Gary P.

Basket Designer and Production

More About Gary

Gary's many hats:

Gary has been with Rush Creek Growers for more than twenty years. He does the basket designs and all things baskets. He is often found visioning how to organize the warehouse and store our extensive hard goods inventory. He works on production, construction, grounds keeping and cat caring. His dream stories often ignite belly laughs at morning meetings.

The 2025 Staff story prompt was how do you use, (work with) plants? Here is Gray's response:

Gardening and plants have always been a central part of my life. Growing up, my mother cultivated a large vegetable garden for fresh produce and canning, and we always had a few houseplants indoors. I still have a Jade tree that originated from my mother’s stock—now 75 years old.

Even though I have easy access to an abundance of vegetables from our greenhouse, my passion for food gardening has waned. With my parents gone and just myself to care for, I now prefer the convenience of visiting the local Saturday Farmers Market. There, I find the few fresh, expertly grown items I need, which saves me a great deal of time—time that I now invest in my new hobby: quilting. When given the choice between weeding a row of carrots or sitting at my sewing machine, I choose the sewing machine every time.

I’m fortunate to have a charming little greenhouse that one of my brothers built for me. It’s perfect for growing peppers, which never thrived in my outdoor garden. The added warmth of the greenhouse brought an especially bountiful crop of Aleppo peppers this year, which I turned into homemade harissa sauce. A single tomato plant yielded enough fruit to make a small batch of freezer tomato jam, an old-school recipe passed down from my grandmother. Her secret? Using lemon Jell-O as a thickener! It’s a nostalgic treat I enjoy on toast during the winter months.

Flowers, however, remain a constant in my life. Over the years, I’ve created countless floral arrangements for weddings, special occasions, and simply for my own enjoyment. I love planting both perennials and a variety of annuals, many of which I test for the greenhouse. Annuals are essential to my cottage-style garden, ensuring a vibrant display of color throughout the season.

Like many, I’ve embraced photography in recent years thanks to the convenience of smartphones. Capturing the beauty of flowers, both at the greenhouse and in my garden, has become a daily ritual. I also enjoy photographing the insects and wildlife that visit the plants, adding an extra layer of wonder to the experience.

I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of the latest iPhone, especially for its macro lens, and I can’t wait to see the world of detail it will unlock in my photography!