Green thumbs emerge during COVID-19 pandemic
Green thumbs emerge during COVID-19 pandemic
Reginald Martin explains the use of these easy herb planters available at his Stop Buy 'n See business on Millers Church Road.
There are plenty of gardening options available at local garden centers such as these tomato plants being surveyed by Reginald Martin at his Stop Buy 'n See business on Millers Church Road.
Reginald Martin shows a tomato plant that can make growing your own vegetables just a drop in the bucket at his Stop Buy 'n See business on Millers Church Road. The plants are designed to be repotted to a bucket with a hole in it and might provide a great option for those getting into gardening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are plenty of gardening options, both vegetable and flower, available at local garden centers such as these at Stop Buy 'n See on Millers Church Road.
There are plenty of gardening options available at local garden centers, including colorful flowers, at Stop Buy 'n See on Millers Church Road.
Reginald Martin takes stock of these celery plants at his Stop Buy 'n See business on Millers Church Road.Washington County residents are looking to get their hands dirty.
Interest by those wanting to start their own fruit and vegetable gardens has been a bright bloom among the weeds of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to educators and retailers in the industry.
"The good news in this pandemic is people are thinking about growing their own healthy, nutritious foods," said Annette Cormany, local horticulture educator with the University of Maryland Extension.
"We've had a fair number of questions come in by phone and email to the Extension office asking about getting started on a food garden. Serious gardeners are calling for specific help, and new gardeners are asking how to get started."
Local gardening suppliers also have seen signs of a resurgence of a victory garden-like attitude.
"It encourages me that folks want to focus on growing their own food," said Ethan Weber of Sunny Meadows Garden Center in Boonsboro. "Folks have gotten so far away from dirt, growing things. It's important that we know how to grow our own food. It brings us back to our roots."
Weber said he is seeing new customers at the Sharpsburg Pike business, as well as an increase in existing customers wanting to get back into vegetable gardening.
Cormany noted that regardless of how much space people have, they can grow some of their own food.
"You can convert 5-gallon buckets into self-watering containers. You can grow in pots on your deck. You can grow in a small 4-by-4 space," she said. "To put a number to it, you can grow 80 pounds of vegetables in an 8-by-8-square-foot space. You can do a lot in a small space."
Cormany is growing her own patio garden this season to include tomatoes and basil.
"There's a definite pleasure in getting outside, especially now, and doing something with your hands in the fresh air and sunshine," she said. "Even if you have a sunny window, you can grow herbs easily. Vegetables are difficult to grow inside, but you can certainly grow your own herbs inside."
The rush the new coronavirus has put on the horticulture business this season has caused some shortages, with certain seeds hard to find. With other business closures and the general economic impact, the future remains unclear.
"Things like mulch sales are up, but there are other things that are not," Weber said. "We're still too early in the season to tell what's going to happen plant-wise. We definitely saw an uptick in early vegetable sales, cabbage and broccoli and things like that about mid-March.
"A lot of the trees and shrubs had already been ordered and are here. We sell to landscape contractors. In Maryland, they are still considered essential. Future orders, we've trimmed a little bit, but haven't cut back real hard yet until we know for sure what direction this is going to take. We grow fresh vegetables in the summer, so if we get slow with retail, we might just grow more vegetables because I really think folks will be more interested in local vegetables this year, even if they don't grow their own."
Whether it is boredom or insecurity of the food-supply chain, people's interest in gardening is a positive.
"What is the future going to be? No one knows, but if you can grow some tomatoes and broccoli in your backyard, you took care of your own food supply," Weber said. "I hope folks can be successful enough gardening that they keep on doing it and it's worth the effort for them."
Sunny Meadows offers curbside pickup and is well-arranged for social distancing, with 4 acres of retail space.
"Our business is all about folks having an enjoyable experience," Weber said. "We want them to feel comfortable when they come. They don't have to buy anything. They can just walk around and soak up the beauty of nature. We try to lay out our garden center for that reason. It's outdoors, and it's spread out."
Cormany is continuing to take telephone calls and emails, and said the Home and Garden Information Center website at hgic.umd.edu offers more than 500 publications and fact sheets.
She said other gardeners also are good resources and often willing to share plants, seeds and tips.
"People have been growing their own food for years," she said. "Dating back to the victory gardens during the World Wars, the back-to-the-land movement during the 1960s, and every recession or difficult time makes people think about growing their own food.
"I hope everyone will try to grow some of their own food. Once people get a taste, literally, of their own homegrown food, it becomes a lifelong passion. Food picked fresh and enjoyed right away tastes better. Growing their own also saves money."
If vegetables are too much to bite off, Cormany said flowers also can feed a green thumb and bring beauty in a stressful time.
“"I just bought some zinnia seeds," she said. "They are a wonderful plant for pollinators and a happy, cheerful and colorful plant. I'm planting for the future, and I encourage other people to do so."
