When the Rumerys and their three daughters, Tara, Theresa and Molly, family settled on two acres just west of New Castle, which is just West of Glenwood Springs, they put in tomatoes and basil in a small greenhouse next to their home. They started selling to local grocery stores in 1992, and their single-greenhouse operation became several. Before long, they wanted more land for — you guessed it – additional greenhouses. “Tom is a grower,” Sarah says simply, “and he wanted to grow more food.”

Five years later, the Rumerys found the right land: 20 ideal acres (with six more added later) a bit farther west, the present Osage Gardens location. You can see the spread just south of Interstate 70. Originally an alfalfa field with no buildings on it, their land is zoned for agriculture. Although the Colorado River flows nearby, their water comes from the Flattops Wilderness between April and December and from their well during the remaining months. The water is pure. The land is flat, sunny and does not have a history of heavy chemical application.

Green Winter Wonderland

In the warm months, Osage Gardens plants outdoors, but indoor agriculture continues around the calendar in 17 temperature-controlled greenhouses. Herbs thrive in boxes and raised beds filled a slightly acidic combination of a crushed volcanic rock called scoria that contains more than 70 minerals and compost. Tom describes it as “live soil.” These beds (right) are not boxes with bottoms but rather frames so that plants’ roots grow down into native soil. The growing medium is top-dressed with compost derived from leftover plant material. Thousands of ladybugs released at Osage Gardens control pests, and insect-eating grasshoppers are welcomed too. Yellow sticky tape, like flypaper, along the edges of the raised beds completes the pest control.

A few of the greenhouses are kept warm and moist to serve as nurseries where young plants are started from Osage Gardens’ own seeds and nurtured as long as they need to be. Then, plants are given a bit of tough love in the “hardening-off house” until they are ready to be transplanted to their permanent growing area where reach picking size. Each type of herb receives the amount of light, temperature and water that suits it. Temperature control is accomplished by a combination of factors. In winter, when the sun is low, grow lights enhance the natural light and in-ground heat pipes keep the soil warm. In summer, air streaming through wet walls cools down greenhouses that would otherwise overheat in the high sun. Shade cloth, fans and ventilation are adjusted as needed.

Currently Osage Gardens packages and sells 21 herbs (arugula, basil, lemon basil, purple basil, Thai basil, bay leaf, chervil, chives, dill, edible flowers, flat leaf parsley, kaffir lime, lemon grass, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, sorrel, tarragon, thyme), plus poultry blend and pesto. They sell more basil than all other herbs combined. They use some of it in their own pesto, which is currently available at the farmers’ market and hope to produce in commercial quantities in the near future. Osage Gardens is also known for its tasty tomatoes, great lettuce and fabulous flowers to grace tables where fresh food is served.

The farm’s two dozen employees are divided into two crews. One is responsible for plant care and picking both in the greenhouses and in the field. The other team works in the aromatic packing room. Other than affixing labels to the plastic clamshell boxes that you see in the market, everything is hand-done. Osage Gardens’ retail customers phone in their very specific requests three times a week, meaning that herbs are picked to order, trimmed, weighed, packed and ready to be picked up by Clark’s and Village Market in the Roaring Fork Valley within hours, or trucked to Front Range customers. “We like to have products in the stores within 24 hours,” says Tom. “That way, the customers get the shelf life.”