Town & Country

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY APRIL 18, 2020 Greenhouse operators across southern Manitoba expect to see a growing trend toward backyard gardening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. B ut a potential boom could go bust if a widespread lockdown hampers sales to retail cus- tomers. Ball Seed sales representative Duayne Friesen says growers are already thinking about how to keep their businesses in the black, including making plans to adapt to government directives regard- ing social distancing. But it's not easy given that some growers rack up 90 per cent or more of their annual sales in May and early June, with Mother's Day and the May long weekend accounting for a huge percentage of those sales. "Their plans for this spring are to proceed as normally as conditions will allow," Friesen says. "The issue that most greenhouses will have is really just dealing with the vol- ume of people coming through. And if you pass some greenhouse parking lots in spring they can be jammed." Handling traffic flow and maintain- ing safe distancing will be a challenge. Some greenhouses may opt for extended hours, and have staff enforce distancing. And greenhouses that don't already offer online ordering with curb-side pickup are updating their websites and Facebook pages to keep customers in the loop. Greenhouses are considered an es- sential service under the agricultural umbrella, which means operators can continue production, but as of April 8, their retail operations were not consid- ered essential services in Manitoba. While most rural operators would not normally open before the end of April or early May, they would have invested in purchasing seeds and plants as early as last fall, and since production starts in January, they pay for heat and other essentials for months before plants are ready for sale. "The only thing they can do is keep going," Friesen says. "The investments have all been made for this year." While the return on those invest- ments is uncertain, he says operators are optimistic, and with good reason. In the U.S. greenhouses that are already open for the year are seeing sales increase by 20-40 per cent. And Manitobans who have been stay- ing at home are not only looking for- ward to getting outside and working in their yards in the springtime — chances are they'll be focused on their lawns and gardens throughout the entire summer. "That's the demand of people looking to get into gardening now because there are no travel plans. They're staying at home and even if dollars are short it tends to be an industry that when times are tough you concentrate on things at home, and gardening is where a lot of people put their effort and some money too," Friesen says. "The amount of calls coming in and the traffic on social media on Facebook and web pages has never been higher." While flowering plants that attract bees and butterflies have been flying off shelves for a few years now, greenhouses are also increasing their supply of vegetables and vegetable seeds, with the expectation that more people will want to grow their own food in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. But there's no need to go hog wild. Lettuce grown from seed will produce all summer, and a few well-tended tomato or cucumber plants will provide family-size crops. There's no rush to begin planting at the first sign of spring, either. In fact, Friesen says the old saying, "After the first full moon in June," is still valid. "If you plant a tomato plant on May 12 or if you plant your tomato plant on June 12, on July 15 you will not be able to tell which one you planted when. It really won't make a difference. Our night temperatures and ground temperatures are so crucial to how well our plants will grow and produce." Not a green thumb? Not to worry. Farmers' markets and farms that offer subscription services for meat, eggs and produce are also options that are likely to see an uptick this year. To learn about farms and markets in your area, visit Direct Farm Manitoba at directfarmmanitoba.ca. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BALL HORTICULTURAL Greenhouse operators are increasing stocks of vegetables this year. SEEDS OF CHANGE How will your garden grow this summer? While flowering plants that attract bees and butterflies have been flying off shelves for a few years now, greenhouses are also increasing their supply of vegetables and vegetable seeds, with the expectation that more people will want to grow their own food in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. STOCK PHOTO

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