As COVID-19 shuts down one activity after another, one hobby is blooming: gardening.
Since Friday, British Columbians have been discouraged from attending any in-person gathering of any size at this time to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Restaurants and bars have largely closed and even the liquor store will be closed on Sunday.
In response, many turn to this enforced period of solitude and self-reflection like that of Voltaire. Candid, “to cultivate our gardens”, although literally.
Hartley Rosen, owner of Figaro’s Garden store on Victoria Drive, says there’s been a huge appetite for gardening supplies.
“There’s a real, real demand for that right now. A lot of our suppliers, [for example] West Coast Seeds, are completely overwhelmed with orders,” Rosen told host Gloria Macarenko on CBC. On the coast.
“Right now, there are so few things and activities that we can do right now. So, just like gardening, it’s a real blessing.”
The moment, however, is bittersweet. Rosen had to close his business and complete the herculean task of bringing all of the store’s inventory online so people could place orders by email.
“We’ve never had to do this before. People can just walk in the door and choose whatever they want. Now we’re going to have to do things completely differently.”
Part of the interest is not fueled solely by a desire for recreation. As governments declared the food supply secure, empty grocery store shelves left people worried about a shortage of basic foodstuffs.
Lisa Giroday, co-founder of the Victory Gardens Vancouver cooperative, which helps people grow food in their space for consumption, helps those looking to garden fruits and vegetables.
The company takes its name from Victory Gardens, which were common during World War I, the Great Depression and World War II, as private and public plots of land were taken over and planted as vegetable gardens. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, they were often occupied by the unemployed and served the dual purpose of boosting morale and alleviating food shortages.
Giroday says those with yards and balconies can easily plant vegetables for the coming season, and those confined to a sunny windowsill can plant a variety of herbs and microgreens.
She says that in Vancouver, it’s the time of year to plant kale, peas, radishes, mustard greens and herbs like cilantro.
“March 28 [is] the mean date of last frost in Vancouver. Generally, planting too early can risk the seeds not germinating, but now is the perfect time for these early crops,” she said.
Rosen says you can easily start planting sun-loving plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant indoors right now.
And there is also the preparation of the garden and the containers that you can start at this time of the year.
“There’s a lot of things like getting out of weeding, building your flower beds with compost and adding fertilizer, that sort of thing,” Rosen said.
“Anything we can do to be outside and create with our hands is so nice.”
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