Off-grid greenhouse growing strong in Willow

The Happy Gardener Greenhouse is neatly tucked away in a forest of spruce trees at the base of Hatcher Pass in Willow. In their second season of business, owners Sam and Dave Schafer manage their off-grid greenhouse to provide a healthy selection of flourishing flowers and voluptuous vegetables that the entire community can enjoy.

“We aimed for creating something more resilient, healthier, and closer for the community all through the power of local growing,” Sam said.

The Schafers moved to Willow from Wisconsin in 2023. They brought a knowledge and passion for gardening and seed starting from the Lower 48. Their large outdoor gardens were built from the love of working the Earth that Sam learned from her mother as a child.

Their gardening in Willow started as a necessity, where long drives into town for suboptimal produce was out of the question.

“We had to do a lot of our shopping either in Wasilla or down farther because there was no place local to get anything,” Sam said.

After their first growing season in 2024, they shared their excess starts with the community. Out of the glaring demand for such sharing, a seed was planted with the Schafers to start their own greenhouse in 2025. Since then it has taken root and taken hold of the Schafer family.

And, as Dave said, if it grows, it goes.

“It’s been very welcomed in the community,” Sam said. “People are requesting for more and more and more. We’ll just keep growing and get the people what they want.”

What started as a 10x20 foot temporary shelter has now grown into an 18x20 foot permanent greenhouse that the Shafers built themselves. Tomato and flower pots to hang from the rafters. Multi-tiered shelves host a variety of vegetables, a mix of herbs and flowers in various size pots. The smell of fresh, moist earth and blossoming life welcome visitors who stop by.

Planting started in January when Sam ripped open dozens of bags of seeds to sow in small starters on her seven-foot-long, five-tiered shelves with grow lights. Once they matured, Sam moved them upstairs where they had space to grow and essentially, take over their house.

“Because who doesn’t love more room!” Sam laughed.

Careful planning of when seeds are started is based on having plants mature in mid-July.

“We want our plants to go middle of July so that people have a chance to harvest everything,” Sam said. “We try to count back how far the frost date is and we try to count in where the maturity rate comes in.”

Their woodstove keeps the plants warm in the house when temperatures drop below zero. Being off-grid means running the generator and managing solar for electricity and storing it in batteries for future use. Heating the greenhouse requires tedious planning to achieve the perfect temperature that results in many sleepless nights. Keeping the plants thriving is a labor of love.

“It’s a lot more work,” Dave said. “A lot more fuel costs to keep up with running generator for lights and keeping up with the power demand. It’s not just, we’re going to put the switch on and we have juice.”

From digging the greenhouse out of the snow in the spring, to maintaining temperatures and keeping up with the plants, the reward is seeing the expression in customers’ faces when they step inside.

“When you watch the people come in and they see what you got and their eyes light up, like, look at this!” Dave said. “ And then they load up their plants they want, and they walk out and they’re all smiles. That's why you do it.”

The greenhouse is open Thursday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Mondays-Wednesdays are by appointment only. They are located at 19739 W Kenny Blvd with signs directing customers from Willow-Fishhook. Gardeners can stay up to date on their Facebook page, The Happy Gardener Greenhouse, and find a list of the vegetables and flowers available.

The Schafers listen to customers' feedback on what they want to see in the future. The demand for hanging baskets last year has so far been a big hit this season. They are already planning to expand their selection next year and are breaking ground on their next project, a 32x32 foot pad that will host an even bigger greenhouse next year.

“It's more community driven, what the community wants,” Dave said. “We’re trying to really base our product on community demand.”

The Schafers received several preorders for this season and are already taking some for next year. They are available for any garden or plant questions people may have.