This West Virginia Greenhouse Has Been A Plant Lover’s Paradise Since 1944

Since 1944, this West Virginia greenhouse has been the ultimate paradise for anyone who loves getting their hands dirty.

What started as a modest operation has blossomed into a sprawling wonderland filled with everything from vibrant annuals and perennials to exotic houseplants and fresh produce.

It is the kind of place where you walk in for one plant and leave with a cart full of green treasures.

The knowledgeable staff are always ready with expert advice, and the sheer variety of green things will make your head spin in the best possible way.

Plant lovers have been loyal to this spot for over eight decades, and honestly, they know exactly what they are doing.

A Greenhouse That Has Thrived Since 1944

Some places carry a sense of history you can almost feel the moment you step inside.

Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse opened its doors in 1944, and somehow, more than eight decades later, it still feels like the kind of spot that has never lost its original purpose.

The story starts with Tony Gritt, Jr., who built a small “hot house” to get a head start on seedlings and produce. What began as a practical farming solution quietly grew into something far more extraordinary over the following decades.

Tucked along Route 62 between Buffalo and Eleanor in Red House, West Virginia, the greenhouse sits in a part of the state where agriculture has always been woven into daily life. Visiting feels less like a shopping trip and more like stepping into a living piece of local history.

The scale of what has grown here, both literally and figuratively, is genuinely hard to wrap your head around until you see it in person.

Three Generations Built This Greenhouse Legacy

Not every family business makes it past the first generation. The fact that Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse has thrived through three generations of the same family says something remarkable about the dedication behind it.

It all started with Vito Antonio Creta, known as Tony Gritt, Sr., and his wife Anastasia, Italian immigrants who began farming in Buffalo, West Virginia, back in 1927.

Their son Tony Gritt, Jr. formalized the greenhouse operation in 1944, and the family’s horticultural passion only deepened from there.

By the early 1970s, Tony Jr.’s son James Gritt expanded the business further, traveling all the way to Florida to bring back foliage plants during a national boom in interest for interior plants and terrariums.

James helped launch in-house terrarium and dish garden production, supplying local florists across the region.

Each generation brought new energy and ideas, layering the business with more depth, more variety, and more heart than most operations ever manage to build in a single lifetime.

A Plant Paradise for Over 80 Years

Walking through more than 20 individual greenhouses on a single property is the kind of experience that recalibrates your expectations of what a “greenhouse” can actually be.

Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse now spans 11.5 total acres of cultivation space, a number that sounds almost impossible for a family operation until you actually see it.

The sheer variety on offer is staggering. From exotic tropical houseplants to flowering annuals, from hydroponic tomatoes to perennials and shrubs, there is genuinely something for every type of gardener or plant enthusiast who makes the trip out to Red House.

New houseplant stock arrives from Central and Southern Florida every three to four weeks, keeping the selection fresh and surprising on every visit. Over 80 years of continuous operation has given the team time to refine what they offer and how they grow it.

Few places in West Virginia, or anywhere in the region, can honestly claim this kind of breadth, depth, and staying power in the world of plants and fresh produce.

From Peddling Produce to a Six-Acre Greenhouse Empire

The growth of Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse from a one-man produce peddling route into a multi-acre operation is the kind of story that sounds made up, but every detail is rooted in real hard work and smart decisions made over decades.

Tony Gritt, Jr. originally drove around Charleston, West Virginia, selling fresh vegetables from his farm. Neighbors started asking for plants to grow their own, and from that simple demand, a retail and wholesale greenhouse business was born.

By the mid-1960s, the produce peddling had given way entirely to greenhouse operations.

Today, the facility features 7 acres of production greenhouses, 2.5 acres dedicated entirely to hydroponic vegetable production, and 2 additional acres of outdoor growing space.

The wholesale side of the business now serves West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and parts of Virginia.

Approximately 1,000 dish gardens are designed on-site every single week. From one man with a truck full of vegetables to a four-state wholesale operation, the growth of this place is genuinely astonishing.

Hydroponic Tomatoes and Exotic Houseplants

Hydroponic farming and exotic tropical plants might seem like an unlikely combination, but at Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse, both exist happily under the same sprawling roof. The hydroponic operation alone is worth the drive out to Red House.

Hydroponic tomato production started here back in 1993 in a three-quarter acre greenhouse. Demand grew so quickly that a brand-new 1.5-acre hydroponic facility was added in 2008.

Tomatoes are available from mid-March through December, while English cucumbers grown in the original hydroponic house are available from September through December.

Hydroponic lettuce and fresh herbs like basil have been produced year-round since 2013, supplying local schools, grocery stores, and restaurants across Putnam, Kanawha, and Wayne County.

On the other side of the operation, three large greenhouses are dedicated entirely to indoor houseplants, with fresh tropical stock rotating in regularly from Florida.

The contrast between the precision of the hydroponic rows and the lush, jungle-like feel of the houseplant greenhouses makes for a genuinely memorable walk-through.

Annuals, Perennials, and Fairy Gardens Await Here

Some greenhouse visits feel like a chore. This one feels like a field trip in the best possible way.

Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse stocks an almost overwhelming variety of seasonal plants, and the sheer color on display during spring and summer is enough to stop you in your tracks.

Flowering annuals, blooming hanging baskets, vegetable seedlings, and perennials fill the space during peak growing season. Shrubs and trees are also available in the garden center, making it easy to plan an entire landscape in a single stop.

The greenhouse grows over 40,000 poinsettias and 30,000 fall mums for seasonal offerings, which gives you a sense of the scale involved.

Fairy gardens are another unexpected highlight. The greenhouse offers the materials and plants needed to build miniature garden displays, which turns out to be a genuinely fun activity for visitors of all ages.

It adds a playful, creative dimension to the shopping experience that you would not expect from a working greenhouse of this size. There is always something new to find here, no matter how many times you visit.

West Virginia’s Go-To Destination for Quality Plants and Flowers

Word travels fast in a state where gardening is practically a way of life. Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse has built a reputation across the tri-state area as the place to go when you want quality plants that are genuinely healthy and well cared for.

The range here goes well beyond what most garden centers carry. Specialty terrariums and dish gardens sit alongside West Virginia apples and peaches sourced from orchards in the state’s Eastern Panhandle.

Tropical houseplants arrive fresh from Florida on a rotating schedule. Seasonal produce from hydroponic growing operations rounds out an offering that is hard to match anywhere nearby.

Visitors come from West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia to shop here, which tells you something about the draw of this place. It is not just convenient, it is genuinely worth a dedicated trip.

The plants are healthy, the selection is broad, and the atmosphere inside those greenhouse tunnels is the kind that makes you slow down and actually enjoy the experience of being surrounded by so much living green.

A Greenhouse Recognized for Its Agricultural Impact

Not many greenhouses can claim they feed school children across multiple counties while simultaneously supplying grocery stores, restaurants, and florists. Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse does all of that, and has been doing it for decades.

The hydroponic vegetable program alone supplies fresh tomatoes, English cucumbers, lettuce, and herbs to schools across Putnam, Kanawha, and Wayne County.

Local grocery stores and restaurants also receive regular deliveries, making the greenhouse a quiet but essential part of the regional food supply chain.

Seasonal West Virginia apples and peaches from Eastern Panhandle orchards add another local dimension to the produce offerings.

The wholesale operation reaches four states, which is a remarkable footprint for a family-run business based in rural Red House. The agricultural impact here is not abstract, it shows up in school cafeterias, restaurant kitchens, and backyard gardens across the region.

Few businesses in West Virginia can point to that kind of tangible, widespread contribution to both food production and the local economy, all while keeping the family spirit of the original 1944 operation alive.

The Plant Lover’s Paradise

Coming back to a place year after year says more about it than any description could.

Gritt’s Midway Greenhouse has earned that loyalty from visitors across the region, and it is easy to understand why once you spend time wandering through the greenhouses on Charleston Road.

The combination of fresh hydroponic produce, rotating tropical houseplants, seasonal annuals and perennials, specialty dish gardens, and locally sourced fruit creates an experience that is hard to replicate anywhere else in West Virginia.

Every visit has the potential to surprise you with something new in stock or something you had not thought to look for before.

Open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM, Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday from noon to 5 PM, the greenhouse is genuinely accessible for most schedules.

Whether you are a seasoned gardener or someone who just wants a single pretty plant for the kitchen windowsill, this place has something waiting for you.

Address: 14844 Charleston Rd, Red House, WV 25168.