The area I live in is called The
Golden Horseshoe, which wraps around the very western tip of Lake Ontario from Niagara to Toronto and beyond in the shape of a horseshoe. It is the most densely populated area in Ontario and has about 20% of the population of Canada as a whole. It is also the most industrialized, though the land here has been claimed to be the best fruit growing soil in all of Ontario. Burlington used to be full of farms and fruit trees (especially apples) and there were many greenhouses, both retail and wholesale.
I don't remember how many wholesale greenhouses were still around when I moved here, but one by one they have all fallen to developers.
Now there is only one left within the city.
This is all that is left of the Unsworth Greenhouses
with the paneless wooden frames decorating the front of the old farmhouse
Although, I am sure the age of the growers had as much to do with the selling off as the value of the land on which they sat.
having wandered inside this
Gracious Retirement Living centre that replaced the greenhouses (since I used their parking lot so I could take the pictures, I thought it only proper to pay them an informal visit) I am now reviewing my retirement plans and savings.....
having wandered inside this Gracious Retirement Living centre that replaced the greenhouses (since I used their parking lot so I could take the pictures, I thought it only proper to pay them an informal visit) I am now reviewing my retirement plans and savings.....
Good thing the government initiated their "green belt" ruling or all our good farmland would be under concrete by now.
ReplyDeleteWe drove from Niagara Falls, NY through Toronto to Peterborough last summer!
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
I always love greenhouses.
ReplyDeleteGold and Green
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team.
I always love greenhouses.
ReplyDeleteGold and Green
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team.
Nice collection of photos. I have have always wonder why they were never called glass houses.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder where we're going to grow food for all these people! But I'm sure you don't want to hear me rant about it. :)
ReplyDeleteEG, don't worry, I would join you in that rant!!
ReplyDeleteAm envious of those vast greenhouses! We have one but it is destined for demolition along with our house, on the bright side we will get a nice new one! :-)
ReplyDeleteIn B.C. we have a freeze on farmland, - unfortunately it is susceptible to abuses if you have enough money and know the right people, and it has not increased the price of agricultural products to farmers. I try only to buy Canadian products from Canadian greenhouses, but wholesalers buy where it's cheapest, and our local store only carries Mexican greenhouse tomatoes. But I guess those are pretty fancy condos and retirement centres!!!!
ReplyDeleteI hate the thought of greenhouses being demolished.
ReplyDeleteTerrific photos and information.
It's sad. I love wandering through the humid air of a greenhouse, surrounded by all those growing things.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting though disturbing post ~ I think tearing down all those wonderful greenhouses and covering all that rich, arable, productive land with yet more developments is (or should be) criminal! So I'd like to join in the group rant too!
ReplyDeleteI have always longed for a little greenhouse of my own!
Thanks for showing me places through your eyes...places I will never see if not for you.
ReplyDeleteThere is something singularly sad about the loss of anything agricultural. My thoughts always drift off to how we will nurish ourselves in the future. Living in an agricultural area, I see bits and pieces slipping away to business and housing and worse yet, land going unused because of fights over water to save a non-native 2 inch fish.
ReplyDeleteVery useful information which you shared with us. I am very thankful to you and hoping to get some more new updates from your side. Greenhouses are like a protective shedding for the plants that can be of any material such as plastic, metals or glass. The basic idea a greenhouse is based on is to control and use the heat or warmth of sunlight effectively and preventing it from transferring out of the greenhouse structure, which is made of plastic or glass, so that plants can get suitable environmental conditions to grow up.
ReplyDeleteFor more information related to what is green house and green house design please visit : Dessons.In
How sad that the greenhouses have given way to developers' plans. We still have some market gardens int eh Melbourne Metropolitan area and it is such a pleasure to see land put into that sort of use in the big city.
ReplyDeleteNice post and great photos!
Sad to see that primary producers are moved put in favour of high priced real estate. Great set of shots. :)
ReplyDelete