Vegetable grower begins second spring flower planting

Spring planting is in full swing for Bay Produce. For the second year in a row, they’re planting flowers for Mother’s Day. While February 26, 2026 was a lovely warm winter day, it has nothing on the hot humid greenhouse of Bay Produce in Superior.

The fresh smell of tomato vines and dirt heavy in the air make it no surprise they are locally known for their tomatoes and other tasty products. Employees were hard at work prepping pots and, instead of vegetables, planting flowers. Bay Produce is a prevocational project of the Challenge Center. The goal is to help adults with disabilities gain the skills and confidence to be independent.

“In an effort to sort of diversify what we do, but also to utilize our space better. Last year, we started growing flowers in the spring, and last year we had such a great success that we decided we’re going to do it again and hopefully for years in the future,” said Challenge Center Director Mark Kroll. Last year was an entirely new venture for Bay Produce. Now, they’ve learned from the experience to make this year even better

“Every greenhouse is different. We learned about when to start plants, when the right way to water them, the kind of humidity you need. There are all kinds of different things that go into it,” said Kroll.