Flavourful tomatoes are a perennial favourite among home gardeners. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Looking to Spring

Gardening serves a practical and therapeutic purpose in socially distanced world

Apr 3, 2020 | 2:16 PM

The coming spring and the prospect of more time spent at home have many people thinking about their gardens.

Local seed retailers contacted by paNOW reported higher volumes of sale compared to previous years and more customers buying in bulk.

But a local garden centre owner recommends vegetable growers should wait until at least mid-April before planting seedlings inside, although she understands why people might want to get started early during these difficult times.

“Seeds are hope,” Angie Bragg of Wright’s Greenhouse told paNOW. “I just think it’s a little early to be starting for practical purposes. I mean you can grow stuff just to see some green and some life, but realistically, if you can wait, wait.”

If plants are started too soon, they may be too tall to successfully transplant, Bragg explained.

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Wright’s Greenhouse is set to open May 1. When they do, Bragg said she’ll be sure to be well stocked to keep up with the increased interest in self-sufficiency sparked by the pandemic.

“I think we’re going to see a big push for vegetables and herbs, anything you can eat, as opposed to flowers,” she said. “But you know flowers do bring you happiness and at this stage we need a little bit of that.”

Avid horticulturist and the owner of a P.A. compost business, Keri Sapsford said she’s hearing from more and more people who want to get into gardening, not just to have their own supply of food, but simply because they finally have the time.

For Sapsford gardening is therapeutic.

“It’s a great kind of anxiety relief,” she said. “Gardening for me is somewhere I go if I’m feeling stressed about the world. I’ll go pick weeds, I’ll dig in the dirt, whatever.”

While gardening may be the perfect at home self-isolation hobby, Sapsford says it’s also a great way to build community. She recommended anyone interested in growing their own food join a like-minded Facebook group.

“You get to reach out and you’re talking to other people about tips and tricks,” she said. “Plus you get to share a bit of the abundance at the end of the year with your neighbors, family and friends.”

As for tips for novice growers, Sapsford had some simple advice.

“Just get started,” she said. “It’s not as difficult as it can seem, if you put a seed in the ground and water it occasionally, it usually will grow.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom