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Local nurseries trying to stay open during crisis

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED MAR 18, 2020

The Plant Foundry is staying open but their sign asks customers to maintain a distance from

staff and other shoppers. (Photo courtesy The Plant Foundry)

Coronavirus strikes at worst time for spring-oriented businesses

For nurseries, the timing could not be worse.

March is to nurseries what Christmas is to other retailers: It’s traditionally their busiest time of the year.

Most nurseries depend on brisk early spring sales to stay in business.

So, what happens during coronavirus crisis?

It depends on the individual nursery. It’s also a fluid situation that is changing daily.

Most of our local nurseries are trying to stay open at this time. The Plant Foundry in Oak Park and Big Oak Nursery in Elk Grove are both keeping their gates open to the public.

“Fresh air and sunshine may be the answer? Come out to the nursery!” Big Oak posted on Facebook ( @BigOakNursery ).

“We will remain open and keep you updated as often as possible,” Angela Pratt of The Plant Foundry posted on her nursery’s website, www.plantfoundry.com .

High-Hand Nursery ( www.highhandnursery.com ) in Loomis canceled its big Wings and Wine fundraiser but is still selling plants and supplies. Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery also is open and offering curbside pickup. "We believe that retail nursery businesses fit into the 'essential' category, since garden centers are part of the food production chain," the nursery posted on its Facebook page .

Veggie transplants await customers at Green Acres.
(Photo: Debbie Arrington)

Green Acres Nursery & Supply, which operates the five largest nurseries in our area, is staying open, at least for now. It’s also asking gardeners to browse their stock online at its website, www.idiggreenacres.com , for quick pick-up at its sites.

“At Green Acres Nursery & Supply, we are taking Coronavirus – COVID-19 – seriously and would like you to know what you can expect from our family as we take safety precautions and make adjustments for the benefit of our community, our customers, and our employees,” wrote owner Mark Gill. “We are currently open during our normal spring business hours, and evaluating our hours daily. Please check our website for updates.”

Gill pointed out that nurseries are unique businesses. They’re outside and naturally conducive to “social distancing.”

“Our nurseries sit on acres and acres of open space,” he wrote. “Customers can shop where there’s plenty of room for required social distancing – two arm’s-lengths or a minimum of six feet. When paying us a visit we request that you be mindful of fellow patrons and follow this ever important rule.”

The positives of gardening make it a worthwhile pursuit, perhaps especially during these trying times.

“Gardening is therapeutic; it offers fresh air, exercise, a sense of accomplishment, reduces stress, and so much more,” Gill added. “Spring is in the air, and we hope to help make your additional time at home better by providing you with ways to take advantage of the benefits of gardening.”

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:

Fair Oaks Boulevard Nursery nurseries gardening Sacramento coronavirus plants High-Hand Nursery Big Oak Nursery Green Acres Nursery and Supply Plant Foundry

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Food in My Back Yard Series

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth

March 18: Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

March 11: Ways to win the fight against weeds

March 4: Potatoes from the garden

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Feb. 11: When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

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Garden Checklist for week of April 27

Once the clouds clear, get to work. Spring growth is in high gear.

* Set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash. Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* Weed, weed, weed! Don’t let unwanted plants go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Start thinning fruit that's formed on apple and stone fruit trees -- you'll get larger fruit at harvest (and avoid limb breakage) if some is thinned now. The UC recommendation is to thin fruit when it is about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. Peaches and nectarines should be thinned to about 6 inches apart; smaller fruit such as plums and pluots can be about 4 inches apart. Apricots can be left at 3 inches apart. Apples and pears should be thinned to one fruit per cluster of flowers, 6 to 8 inches apart.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

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