/ Business of the Month / Conover Gardens
Business of the Month: April 2023
Conover Gardens
April Business of the Month
Congratulations to
Conover Gardens!
Owners: Pat & Robin Indermuehle
4844 Torch Lake Road
Conover, WI 54519
(715) 891-2475
Email: [email protected]
We were delighted recently to spend time with Robin Indermuehle of Conover Gardens to learn more about their wonderful and growing family garden center business specializing in homegrown produce, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, and shrubs.
How did Conover Gardens start?
Pat and I started selling vegetables that we grew in our home garden at the Eagle River Farmer's Market in the late 1990’s. We turned our entire lawn into a garden. In 2007, we purchased the land where Conover Gardens is today. We started selling vegetables there in 2008 under a small tent. We gradually added coolers, a shelter, gardens, and greenhouses.
Why were you interested in starting Conover Gardens?
Both Pat and I grew up working in our family gardens as kids. Neither of us enjoyed it, but it must have had a lasting impression because we both enjoy it today. It started as a hobby and a way to use extra vegetables, and then it grew into a business. Conover Gardens grew to a point where it could not produce enough produce in the garden. We were lucky enough to have met a man who sold vegetables at a roadside stand in Ontonagon. Through a long relationship revolving around vegetables, he introduced us to our current purveyors.
It is our goal to provide the community with homegrown and locally sourced sustainable produce. When we outsource products, we try to support farms like ourselves, who are small-scale, often family run farms in rural Wisconsin.
What are your plans for the future?
Over the years we increased our products to include vegetable starts, perennials, trees, shrubs, hanging baskets, and decorative plants. We are now looking at building a permanent building where we would like to have a dry goods store, sandwich, ice-cream and coffee shop. We are also looking at putting up more greenhouses and possibly a feed store. We have lots of dreams!
You recently obtained the greenhouses from the former Horants Garden Center next to Pick ‘n Save in Eagle River. What are your plans for them?
We would like to put the greenhouses up on the Conover Gardens property in Conover. With the extra greenhouse space, we will be able to start more of our own inventory of plants and hanging baskets. We will also have a bigger display space and sales area. We are hoping to supply local restaurants and grocery stores on a larger scale. We would also like to host classes on different aspects of gardening and provide our customers with a way to connect with the natural world. We are hoping to create an event venue in this space as well.
How many staff, family members do you employ?
We often have three generations of Indermuehles at Conover Gardens. Pat’s parents help us with planting, transplanting, and organization. Pat and I are often there doing whatever needs to be done and our children, Hunter, Maddie, and Grace all work both in the retail area as well as tending to the gardens and plants. We also hire a gardener and 2-3 retail clerks who are very versatile. We have a wonderful volunteer who deadheads and trims our plants to keep them looking beautiful. We have a great community behind us with many friends who come in and help when needed. As we grow, we are planning to increase our staff.
Tell us about your family, and in what ways do you give back to the community?
We feel very strongly about being a part of our community. One of the things we love about living in Conover is the sense of community. Pat, Hunter, and Maddie are all volunteer firefighters and Grace is a junior firefighter with the Conover Fire Department. Maddie and I are Emergency Medical Responders with Conover Emergency Medical Service. We all feel it is one way we can give back to a community that has been continuously supportive of our endeavors.
Conover Gardens donates produce, plants, and trees to many local fundraisers, the food pantry, Conover Fire and EMS, St. Peters, and various schools. Our staff also volunteers at many of those fundraisers with a few being Blizzard Blast, Taste of Conover, and Cranberry Fest. I also volunteer as an assistant leader for Grace’s Girl Scout Troop, where Grace recently earned The Silver Award for restoring the riverside park in Conover with her troop. We are members of Pioneer Lake Lutheran Church. Maddie and I have served on the church council, and I have taught Sunday School and Confirmation Classes.
I currently teach 5th - 8th graders in a multi-age classroom at SOAR Middle School in Land O’ Lakes. Pat owns and runs North Country Landscaping. Hunter will graduate this year from Michigan Technological University with a degree in Electrical Engineering. Maddie is a sophomore at Northern Michigan University studying Biology. Grace is a sophomore at Northland Pines High School.
When will Conover Gardens open for the season?
Conover Gardens will be opening Mother’s Day weekend and we are looking forward to a great summer!
Is there anything else that you would like to add?
The best place for up-to-date information on what is happening at Conover Gardens is on our facebook page.
Thank you so much to the VCEDC for this recognition!
