RANDOLPH, Wisconsin (WMTV) – As the pandemic lasts into spring two, local garden centers are preparing for another season of blooming sales.
Before 2020, Madison’s Matt Berg didn’t have a big green thumb.
“I tried growing tomatoes but I just tried growing them out of pots and it didn’t work that well,” said Berg.
But when the pandemic left him working from home, his passion for planting really took root.
“Just doing something, you know, working from home, wanting to get out, just doing something. It was kind of a break in the day to examine the plants, give them a little water and just observe and monitor them more than I could before, ”said Berg.
Jeanne Louther and her family built an elevated garden for their home garden in Madison. It’s something she said she wouldn’t have done if she hadn’t worked from home.
“It’s something I would have talked and thought about, but I don’t know if I would have gone all the way to build the raised bed and actually work in the garden,” Louther said.
Louther said she was experimenting with different seeds for her vegetable garden.
“Try kale, Swiss chard, and different types of heirloom tomatoes and just have fun with them,” Louther said.
She said that although she is going back to the office now and things are getting back to normal, she will not quit gardening.
“Working in the dirt is good for depression, anxiety, it actually changes the way your brain works,” Louther said.
“In times of struggle, people tend to return to earth,” said Dick Zondag, president of Jung’s Seed Company.
Jung’s Seed Company is a family business that has been around since 1907. President Dick Zondag and Vice President Nathan Zondag are a father and son duo who have dug in the dirt all their lives.
“When he was so tall to help me push the seeder through the garden, it’s just very nice. So we have the story of our family that grew up,” said Dick of his son Nathan.
With such a long history, the company has seen many changes in the industry.
“When the economy is bad, or when something like this happens, our business is just a mushroom,” said Dick Zondag.
He said while sales have never been this high, they see an uptrend in sales when the economy is bearish.
For example, he said in 2008, when the real estate market collapsed, they saw a huge boom in vegetable sales.
“The difference from what happened this time is that not only has vegetable sales increased, but everything that has increased,” said Nathan. “In one week we achieved the same turnover as in all of March.”
As sales continue to grow, the average customer’s age continues to decline.
“The customers who have caused this big boom in our business are younger customers,” said Nathan. “People in their twenties and thirties, people with families, want to know where their food is grown, want to know what is used with their food.”
Jeanne Louther said gardening has become something she can do with her family.
“Now my child has got this appreciation from me and that’s something we really enjoy doing together and we can now be with COVID and be in the same house all the time,” said Louther.
From the garden to the kitchen, Matt Berg teaches his three-year-old son how to cook in the garden.
“We teach the little ones that we eat things that we grow. It’s not just magically grown in a grocery store that these are things that come from nature, and that’s how it works.” Said Berg. “There is so little to do for young children these days and it is so easy.”
Louther said her garden had become her place of meditation and zen. What landscaping companies say matters to customers. Lisa Briggs of The Bruce Company said they had one of their best years ever.
“People in their own four walls who got us to create custom decks or landscaping and put them in, and they wanted all of the arts to support that. Not only do I have this space in my garden and I want you to make it look pretty and have low maintenance, but we’ve also noticed that people see spaces as a place to use, an extension of their indoor space. Activity They want to take this outside, ”said Briggs.
Whether it’s planting flowers, growing food, or creating a garden, interest in gardening is growing.
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