LOCAL BUSINESS & SEASONAL NEWS

Western Mountain Greenhouses of Troy enters 25th season of production

by Brian Baxter

 

Harlan and Alice Galbraith like rural Montana. “The people we deal with, these folks are real people that grow gardens and raise their own food,” Harlan said. “In our area, we have a short growing season of only about 90 days. Our family business meets a need for greenhouses that can potentially extend one’s annual harvest, but we’re different in that our greenhouses will not collapse.”

Western Mountain Greenhouses (WMG) provides protective structures to clients across Montana, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Washington. Being a large enough company to purchase necessary materials and American-made pipe by the semi-load, but small enough to care about the quality of their product and the satisfaction of each customer provides WBG the advantage of buying supplies competitively to meet greenhouse needs of all sizes.

In 1985, the Galbraith’s moved to rural Troy where they built their own house and welding shop. Various machines were then designed and built within the shop, and 1996, the first greenhouse was sold. Harlan had purchased structures from a company in Oregon at the time. “The kits were beefed up for our area, but many of them collapsed from the snow anyway. So, I began adding supports and extra bracing to these purchased kits. Then we bought two used forming machines and completely rebuilt them,” Harlan said. It was a trial-and-error experiment at the time.
“We later purchased a new and much larger machine – all computerized, etc. The original two machines rebuilt are still in use, but the newer computerized equipment manufactures our commercial kits,” Harlan said of the company’s resources which have now powered the business into its 25th year of production.

WMG offers three styles of commercial greenhouses which can be purchased at any length up to 200 feet. These are the G-Series, Quonset, and the H-Series. All commercial houses come with posts of 2-7/8”, 20 W pipe to be cemented two feet in the ground. Support-systems, including center supports, are also provided to be placed at 12-foot intervals within the house. Ridge beams, metal straps, and end brackets are part of the kits, as are cable trusses with galvanized steel cables connected to bow. These systems are considered heavy-duty.

Insulated greenhouses were also introduced by the local company in 2020 and have been designed to withstand ice storms, high winds, and heavy snow loads. These and all WBG product generated proudly meet NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) requirements in Montana, Idaho, and Washington.

Customers can pick-up WMG products in both Troy and Libby. Arrangements for delivery can also be made for those living outside the area. *Please note: 24-foot iron cannot be shipped, as even the best structural designs are weakened when cut up into shorter pieces.

WBG has custom built a 24-foot trailer to transport its greenhouse frames. Poly and hardware go in the back of the truck. Since the company will deliver to Montana, Northern Idaho, and Eastern Washington, they try to have several smaller kits or a couple of commercial kits on order for delivery to a given area.

Western Mountain Greenhouses is located at 3000 Iron Creek Road in Troy. For more information on the structures “built to last,” please call 291-6657 or email westernmountainmfg@gmail.com.

More details on greenhouse and high tunnel sizes, designs, supplies and pricing can also be found by
visiting: westernmountaingreenhouses.com.

 

Noxious Weed Workshop to be held in Libby/Eureka, April 14

 

The Lincoln County Weed District will be holding a workshop this next Wednesday, April 14, in both Libby and Eureka. Discussions will focus on
Ventenata, an invasive species recently added to the NW Montana noxious weed list.

The LC Weed Department invites all to come, learn, and help to combat this new invasive threat to our landscapes.

According to MontGuide, Ventenata, also known as wire grass or North African grass, is a non-native winter annual grass that is relatively new to Montana and has the potential to impact range, pasture, wild lands, and annual crops. Its low forage value and shallow root structure can lead to decreased
agricultural production and increased risk of soil erosion.

. Isolated infestations occur from western through southern Montana.

Mowing has limited success for small infestations as the wiry grass and bent-

nature of the awns are difficult to cut and a second flush of seeds may occur. Grazing is
not an option as livestock tend to avoid the grass due to its high silica content and thin wiry stature.

So how do we successfully manage the spread of existing populations?

Join the Lincoln County Weed Department at J. Neils Park from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Libby, or from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Fairgrounds in Eureka on April 14 to find out.

For further information and additional inquiries, please contact the Lincoln County Weed District at:
(406) 283-2420.