As weather warms seeds fly off shelves at garden center

Only recently did garden stores get the governor's approval to resume business again.

MINNEAPOLIS — Right now with the coronavirus, we have a shortage of things to do. You can only run, walk or bike so far. However, many people have caught on that gardening has no limits, leading to garden centers selling out of popular products.

Up until the moment Governor Tim Walz opened garden centers again, co-owner of Mother Earth Gardens, Karen O'Connor was busy bringing her store online. She said she and her staff worked tirelessly while practicing social distancing to set up curbside pick-up as well as a processing plan for online orders.

"We made an online store in like two weeks," she said. "It was all hands on deck, away from each other from our houses. It was imperfect but that's what we did."

They got curbside to work. However, O'Connor said it could never defeat in-store purchases. She said she got worried.

"It was like a pile of rocks fell on us all of a sudden because if a garden store doesn't make money in April, May and June, the rest of the year is completely shot because all of the year is paid for by those months."

However, garden centers were green lighted to open again. O'Connor said it didn't take people very long to come rushing in to embrace yet another thing that allows us time in the sun.

"It's different," she said, looking around her store. "Just like everybody, we're all experiencing this really strange thing that we don't know what the outcome is going to be or even what tomorrow is going to be like. We're trying to keep people apart and we're trying to keep people happy."

With its re-opening, the store put out signs out front, asking customers to wear masks if they had one. Other signs asked people to stay six feet apart from staff and other customers if possible. 

On Wednesday, the store was busy. O'Connor explained it's not as busy as it would have been on a regular year because they have to limit the number of customers at the store, but it was busy nonetheless.

The secret must have gotten out that money can't buy happiness--but that happiness can grow on trees.

"We have sold so many seeds," O'Connor said. "Way more than we've ever sold before. We certainly did run out of all tomatoes in seed form. Tomatoes and peppers etc."

Seeds have sold out, and vegetables were popular as well.

"They're definitely buying flowers too but during the recession in 2008 and 2009, we saw a big pick up in our vegetables. Fruit and edible stuff-- and the same thing is happening this year. I think people are feeling like things are a bit out of control. Maybe if we grow our own food that might be helpful."

O'Connor said she's grateful that people are coming by to support her business. She also added she's glad to be a provider of seeds of hope.

"It's something you can do outside, it's something that changes in a positive way," she said. "To have growth that is positive, and it's untouched by this whole thing. It's something you can return to and something you can look forward to."

O'Connor said she's out of tomato, basil and pepper seeds so far but seedlings will come soon as the weather warms up even more. Those seeds are on backorder, but if you are interested in planting other seeds, she recommends cold-hardy vegetable seeds like kale or broccoli.

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