Posted on 04/10/2020 11:46:02 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
A seed catalog coming in the mail is enough to get a gardener’s heart pumping.
Now more than ever people are expected to return to the earth, as they get weary of the COVID-19 indoor restrictions and foresee the punch the pandemic will have on their wallets.
Call volume has spiked at Jung Seed Company with longer wait times as people place their orders for Wisconsin 55 Tomato and Butter and Sugar Sweet Corn seeds.
Nathan Zondag, the company’s VP, has a theory on the demand.
“More people are at home now with COVID-19 orders and looking at the seed catalog and getting ready for spring and, unfortunately, more people are gearing up for a recession,” Zondag said.
The company’s business went up 30 percent during the 2008-2009 recession, Zondag said.
The family-owned business has been around since 1917, and through wars and recessions, the company has seen people turn to gardening during troubled times.
Garden shops, seed companies, and community gardens are essentials under the COVID-19 emergency orders and can remain open and operating while other businesses have had to shut down.
Jung Garden Center stores, including the Sun Prairie location, are open for customers to buy seeds, potting soils, supplies, bare roots, and nursery supplies. Zondag said retail shops have curb-side pick-up for people who don’t want to go inside the store during the COVID-19 emergency.
Zondag said even though most people have moved away from gardening, it’s important for everyone to know how to produce their own food. That allows control over how it’s grown, what chemicals, if any, are used. It’s also usually less expensive than going to the grocery store.
“It’s healthy, convenient, and cheaper,” Zondag said. “And you get a lot of tomatoes off one plant and those can be turned into spaghetti sauce, salsa or any other canned goods you might want to help sustain you over winter.”
Gardening know-how
More demand means more newbie gardeners may be entering the field, so Lisa Johnson, a UW-Extension Horticulture Educator has some advice: Plan ahead and don’t get overwhelmed.
“Starting small is a good idea,” Johnson said. “If you are an apartment dweller, you can use pots and containers, and plant lettuce or spinach, if you don’t have a lot of light.”
Homeowners can stake out a little plot, use raised beds or be creative with other options.
“A 10 x 10 plot is plenty big for a beginner,” Johnson said. “Or if you have an old kids pool you can use that if you drill holes in the bottom.”
Leaning on an expert for advice is a good tip. UW-Extension is starting up its Horticultural Help Line in mid-April, by email at horticulture@countyofdane.com or by phone (608) 224-3721 from 9 a.m.- noon Monday through Friday.
Johnson said there is still time to start seeds indoors if done immediately. If that’s not possible, she said to concentrate on planting vegetable seeds in the ground, usually after May 20.
“We are bit warmer than normal, so we are on track to do that,” Johnson said.
Easy-grow crops are lettuce, chard, mustard greens, green beans, she said. Other crops like tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables have to be monitored for disease and pests.
Johnson promotes gardening at any time, but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when people can suffer from depression and isolation.
“There is a lot of uncertainty out there,” Johnson said. “So having a connection with nature, and being outside away from the COVID-19 news is good. There are a lot of mental and emotional benefits to gardening.”
Gardening is also a good task for families to do together.
“Even before the COVID-19, there has been a resurgence and interest in producing grow-your-own food, and teaching younger folks these types of skills is important.”
Community gardens
Sun Prairie community gardeners are preparing for the season with more than a dozen new gardeners joining its ranks.
But there are still around 30 lots left, Sun Prairie Community Garden organizer Tom Kinney reported on Tuesday.
“We expect to sell out of plots this year based on the early interest that we’ve received so far,” Kinney said, as the garden’s May 1 target opening date draws nearer.
A half-plot costs $20, full plot $35, with even bigger plots available. The garden also offers no-fee flower plots around the border to enhance the garden’s curb appeal on Linnerud Drive.
Information and application material can be found on the City of Sun Prairie website, www.cityofsunprairie.com/429/Community-Garden.
Community gardening is essential under Gov. Tony Evers’ “Safer at home” orders according to Dane County officials at UW-Extension and the Dane County Circuit Court.
Sun Prairie Community Garden officials are consulting with the Dane County Garden Network to put new regulations in place to keep gardeners safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. That could mean limiting the number of people in the garden at the same time and requiring gardeners to follow social distancing guidelines. Rules on shared tools and other resources will also be reviewed, Kinney said.
“Community gardens are exempt from the (COVID-19) order but we will still need to take the recommended precautions,” Kinney said.
Spring is always an exciting time for gardeners, but Kinney said the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the enthusiasm. Like so many, he is especially eager to plant a plot this year and reap the benefits.
“There is nothing better to have a fresh tomato that you have grown yourself,” Kinney said. “I look forward to that.”
I plan on getting a jump on things. Plan on planting frozen veggies.
This year I’m growing a huge patch of potatoes, an equal-sized patch of wheat, and adding more carrots and other root veggies than usual. My squash plans are staying the same, but then I was planning to grow huge amounts of that anyway. I have a tractor attachment to help me plant more beans this year, too.
The supply disruptions are still working their way through the various systems. A lot of food processors and distributors are so backed up, they’re telling farmers to dump their crops, even as grocery stores keep selling out. There just aren’t enough truckers to clear the bottlenecks.
That’s not even counting the processors that are shutting down due to the virus. I shudder to think how many meat farmers are going to be impacted by the Tyson shutdown alone!
I keep thanking God for my chickens. They’ve been keeping us well supplied with eggs, which are a huge part of my family’s diet.
Those of you in or near rural areas, keep an eye on Craigslist. I’ve noticed a lot of farmers are trying to deal with this by selling directly where they’re allowed. If I was ready for a milk cow or some feeder hogs, now would be the time to buy!
But Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a new executive order that extends her "Stay Safe, Stay Home" order through the end of the month... There are new rules for ompanies to limit exposure to others. The governor also wants big box stores to close certain sections like flooring, garden centers and plant nurseries. - https://www.fox17online.com/gov-whitmer-extends-executive-order-until-april-30
Thats the spirit!
Having gardens and fruit trees is a great idea... who knows when China will ‘accidentally’ drop another bio-weapon into the world.
Or hubby will lose his job.
Or one of us will develop a chronic illness.
Or inflation will go mad.
Lots of good reasons to have a garden.
The BEST time to plant a fruit tree is 5 years ago, the next best time is right now!
I can remember in WW2 the victory gardens we had inside the city of Boston.
People on small lots and with small backyards of questionable soil grew many types of edible vegetables.
It is as though you can grow something to eat on just about any type of soil.-Tom
I keep thanking God for my chickens. They’ve been keeping us well supplied with eggs, which are a huge part of my family’s diet.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I get my egg supply from my SIL (who lives next door). The chickens had started laying (after a ‘time off’) and now suddenly, they’ve slowed down drastically in the last week. I eat a LOT of eggs so we took a jaunt about 20 minutes further out into the country this morning & bought some pastured eggs from a farm out there. I told my SIL to threaten her hens with the stew pot if they didn’t “get busy”! The hens are 2, maybe 3 years old. She has some chicks from this spring, but they won’t lay for about 6 months.
OMG! I Read that the Governor of VA did that, too!
Ridiculous! Democrats are pure EVIL!
I use the seeds from Dollar Tree for the basics of my Beneficial Bug Mix. I can usually find the following:
Calendula
Blue Bachelor Button
Dill
Cilantro (let it flower)
I also add:
Fennel, Orange Cosmos & Borage
Mix it all together, and seed into 4” containers, scattering about 1/4 tsp. of seed in each cup. Keep seeds in a covered Mason jar; you can use them again later in the season or even the following year. Water and cover lightly with dirt and germinate under lights OR with bottom heat, moving them to a light source (grow rack or greenhouse) once they’ve all germinated; some will take longer than others. When they’re old enough and it’s warm enough, plant a few pots in the corners of your garden beds, or plant in larger pots scattered about your garden.
This mix brings in the Good Bugs - real Ladybugs, Lacewings, beneficial Wasps (they’re small; they won’t sting you!) and they’ll kill off the Bad Bugs for you. It’s a Micro-Jungle out there! :)
It also makes a lovely bouquet for the table. Win/Win!
Any threads praising Trump can STAY! :) I’m looking forward to a Landslide this fall, as well!
“Son, I bootlegged starter trays full of vegetables.”
When vegetables are outlawed, only Outlaws will have vegetables! :)
For America basically being an Agrarian Enterprise from the git-go, Mother Government sure thinks she knows better than We The People! Grrrr!
There is a song called “Home Grown Tomatoes”
sung by John Denver
There ain’t nothin’ in the world that I like better
than bacon n lettuce n home grown tomatoes
Up in the mornin’ Out to the garden
Pick me a ripe one Don’t git a hard one
Plant ‘em in the spring
Eat ‘em in the summer
All winter without ‘em is a culinary bummer
I forget all about the sweatin’ and the diggin’
Every time I go out and pick me a big ‘un
Home grown tomatoes,home grown tomatoes
Ain’t nuthin’ in the world like a home grown tomato
(more verses I can’t remember.. YouTube has several videos of it)
While upset about that, I got all my seeds and starts going so it’s not a big deal. My wife calls my shed - shed-depot. The only time I cant find something I need there, I go to home depot. But then later it always seems I find what I was looking for in the shed.
But that aside, northam is more evil then your average demonrat. Signed an abortion bill today.
Great idea.
Thanks.
“If I was ready for a milk cow or some feeder hogs, now would be the time to buy!”
Beau was wanting to get a few pregnant beef cows this spring. I’m going to keep suggesting that there’s no time like the present!
They can pretty much raise themselves on pasture, in with the milk cows who already ‘rent’ pasture space from us. ;)
I planed my own tomatoes and bell peppers from seeds this year. Usually I buy them at the store. Glad I did, as many are closed now.
I got some from there last month and am growing them now.
Ah yes, that’s part of the verses I couldn’t remember. A gem of a song.
Pansies have been shipping out from my relatives greenhouses to the retailers. Sister delivered pansies in the snow squall we had yesterday.
That was some weird weather.
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