Garden centres around Winnipeg are gearing up for what’s expected to be a busy season.
The hobby remains available to almost everyone, unlike many other activities amid the pandemic.
“We love seeing this excitement,” said Ray Dubois, the owner of Ron Paul’s Garden Centre on St. Mary’s.
“People are coming in and they’re excited to just get their hands dirty.”
Dubois says many of his customers thus far have been people new to gardening or looking to return after a prolonged hiatus.
“We have people coming in that haven’t gardened in 20 years and are now getting back into it. They’ve turned part of their backyard into a garden, so it almost feels like a reinvigoration,” he explained.
For Burt Skogan, hunting for seeds in early March has become tradition.
The long-time gardener visited Ron Paul’s on Tuesday, looking to kick off his spring growing season.
“With spring coming, it makes you feel interested in looking for gardening things. When the weather was miserable, when the roads were icy, not so much.”
“I’d order from a catalogue but now I’m looking at greenhouses and seeing what’s new and just shopping for myself now,” said Skogan.
For those with thumbs not quite as green, experts recommend starting with tomatoes, basil or sunflowers.
“Start slow. Make sure that with the crops you’re getting, you’re looking at your sow time to harvest,” says Dubois.