Things are happening down Stacyville, Iowa way.

The Larry and Barb Bissen family put up two greenhouses on their farm and are opening a new business that they have named Stateline Plant Connection. The Bissens will be open for business April 22.

The Bissens are type A folks which is evident with Larry farming 1100 acres with his brother and also doing custom feeding of hogs. They have two buildings with 1200 hogs and one with 400 hogs. The Bissens got into the nursery business to supplement their farm operation, as so many farmers must do now a days.

Barb Bissen explained in more detail how they came into this business, "Well, it started as a joke. Larry’s sister Joyce Kriedermacher, and her husband and son run Pork and Plants near Altura. They were expanding their business and Larry said if they took down one of their hoop buildings we’d take them and put the hoop buildings on our farm. She took us up on the offer."

Bissen liked to visit and help out the Kriedermacher’s on weekends. She would take Larry’s mother Myrna along.

Myrna is an avid gardener. She raised 12 children and they all had to pitch in with garden work growing up. All her children know how to garden. Bissen didn’t know much about growing plants but she enjoyed helping pot plants at Pork and Plants.

Last November, the Bissen’s took the plunge and had cement laid as the foundation for a 22×96 foot greenhouse and a 30×96 foot greenhouse. Larry is a jack of all trades and he prepared the area and laid sand down before the cement was poured.

"We were fortunate we had such a nice winter. It was such a warm day when we laid the cement that we had a picnic outside. We put the plastic over the hoops on Dec. 20. There was no wind and things went smoothly because we had such good help thanks to family and friends," said Bissen.

The response to their new venture has been extremely positive. The Bissens will not be growing the plants in their greenhouses. Pork and Plants will be supplying them with the plants they will be selling.

Many people in the Rose Creek and Stacyville, Iowa area travel yearly to Altura to purchase plants at Pork and Plant. These customers are happy to know that the high quality plants offered there are now right down the road at Stateline Plant Connection.

"The plants from Larry’s sister are larger, packed with more dirt and a little pricier. You cannot beat the quality of them. We purchased a trailer to haul the plants to our greenhouses. We will not raise the price of the plants by hauling them to our place, we will absorb the shipping costs. It is an hour and fifteen-minute drive from our farm to Altura, " said Bissen.

Pork and Plants has been in business for 25 years. Joyce Kriedermacher started growing plants to sell in a small lean-to on her property. According to Bissen, Kriedermacher puttered around with the business, having fun growing this plant and that one. Now she grows over 900 varieties of plants.

Bissen said, "Her plants are just beautiful. We will have three different salmon colors of geranium. They are each a different shade. I don’t know that much about plants so I have been pouring through the Complete Garden Flower Book by Murdock Books."

Bissen is the secretary at Sacred Heart School in Adams and will be running Stateline Plant Connection in the afternoons. This is truly a family venture and she will be relying on her children Casey 15, Ross 14, and Jordyn, 7, and her mother and mother-in-law for support.

Besides the many varieties of flowers Bissen will be selling vegetable bedding plants, potting soil and other gardening essentials.

"This will be a very trying experimental year. We will see what the customers want. I ordered outdoor toilets and will have ice water for customers to drink. I went to all the liquor stores the last couple weeks and got cardboard flats to haul plants in," said Bissen.

Bissen is looking forward to planting her feet into the horticulture business. She spends her weekends at Pork and Plant in Altura and recently planted 3,000 geraniums and also helped with marigolds.

The tables, the hoops, and the flood benches were used equipment from Larry’s sister, Joyce. Larry helped with the electrical work and hooked up the gas to heat the greenhouses. Bissen said they have worked so hard in getting everything ready and now the plants will be coming.

"If this works out we will build a head house to start our own plants. We have so much to do to keep up with the yard work and all the other work on the farm. That’s what people do down in this area to survive, we all pull together," said Bissen.

The hours for Stateline Plant Connection are Mon.-Fri 2 p.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-6p.m. and

Sun. noon -7p.m.

Call Sheila Donnelly at 434-2233 or e-mail her at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.