Sacramento Digs Gardening: During pandemic, food gardening still surging

The Plant Foundry in Sacramento's Oak Park neghborhood has continued to see demand for vegetables and all other edibles. (Photo courtesy The Plant Foundry)

The Plant Foundry among nurseries seeing high demand for edible plants

Pandemic gardening keeps on surging.

As sheltered Sacramentans try their hand at growing things during COVID-19 restrictions, local nurseries and plant companies continue to see high demand, particularly for edible plants.

“People are really interested in food,” said Angela Pratt, owner of The Plant Foundry in Oak Park. “It’s hard to keep edible plants in stock. Everything edible is really selling: fruit trees, herbs and vegetables, edible vines such as passionflower or hops.

"People want to grow things even vaguely edible. They’re stuck at home, they want to grow their own food — and they can. It’s a good impulse to fulfill.”

Pratt and her staff have embraced social distancing, face masks and other protections during the pandemic to keep both themselves and customers safe. Only three customers at a time are allowed in the open-air nursery.

Angela Pratt (Photo courtesy Eileen Lynch)

Thanks to that interest in growing food, business has been good during the pandemic, Pratt added. “This is the first year we’ll sell out of stone fruit trees. We’ve already run out of potatoes; we’ve never done that. Seeds are flying off the racks. We even ran out of roses.”

Pratt also saw many parents getting into gardening with their kids as a part of home schooling during the pandemic. “It’s a way to teach about nature,” she said.

The renewed interest in gardening has gone beyond edibles.

“Houseplants are back,” Pratt said. “Before the pandemic, they were our biggest seller. Sales plummeted at first, but now, houseplants are selling again, too.”

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. 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.

* 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.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

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

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* 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.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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