Garden centres sowing the seeds of a strange spring

“My understanding is that it is much more complicated for the owners, but we feel like it’s our moral responsibility to keep our clients as safe as possible.” Neville said, sharing that at this point the new online store is about 80 per cent complete. He clarified that the changes left to be made have to do with getting items and photos listed online, and that although none had been made at the time he was speaking with The Record, online sales are already possible at chuckandcathy.com.

“It’s going to be way different this year,” Neville added, explaining that the location on Wellington Street South is also going through all of the transitions that people have seen in other retail locations, including the addition of distance markings on the ground, the installation of plexiglas dividers around the cash, and the elimination of indoor space. “In that way we’re pretty well set up,” the owner continued, pointing out that the garden centre is already mainly outdoor space.

Although preparations for the start of the gardening season were delayed by the shutdowns related to COVID 19, Neville said that the cool weather forecast for the month of May is likely to provide some room to catch up. So long as temperatures stay below freezing at night time he said that there is no rush to get plants into the ground, although the centre does currently have a stock of more frost-hearty plants.

With the earth drying out, Neville suggested that now could be a time to start preparing garden beds for those planning to garden who are not on it already. He also shared that there is a plan to stock a higher number of vegetable plants this spring than usual knowing that more people are talking about starting food gardens.

“There won’t be a shortage,” he said, of the vegetable plants.

The Record reached out to several other garden centres in the Sherbrooke area for comment on the changes this spring but no others were available for an interview.