Growing through the generations

Third-generation grower Joel Van Sprange grew up in his family’s greenhouse in Hudsonville, Michigan. As a kid, he remembers playing in the dirt at Bosgraaf Greenhouses Inc., named for his maternal grandparents who started the company in 1955. His parents, Bob and Edie, purchased the business in 1978, when Joel was two. Since then, the greenhouse has been his playground, his classroom, his career and ultimately his legacy as he works to carry on Bosgraaf’s growing tradition.

“I guess you could say I was born into it,” Van Sprange says. “It was almost a no-brainer for me” to join the family business.

After filling pots and baskets as a kid and delivering plants as a teen, Van Sprange started growing by the time he was a high school senior — when he was old enough to get a pesticide applicator license, which he’s had ever since. After graduation, Van Sprange naturally stepped into the head grower role at Bosgraaf, where he focuses on growing the best plants possible while passing down his plant passion to the next generation.

Changing crops

Through the decades, Van Sprange has watched plant trends come and go. While keeping a lookout for new varieties, he has learned not to lose focus on the reliable crops that Bosgraaf grows best.

“We tend to stick to plants that we grow well,” Van Sprange says. “We always have our eyes open for new options, but you’ve also got to have basics that are always in production, something you can do well that’s going to pay.”

For as long as Van Sprange can remember, Bosgraaf has grown geraniums in spring and poinsettias in the fall. Houseplants, particularly ferns, have been another standby in Bosgraaf’s lineup since his grandpa ran the company.

“My grandpa always said, ‘If you don’t have something to offer year-round, you’re not going to sell except for a couple of seasons,’ and we took that to heart,” Van Sprange says. “He started our houseplant department, and houseplants are a standard that we’re always going to have.”

Although finished plant production for retail garden centers makes up most of Bosgraaf’s business (about 70%), the greenhouse also does plug production of rooted and unrooted dahlia cuttings for wholesale growers.

Updating as you grow

Today, Bosgraaf’s operation covers 92,000 square feet, with four ranges averaging between 10,000 to 30,000 square feet each, totaling nearly 2.2 acres under cover and another half-acre for shipping and receiving. Through the years, the company has steadily expanded and updated its facilities.

“The biggest thing is just trying to keep up with what’s new,” Van Sprange says. “We don’t tear things apart just to put new stuff in, but if there’s something that needs to be fixed, we’re putting in the newest option we can find.”

From ebb-and-flow watering benches to environmental control systems, automation has made growing easier and more efficient for Van Sprange and his team.

“When I was a kid, we used to hand-crank the vents open,” he says. “Now, we’ve got a computer that will adjust them every three degrees if we want. It opens up so many options to create the proper environment for anything we want to grow.”

Currently, Van Sprange is installing new mist lines, upgrading the environmental control system and preparing to swap the high-intensity greenhouse lights for LEDs. He says the LEDs will save thousands of dollars in energy costs.

“It leads to being a lot more cost effective through the years,” he says.

Building a legacy

Although it’s been 45 years since his parents took over the family greenhouse business, Van Sprange still feels the same excitement he did as a child playing in the dirt. Now, he’s sharing the love of plants with his children just like his parents and grandparents passed down to him.

“Even to this day, seeing something go from seed to harvest is really interesting. It’s always fun watching that process, and you can show the younger generation, ‘Look, a week ago we planted this; now there’s a little sprout,’ and their eyes light up,” he says. “Both of our kids are now involved, so it’s fun handing these things down.”

Van Sprange’s son, Riley, who turns 20 this summer, and daughter, Mila, who will be 17, both grew up working in the family greenhouse. In fact, his son will be taking on a larger role in growing when the business moves toward the next generation of leadership. As Van Sprange’s parents, Bob and Edie, prepare to retire later this year, Joel and his wife, Jaime, will take over ownership of Bosgraaf Greenhouses.

Even after the transition, Van Sprange expects to spend most of his time in the greenhouse. “We can only guess where the business will be in 15 or 20 years,” he says. “We’ll just be working, pushing, trying to make the most of it.”