000 square feet of greenhouse space.
Now, M&L Greenhouse hosts educational classes on plants, vegetables, gardening, and more. The students begin with picking out a pot. They learn about the different options of flowers and vegetables, pick which seed they want, and take the planted seed home in their new pot. Nested in the nutritious soil, the seed will hopefully sprout for the young students in the weeks after taking it home.
The Davis’s greenhouse lives on, spreading soil, growth, and love throughout Shelbyville. The flowers sit in pots and gardens for homes and businesses everywhere, letting Richard’s family plant love in Bedford County for another forty years. -GN
