Ready for spring? Gardening preparation, creative landscaping begins around Carson City

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced a new way of life closer to home during the spring months last year, people spent more time outside in any way they could. Among the most popular ways to get some fresh air: Gardening, landscaping and lawn care. As the pandemic lingers, so does the green thumbs of the community.

David Ruf, owner of Greenhouse Garden Center and Gift Shop in Carson City, said a key factor to an uptick in gardening and lawn care interest from customers was because people were now telecommuting to work instead of physically going into the office from 9 to 5.

“As (people) were looking out their window, they didn’t see things as attractive as they wanted,” Ruf said. “With that, they were able to go to businesses during store hours versus on the weekend and they were able to do more projects at home because their work schedule was not as constricted.”

According to Ruf, people are reminiscing on the grow-your-own victory gardens of the World War II era, explaining the popularity GGC has seen in vegetable plant purchases. He also warns against using plants that are considered flammable because they don’t instinctively produce as much water, in case of dry spring weather.

“Like last year, this year is going to be very strong in homeowner vegetable production,” Ruf said. “More people want organics. In landscaping, there’s probably more of a trend again of people wanting more low water-use plant material.”

Ruf recommends perennial herbs as good choices for spring planting, especially here in the high desert where temperatures may fluctuate before evening out in the summer. Lavender, catnip, peonies, and the Mexican-Indian primrose are all low-water admitting.

“I felt that a lot of people looked at (gardening) as therapy last season,” Ruf said. “New people, new to gardening, may have felt that it was more of a challenge than what they had realized because friends or colleagues, in other places that they may have lived other than Nevada, it’s usually a lot easier to grow stuff.”

The Greenhouse Project prepares for annual Mother's Day Plant Sale

In 2010, The Greenhouse Project was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Carson City, as well as becoming an AmeriCorps volunteer site. Cory King, greenhouse manager, said their Mother’s Day plant sale is the project’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

“Plant sales are really important not only for our fundraising but it’s also our way of supporting local gardeners,” King said.

The Mother’s Day plant sale will happen this upcoming May, according to King. Additionally, the project is opening a Shopify site where customers can buy plants for early spring instead of shopping at a physical sale. That site should be live by the end of March and can be accessed through their website here.

“In the past we’ve had two sales,” King said. “We’ve had an early day sale and a Mother’s Day sale, so that we can sell appropriate plants for the right time of the season. (Mother’s Day) is when our tomatoes and peppers and all the summer season kinds stuff will be available and not before then.”

King said early spring types of plants can be expected on the Shopify sale. Items like cabbage, kale, any leafy greens, broccoli, Swiss chard, and a few perennials herbs will be available. May items include summer vegetables like basil, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and cucumbers.

“We definitely sold out of everything that we had at our sale last year,” King said. “Even into the summer, we have a booth at the farmer’s market and we sell seedlings there. People were continuing to buy those vegetable plants and herbs.”

The Greenhouse Project is promoting more perennial plants and flowers that will benefit pollinators, King said, like milkweed that Monarch butterflies are especially attracted to.

“I’m seeing more of an interest not only in food plants, but also plants that support the environment, and support pollinators: the bees and the butterflies,” King said.

King is hopeful that the uptick in gardening will continue this spring, and recommends people plant collard greens like kale and Swiss chard in the cooler temperatures before seeing results in the summertime.

“I do believe that people got the bug last year that might not normally have done (gardening), so I’m pretty confident that people will continue that,” King said.

Carson Tahoe Health Foothill Garden

In 2018, the Carson Tahoe Health Foothill Garden Monthly Learning Series was established through the project’s newly founded greenhouse, which was completed the year prior. Classes have pivoted to Facebook live events due to the pandemic.

“It’s a compromise to be online with it,” King said. “We’re hoping to be able to have a live class corresponding with Facebook live so people can actually come. We’ve had continued interest in that and I think some of those folks are anxious to get back in person again. Hopefully in May I think we’re looking at opening that back up.”

As COVID follows folks into this spring season, Ruf believes gardening popularity will continue on an upward trend as people itch to spend time in the increasingly nice weather.

“Some (people) got frustrated by the challenges (of gardening), so they may not continue on this year or they may end up saying, 'hey I can do this,'” Ruf said. “It’s going to depend on the person, whether they’re charging ahead or giving up.”

With home and lawn improvements on the rise as people’s living rooms turn into their offices, Ruf said GGC has also seens landscaping trends in the past year, primarily in lawn preemergence (herbicides) for killing weeds, but he warns against some brands that kill grass as well.

“I definitely have seen more people wanting pre-emergence to be able to apply to their lawn, a big uptick in that so they have better weed control versus having to go out and spray throughout the season,” Ruf said. “People need to be wary of which pre-emergence they’re buying, and the ones for lawns we’ve definitely seen an uptick.”

Last December, an outdoor classroom at Carson High School opened its doors for community learning via The Greenhouse Project. Funded by the William N. Pennington Foundation, the project now allows high school students to dive deeper into the world of agriculture and food production.

What’s become known as “green central,” the CHS greenhouse will allow for more community education on gardening, but also food shortage issues in the Carson City area. More information on the opening of green central can be found here.

“Now that we have a new classroom, we plan to utilize that more for community classes,” King said. “We’ll probably be splitting our time between the two sites.”

Gardening education courses offered online

Live courses, taught by Will Pierz, manager of the Foothill Garden, and recorded sessions can be watched and referred to on The Greenhouse Project’s Facebook page.

A UNR Extension Office is also bringing free gardening education to Carson City. More information and those interested in participating in the next Grow Your Own series via Zoom can click here.