The Shinnston News & Harrison County Journal, in conjunction with North Central WV Airport, has named Freed’s Greenhouse as March’s Business of the Month.

By TRINA RUNNER
News & Journal Staff Writer

In 1978, Meadowbrook Mall didn’t exist yet, gas prices were well below a dollar and today’s technology wasn’t even a possibility in the minds of most Americans.

But, that same year, something happened that transformed Harrison County and the gardening industry and ignited a passion that is still very much alive nearly forty years later.

Freed’s Greenhouse, located on Rt. 73 off of Exit 125, opened that year on the site where David Freed’s family farm once stood.  Although Freed’s experience on the farm certainly instilled a love of gardening, it was his training at Watchtower Farms in New York that helped him create his own business with plants.

In the beginning, Freed’s Greenhouse sold to Ace Hardware and Helmick’s Market in Bridgeport.  As interest grew beyond vegetables, they started adding flowers, eventually adding a greenhouse in 1980 and expanding again two years later with an additional greenhouse and an office.  What grew the business then is the same thing that continues to grow it today:  family and friends of satisfied customers who have developed a relationship with the experts at Freed’s.

Now, Freed’s Greenhouse carries more than 600 annuals, herbs, and perennials and is housed in over 29,000 square feet of greenhouse space.  March is the beginning of their selling season, with an emphasis on soils and trees and then in April, flowers and vegetable sales kick in, ending with over 5,000 large mums in the fall. Throughout the entire season, they also carry mulch, manure, top soil and all other gardening needs.

From hanging baskets to trees, Freed’s continues to be the ideal place to go when the planting season rolls around. Their expert advice and superior customer service are unmatched and they are a vital part of the Harrison County community.