Peoria Gardens is a second-generation family farm and nursery owned and operated by Ben Verhoeven and Kathryn Weeks. What began as a roadside stand run by Ben’s father Tom in the early 1980s grew over the years into a thriving local business with a customer base serving garden centers throughout Western and Central Oregon up through Southwest Washington. The nursery is known for its high-quality plants but is also a family business with strong values of taking care of people and the earth. Born and raised Oregonians, Kathryn and Ben grew up surrounded by the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest and continue to enjoy being outdoors with their two young children gardening, hiking, and tending chickens and bees.
Personally, and professionally they see the importance of working in concert with the natural world and in the connections between agriculture and ecology. They believe that a healthy environment leads to more gardening, and more gardening leads to a healthier environment. They care deeply about pollinator insects and are proud that of the significant reduction in the nursery’s use of pesticides through the implementation of a beneficial insect program. Careful sourcing of high-quality Non-GMO seeds and plants, along with knowledgeable staff, allows Peoria Gardens to deliver a product that is good for gardeners as well as the environment. Further sustainability efforts such as solar panels, advanced greenhouse coverings, and high efficiency heating systems have reduced the nursery’s energy consumption by 30%. Their fleet of delivery trucks runs on R99, a clean renewable fuel that reduces emissions by an additional 60%!
Ben and Kathryn feel that sustainability is not just an environmental responsibility; it is also a social issue. Peoria Gardens has eight employees with over 20 years of service, and six employees with over 30 years of service. We take care of our employees by offering health care, paid sick leave, twelve weeks of paid parental leave, a pension and vacation. Peoria Gardens aims to be one of the growing number of businesses showing that success in business does not need to come at the expense of the natural world or working families.
