Posted on 05/09/2020 10:53:29 AM PDT by thecodont
Spring is always a busy time for garden centers. But during a nationwide lockdown, the season is a whole different animal.
"We are 500% busier than we normally are this time of year," said Mario DiGrande, owner of Oakland's Thornhill Nursery. "I've already sold as much soil in six weeks that I do in an entire year. It's just crazy."
Considered essential businesses by California's stay-at-home order, many garden centers have opted to stay open for the past few months - albeit with reduced staff and social-distancing measures such as curbside pickup or appointment-only shopping.
[...]
Herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, citrus trees, soils and fertilizers are all especially popular items. At Thornhill Nursery, DiGrande, who is currently running the whole operation by himself, says they’ve had to limit customers to one basil plant per person. (And if people aren’t buying edible plants, they’re at least stocking up on houseplants, he added.)
From stockpiling canned and dry goods at grocery stores, to cultivating sourdough starters and baking bread, growing vegetable gardens seems like the natural progression of quarantine clichés.
“It’s survivalist, first and foremost,” explained Melissa Smith, who recently started a garden in her San Leandro home with her family. “People have gone generations without knowing where food comes from and how to provide for themselves.”
There’s even a bit of a history behind this urge to start a garden. During World War I and World War II, various countries, including the United States, were encouraged to plant victory gardens: vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks to supplement rations and boost morale.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Good for you! What tomato varieties, if I may ask?
One of the best things parents and schools can do is teach children how to grow vegetables and flowers. It can start with a few seeds, some potting mix, and a small milk carton. Then they can learn patience and eventually enjoy the harvest.
I am not a gardener ,but the other day I went into the pet and feed store to get supplies for the birds , squirrels and chipmunks that are regular visitors to my back porch.
While in the store I noticed an expanded new section devoted to seeds for planting vegetables, food etc.
The person who waited on me told me they are selling 3 times as many victory garden seeds as they have sold in the past.-Tom
Made in the USA — that’s a nice bonus. They’re a little pricey but that might incline me to splurge every now and then.
I just checked their website and indeed it was the radish scent that I had tried and liked (this was a while ago).
Anyone have any thoughts on the concept of cooking pie pumpkins and eating them like squash, rather than making pies out of them?
There are a number of pumkin and sausage recipes out there.
Pumkin is poular in Korea.
Yes, they are great for eating!
I have a bottle of the Radish dish soap under the kitchen sink as I type. Try the Basil scent next! Yummy!
My Mom likes the Lemon Verbena, but I find it too strong a scent for my tastes. ;)
Pumpkins are, technically, squash. Each variety might have a different flavor, but they can certainly be substituted for each other. You just might find you need to adjust for the sweetness (or lack thereof).
Sounds like a good experiment with butter and, perhaps, brown sugar.
Noted ~ I will give the Basil a shot next time.
Roma’s. Love their slight bitter acidic taste.
That's a good classic variety, good for sauce or for salad.
I bookmarked the link you provided and many of the things stated there agree with the conclusions I’ve come to after years of study on the subject and work. I’m well into a multi-year project that involves converting my entire back yard into a vegetable garden and fruit orchard. Even when that’s completed, I know it won’t be enough so I hope that this year I can finally have the time to locate and utilize sources of food in the wild. Particularly cattail stands.
One of the criteria I have in deciding what to grow in my garden is if the produce is easily store-able by canning, fermenting, freezing, dehydrating or has a long shelf life in the right conditions. Something like winter squash can be stored in the basement of my other house where the temperature is kept at 40 degrees during the winter.
Would rather call it a Q garden.
Yes, I agree. A garden can teach a child that their can be a reward for hard work and patience. A garden doesn’t produce immediate results.
I have a kitchen porch garden in buckets and window boxes and Styrofoam coolers every year, all I can manage at near 80. Planted my 10 big tomato plants, started from seed, out there 2 1/2 weeks ago. S. Missouri. They’ve been through storms, winds and a frost ( under blanket clothespinned to tomato cages), are near 3 feet tall & thriving. Also have blossomed sugar snap peas in coffee cans, pulling scallions, lettuce, spinach,etc. Even peppers & eggplant are out there making it. Green beans just germinating on front porch. Mailman will have to lump it. If I can do it, anyone can.
Sounds wonderful. You must have good sun exposure there.
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