Plants that are available for purchase spill out of the greenhouses and onto display on the property’s picnic tables. Quinn Kirby
Owner David Breedlove helps a customer carry plants on May 25 at Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm. Quinn Kirby
Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm sells a variety of hanging, flowering plants. Pictured here is baby’s breath. “One of the hardest [plants] to kill,” says Owner David Breedlove. Quinn Kirby
A Sun Sugar Hybrid Cherry Tomato plant blooms in a Pleasant Thyme greenhouse. The variety is one of over 40 Breedlove grows. Quinn Kirby
Flowering plants are found in the first greenhouse, herbs in the second, plants already purchased and waiting for pickup in the third, and (right) vegetables are grown in the fourth. Quinn Kirby
Well into its 23rd year in business, Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm is located at 5940 E. Baseline Rd. in Mt. Pleasant. Quinn Kirby
Many plants at Pleasant Thyme feature a tag that provides information on the variety name, suggested care, and history, like the Sweet Dani Lemon Basil seen here. Quinn Kirby
Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm is run by one man — David Breedlove. It’s an applicable last name for a person who sustains four greenhouses of plant life.
“When I first started, it was a lot of annuals, mint, things like that,” says Breedlove. “Then I added flowers, vegetables. It’s gotten to the point where I’m big enough to handle it myself but not have to hire.”
Since beginning his business in 1998, Breedlove has expanded from only selling to the public to also providing the hanging baskets and planters of flowers that line the streets of downtown Mt. Pleasant and the East Downtown Development Authority for
Charter Township of Union.
Different efforts go into different types of plants at the start of their respective seasons, says Breedlove. Some plants are grown from plugs - seedlings that can be transplanted to grow in larger plots. Many flowers are grown from last year’s cuttings and in February he begins planting seeds for vegetables and herbs.
There’s one not-so-small detail that goes to show Breedlove’s growing capabilities: Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm is a semi-organic operation.
“The only thing I do that isn’t organic is fertilizer,” he says. “I don’t use insecticides or pesticides.”
He mentions having the right nutrients is essential to being able to keep plants thriving, that it takes more than just watering plants and keeping them in the sun to keep them alive.
Once the plants are purchased, of course, how the new owner takes care of their plants is no longer up to Breedlove. Regardless, the success he’s had running a business over multiple decades and the care he takes with his plants is apparent in the broad spectrum of what he offers. Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm offers over 40 types of herbs, more than 70 types of vegetables - not counting the over 40 varieties of tomatoes – and two watermelon varieties.
Anyone interested in seeing offerings can visit Pleasant Thyme Herb Farm at 5940 E. Baseline Rd. or can call to check inventory at (989) 773-1870.
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