Miss K Greenhouses sold at auction
By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
UPPER FREEHOLD A Cranbury farm family purchased the 19-acre Miss K Greenhouses on Route 539 for $340,000 at a public auction last week that appeared to draw more onlookers than potential buyers.
Kin Lum and his wife, Shao Ling, who own the preserved 48-acre Two Lazy Farmers U-pick vegetable farm and farmstand on John White Road in Cranbury, were the successful bidders for the property, subject to seller and bank approval.
Max Spann held the auction April 26 inside the Miss K’s cavernous 40-by-80-foot Morton building, which Mr. Lum’s 23-year-old son, Timothy, said the family envisions transforming into a retail farm store for its fresh vegetables. The property also has three greenhouses ranging from 11,700 square feet to 43,920 square feet.
The auctioneer tried to start the bidding at $700,000, but there were no takers at that price. The first offer was for $200,00 and it soon became clear this would be a bidding contest between the Lums and a young man who was keeping an unidentified buyer appraised of the action via cell phone.
When the bidding appeared to stall at $300,000 auctioneer Fred Daniel tried to prod the man on the cell phone to make a move.
”I’ve got $300,000, $300,000 do I have $325?” Mr. Daniel asked in his rapid-fire chant. “You’re practically getting the buildings for nothing!”
The man on the cell phone said he was having difficulty with phone reception and asked for two more minutes.
”Two minutes! At my age I don’t even buy green bananas anymore! How can I wait two more minutes?” Mr. Daniel asked as the crowd roared with laughter.
The bidding resumed, but once it reached $340,000 the man on the cell phone was out and the property went to the Lums.
Timothy Lum, who recently graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in environmental science, said his family was excited about the opportunity to expand their farming operations to Monmouth County.
In Cranbury, the family grows traditional pick-your-own vegetables, such as tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant, while also offering a wide selection of Asian vegetables, such as bitter melon, he said.
Miss K Greenhouses, located about two miles south of Allentown, is in need of repairs, Mr. Lum said, but he and his parents were eager to “fix the place up.”
The greenhouses had been a center of controversy several months ago when it was learned that Breakwater Alternative Treatment Center was interested in turning the site into a medical marijuana cultivation facility.
The plan was dropped, however, after the township denied the nonprofit’s permit application and enacted an ordinance effectively banning medicinal marijuana facilities anywhere in Upper Freehold.