Growing A Green Thumb

Gardeners say the hobby is a popular one during the pandemic

Story by Ali Braboy

Many people went back to the basics in 2020 by taking up gardening while they were forced to stop other activities. That led to a rush to snatch up the dwindling supplies of gardening tools, seeds, and plants at local stores.

“The demand was so crazy. We were empty by Memorial Day weekend,” said Tad Tinker, owner of Seatonville Greenhouses in Seatonville.

The business, which has been in operation for more than 60 years, has unique annuals, perennials, shrubs, and hanging baskets, as well as vegetables and geraniums. Tinker recalled wondering in March 2020 if they’d be able to open, so he put together an online store for curbside pickup orders. Some days there were 15 to 20 orders for curbside pickup.

“It worked out really well from that end,” Tinker said.

Customers did come to the greenhouse to purchase as well. The business opens in early April and typically runs until the middle or end of June. Tinker attributes the rush for supplies to many people being at home and wanting to do activities.

In addition to many older adults, Tinker said, “There were a lot of new younger faces, so it seems like there’s a new generation of people getting interested in gardening again.”

He expects 2021 to be equally busy because of the popularity of gardening right now.

“All inside indicators are saying it’s going to be very much the same way,” Tinker said.

Lorraine Farley, a member of the Mendota Garden Club, said she finds gardening relaxing

See Garden page 8

Seatonville Greenhouses (pictured) has unique annuals, perennials, shrubs, and hanging baskets, as well as vegetables and geraniums.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

FROM PAGE 7

and gratifying. Plus, she appreciates having a healthy food source.

“I know where it came from. I know it’s not full of pesticides. That’s the biggest thing for me,” she said.

Farley referred to gardening as a lost art.

“I think a lot of people got away from it because it’s so convenient to get food at the store and get what you need,” she said.

Gardening can be an individual activity, but it can also help you meet a new network of friends. Many gardeners opt to join clubs to expand their knowledge base and social circle.

Robbin Keenan, a member of the Utica and Ottawa garden clubs, is also a University of Illinois Extension master gardener and master naturalist. She said the pandemic affected the regular activities of her clubs. But she did get a lot of time in last year working on her gardens.

“My gardens have never looked better. I didn’t have anything else to do last summer,” Keenan laughed. “My garden got weeded every day, and I got a lot more things planted.”

The Ottawa Garden Club used to meet once a month in person before the pandemic. But members haven’t been able to meet together as a big group since – although some members have met outside while practicing social distancing and wearing masks.

“We want to meet. We miss each other. We’ve all become really great friends,” said Sharon Stevenson, president of the Ottawa Garden Club. “We are trying to stay in touch and encourage one another.”

It wasn’t just the Ottawa Garden Club members who missed the socialization of their gatherings in 2020. The annual Garden Walk, Faire, and Plant Sale in Utica is usually a place people become aware of the Utica Garden Club and want to join, said Diana Deutsch, a former president.

The event was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. They were still able to do some projects outside and held a quilt raffle.

“We do have a lot of fun,” Deutsch said. “Hopefully, we can get back to normal and start having meetings.”

The Mendota, Ottawa, and Utica garden clubs, which each have a Facebook page, are always looking for members.

Joe Hochstatter, a member of the Mendota Garden Club, said he noticed how popular gardening became this past year.

“I think more people have gardened this year than in the past because trying to find seeds and trying to find lids and canning supplies … everyone was out of everything. I’m trying to stock up now on my canning stuff,” he said in mid-January.

He assumes more people gardened last year because they wanted something to do when home quarantining or isolating and because some people were possibly afraid of running out of food.

Ottawa Garden Club corresponding secretary Sue Coughlin thinks more people may consider growing their own vegetable gardens this year.

“They have less to spend, costs at the grocery stores have gone up, and farmers’ markets may have limitations just as they did last year,” Coughlin said.

SUBMITTED PHOTO The palette is a sculpture by Susan Burton in downtown Ottawa, and the garden club maintains the planting bed and flowers in the palette.

Robbin Keenan’s food garden is pictured during the late spring/early summer of 2019. She said every year is different when it comes to gardening. One year, none of her tomatoes ripened, leaving her with many pounds of green tomatoes. She had to search for green tomato recipes so that her harvest didn’t go to waste.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Robbin Keenan stands next to her broomcorn this past fall. She is a member of both the Utica and Ottawa garden clubs and encourages others to join gardening clubs and ask questions.

SUBMITTED PHOTO