History of Blazecka's Greenhouses
Mrs. Fernande Blazecka
It was in 1926 that Mrs Fernande Blazecka’s (nee Jadot) grandfather, Fernand Platriez established the first greenhouses in Cochrane. The greenhouses were made of glass back then and the seedlings were sold in the quantity that the customer required and wrapped in newspaper to take home. Mr. & Mrs. Platriez both had green thumbs as their vast perennial gardens clearly articulated. Many wedding parties had their group photos taken against the breathtaking backgrounds of the Platriez’s flower gardens.
In 1965, John and Fernande Blazecka continued her grandfather’s passion. This family business “grew” from the glass greenhouse structures to cold frames and then to the hoop-framed, double poly structures you see today. In the early years, the soil used to grow in was black topsoil that was shovelled into pasteurizers and cooked for a period of time to kill off any weeds and bacteria before it was used to seed in.
In 1965, John and Fernande Blazecka continued her grandfather’s passion. This family business “grew” from the glass greenhouse structures to cold frames and then to the hoop-framed, double poly structures you see today. In the early years, the soil used to grow in was black topsoil that was shovelled into pasteurizers and cooked for a period of time to kill off any weeds and bacteria before it was used to seed in.
|
In the early 1980’s, Blazecka’s Greenhouses became a grower of tree seedlings for the Ministry of Natural Resources for about 15 years. This was when the third generation, Patrick Blazecka, joined into the business. During this time, Blazecka’s also began growing nuclear seed potatoes for the Ministry of Agriculture. This nuclear seed was the first growing stage of the disease free seed potatoes from the New Liskeard Spud Lab.
|
Patrick Blazecka, 1989
|
Today, the greenhouses continue to “grow”, still seeding all their own bedding plants to provide the community with quality, locally grown plants. The Blazecka Family (Patrick and Christina) and staff would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and patronage over the years, and hope to be serving the Cochrane community for many years to come. Thank you!
Blacecka family - Christina, Patrick, Andreya, Fernande, Jonathan and John.
