BY STEF MANCHEN
Some Eudora residents are devoting more attention to gardening, which has spiked in popularity during the pandemic.
National reports cite early fears of food shortages at grocery stores and the extensive amount of time people are now spending at home as reasons for the boom.
Two major seed companies, Burpee Seeds and Plants and Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co., posted statements on their Facebook pages noting they are still in production, but asked customers to stay patient since shipments and answers to customer inquiries are taking longer.
Locally, Karen Pendleton of Pendleton’s Country Market said her business plan changes each day as she tries to adapt to working during the pandemic. Onions, spinach, lettuce and other cold crops have been in high demand.
“We grow all of our plants, so when we’re out, we’re out,” Pendleton said. “I can get a few things from a few other people, but at this point everything we have is what we’re going to get.”
Pendleton advises gardeners to start small with a manageable number of crops. She said the first step to starting your own garden is figuring out what space to use. Some plants come in different varieties that allow for better growth in specific environments.
Not only are there different ways to grow plants, such as in a pot or raised beds, there are also different types of plants to fit the space a gardener has.
Indeterminate varieties will continue to grow as long as they have space to do so, taking over the ground where they were planted. Determinate varieties have a determined final growing point, making them easier to maintain. For example, different varieties of tomatoes grow to different sizes.
Pendleton also said watching the weather is imperative to successful gardening. Knowing the temperature and following a calendar will help keep your plants alive. The Kansas State Extension Service has one available here.
Douglas County Master Gardener Andrea Verbanic said it’s important to get to know the plants you want to grow. Verbanic said a frequent problem she sees is people don’t understand what their specific plant needs, which ultimately leads to it not blooming.
“People tend to want to put plants in a certain location because it looks good without focusing on the fact that the plant does not want to be there,” Verbanic said. “Sometimes it's the sunlight, or lack of sunlight, or the soil or just the location. There’s more to the plant than just the little black tag that comes with it when you buy it.”
Aman Reaka of Eudora learned how to garden from his father at a young age by following him out into the yard and lending a helping hand to keep the garden going. Gardening stuck with him through his life, as he now has a garden of his own and has passed the craft down to his children.
Reaka believes people began to panic after seeing supply chains getting cut off and bare shelves, leading them to want their own supply of food in their backyard.
“Everybody got the same idea that, ‘You know what? We better start growing our own food,’” he said.
Reaka said the best way to prepare for a garden is as simple as organization. He said one of the most common mistakes people make is forgetting to water their plants. Forgetting just one day can put plants at risk of going into shock and not properly producing.
Reaka also said starting small can help keep new gardeners from getting overwhelmed.
“If you think you’re going to go at it and have some giant garden with a whole bunch of different stuff everywhere, you’re going to fail and have a bad experience,” Reaka said. “Start small and grow what you know you want to eat, whatever your favorites are, and learn a lot about those plants.”
While it does take time to perfect gardening, Reaka said it isn’t hard work. After some time, it becomes second nature and “you’ll get addicted.”
The Master Gardeners of Douglas County offers online informational sessions. Verbanic said being part of the organization does not require anyone to actually be a master, but rather is an opportunity to join a community with a mutual hobby and learn from one another.
“I think the Master Gardener program helped me to become a more intentional gardener,” Verbanic said. “I do not think I would look into researching the plant unless I was in this organization.”
Gardening tips and resources can be found at the Master Gardeners’ website at https://dgemgks.com. The group also has a garden hotline for questions and concerns that can be reached at dgcogardenhotline@gmail.com.
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