Seedlings for sale: How home gardening has sparked a boom for these farms
'This seems to be the year for home gardeners, that's for sure'
With all of the extra time at home, Joanne Shortall thought gardening would be a great way to get out of the house while the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
"I definitely have more time and I'm actually enjoying that part of it," she said.
Shortall is far from alone, as a home gardening boom takes flight as spring weather improves.
"This seems to be the year for home gardeners, that's for sure," Chris Lester, co-owner of Lester's Farm Market in St. John's, told The St. John's Morning Show. "We're seeing probably two to three times business when it comes to … vegetable seeds, all things home-gardening related."
Trina Porter, co-owner of the Foxtrap Access Road Market in Conception Bay South, said she is hearing from new customers who want to give gardening a try this summer.
"There are a lot of new gardeners out there," she said. "It's often hearing the same questions year after year, but perhaps there's more of the same questions [this year.]"
She said products like seedlings and vegetables, such as seed potatoes, have been in high demand.
Working with emergency orders
Porter said the majority of questions involve how to get started, what to grow and how to deal with pests.
Like every other business in the province, farms and garden centres have had to adapt to public health emergency orders surrounding the pandemic.
Garden centres were able to open their doors at the beginning of Alert Level 4 in May, with farms now planning how they can reopen their doors to the public.
Porter has seen business stay steady through her online store.
"I never imagined that I'd be selling seedlings and vegetables online, but that is what is happening," she said. "That's a huge change for us but it's been working out really well."
For those looking to grow vegetables this season, Lester recommends starting simple.
"The simpler things are always excellent," he said. "If you have kids at home, I would suggest things like lettuces [and] salad mixes. Peas are fantastic for kids because they can pick the pods off the vines."
Lester said root vegetables, such as carrots, beets and potatoes, take longer to grow. "But you will have solid food that you can store," Lester added. "Even if things like carrots and potatoes end up being smaller, they are still edible."
Shortall said she is getting advice from her family, who grew their own vegetables years ago. She has started with rhubarb, and is moving to vegetables like potatoes, carrots and turnips soon. She said she has come to enjoy her time in the garden.
"I think the thought of having something, and starting it from a seed and watching it grow [is what I enjoy]," she said. "Growing up and eating fresh vegetables, my father had a huge garden and he grew his own vegetables... [For me it's] just the enjoyment of watching them grow.
Corner Brook community gardens growing
Residents in the Corner Brook area will also get to chance to do more gardening, as the Western Environment Centre is expanding community gardens into three new neighbourhoods.
Katie Temple, executive director of the environment centre, said new sites will be located in the Townsite neighbourhood, Curling and the west end of Corner Brook.
"Both of the gardens that we ran over the past few years…there's always a lot of demand," Temple told CBC Newfoundland Morning.
"The gardens were always full, some years there was even a wait list. There's been a lot more talk of people wanting to grow their own, wanting to become a little bit more self-sufficient, wanting to know where their food comes from."
The gardens have been in the planning stages for a year, and Temple said things are still on track despite the pandemic.
She said the expansion has received a large positive reception from the public, showing the desire to garden and grow in the area.
"It's amazing how much individual households and communities can grow their own, even in just a small plot of land," Temple said.
"I think people are just becoming more aware of how easy it is, and what a difference it makes to your own health and food security overall."
With files from Alex Kennedy, The St. John's Morning Show and CBC Newfoundland Morning
