Cavicchio Greenhouses consists of 250 acres of annuals, perennials, and nursery stock. The farm began in 1910, when Guiseppe and Civita Cavicchio purchased 56 acres of land in Sudbury, Massachusetts. The Cavicchio family ran the farm as an apple orchard until the Hurricane of 1938 devastated the fruit trees. They briefly pivoted to growing vegetables until Paul and Louise Cavicchio took over the business in the 1950s and began growing commercial nursery and greenhouse crops. Today, the farm is in its fourth generation of family ownership, headed by Paul Cavicchio, Jr.

As Paul Cavicchio Jr. tells it, his grandfather was the main opponent of Henry Ford’s attempt to build an automobile parts plant in Sudbury. When Ford attempted to obtain 100 acres of land and all accompanying water rights in 1910, Guiseppe Cavicchio refused to sell, even for thirteen times the value of the land. His resistance paved the way for family-run operations like the Cavicchio’s.

That’s not to say the Cavicchio family opposes development. They have updated the greenhouses continuously to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Greenhouses are equipped with computer-managed environmental controls like heat curtains, flood-and-flow floor systems, and heating systems powered by waste wood. They also use biocontrols and integrated pest management to reduce dependence on pesticides. In 2016, the farm was awarded the inaugural Associated Industries of Massachusetts Sustainability Award.

Visitors can purchase flowers at the greenhouse counter on Codger Lane or the Lincoln Road Nursery. Cavicchio’s also offers landscaping supplies and masonry equipment at their Codger Lane landscape office.

Photo: cavicchio.com
Sources: cavicchio.com, greenhousegrower.com, metrowestdailynews.com