George’s Market moved to  a new location this year, and owners George “Bud” and Cathy Vogt have decided to do something else new by keeping their state-of-the-art nursery open throughout the Capital District’s sometimes harsh winters.

George’s Market was formerly located on Troy Schenectady Road on a patch of land that was bought by the New York State Police for its Troop G Headquarters. The market’s new location, across from TJ Maxx and Target on Wade Road Extension, has served as a better location, according to its owners, to house the 12-plus acres of perennial and annual plants, as well as the fresh produce the market has to offer.

“There is nothing like this,” said Cathy.

The market is now in the hands of its third generation, according to Bud, who said his grandfather started it.

While some of his grandfather’s traditions have remained the same at the market, Bud and his wife have started some new ones of their own. One of those is the Garden Elements program, Bud said, a program where the market brings in specialty annual plants.

Another new element to the market is the seasonal gift section in the corner of the market. For the fall, the gift section is stocked with pumpkin-carving kits, jack-o-lantern ceramic bowls and Halloween treats. During the Christmas time, the gifts will be more Christmas themed.

Since this will be the first Christmas season the market will be open, Bud and Cathy said special heating was installed to keep the plants warm in the winter.

“We have a radiant-heated floor,” said Cathy, explaining that the heat stays temperate, coming from the floors, just warm enough so that the plants will not freeze in the winter months. For especially sunny days, Bud explained that the shades on the roof of the greenhouse area work with a computer, opening and closing to let only enough light in to help the plants flourish and grow.

“There are no exhaust fans,” he said, saying the plants are grown in the most natural and healthy way possible.

While some of the more colorful plants will not be grown at the market over the winter, Bud said the market will have a lot of poinsettias and other winter plants, as well as the tropical plants the market has in the warmer months, which grow under temperatures of about 72 degrees. The market will be closed only in the month of February, so that the employees and owners will have a short vacation.

Whether it is the plants, the produce, the gifts or the specialty jams and sauces the market stocks, Cathy said, customers will find most of the goods are made and grown locally.

For more information about George’s Market, visit their Web site at http://www.georges-market.com/site/.
You can contact cohna@spotlightnews.com with any questions. Also, feel free to post comments below. Comments powered by Disqus

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