BY JONATHAN VAN WILTENBURG | jonathan_vw@yahoo.com
As this foreboding viral cloud looms overhead, what has unfolded in the last few weeks could be summed up in one word: crazy.
When I head to town I can just feel people are on edge. Big media has been relentless, not only hitting us with facts, but also creating overwhelming hysteria.
What I find so curious about all this COVID-19 stuff is not whether or not I will get it (I have two young kids; I am certain it will rip through the house at some point). What I find fascinating is the behavioral response to all this.
I’m talking about the stuff like hoarding huge amounts of toilet paper. My wife saw a woman the other day buy over 80 rolls of the stuff. It doesn’t even make sense. I heard it quoted “it’s a lung bug, not bum bug.”
I heard from a local vendor that there has been a run on guns and ammunition, too. For real? This is a bad cold/flu, not a Zombie apocalypse.
I thought the mantra was supposed to be “keep calm and carry on,” but it doesn’t seem possible anymore. It seems unwise to go out or travel anywhere. You cannot meet with friends. You can forget about your planned holidays. The grocery stores are struggling to keep the shelves stocked as shoppers overload their buggies. And the end of all this does not seem to be anywhere in sight.
What are we to do?
Well I have an idea. Instead of hoarding things that keep your bum clean, let’s focus our attention onto something that could really make a difference in warding off this hysteria.
Let’s forget about the social media and the news, and focus on exercise, lots of fresh air, and healthy food.
I’m talking about gardening of course!
The timing of this viral outbreak could not be more perfect from a food gardening perspective. Spring is here now, so whether you’re a seasoned food grower, or a total beginner, there is no better time than now to start a food garden. Get out there and plant your crops in the next six to eight weeks.
And if the world really does go for a big dump, you’ll have all your nice home grown food to hoard all to yourself.
Happy gardening.
April Gardening Tasks
Sit down and put to paper a plan for your summer annual flower boxes and pots. It is always a good idea to come up with a planting plan prior to heading to the nursery so you can make sure your pots will have well-balanced growth, colour, texture, and interest throughout the summer.
Renovate the garden. Feel free to dig up and move around perennials in areas that have gotten cramped or just are not working.
You must get ahead of the weeds now! Otherwise you will have a large chore on your hands in the coming months. Think about acquiring some mulch to smother the weeds and also help with moisture retention. You will not regret it one little bit.
If you’re into beautiful green lawns, take advantage of moist mild spring weather. Aerating, liming, over-seeding, and applying a fertilizer would all be beneficial to establish a strong, healthy green carpet.
Prune back your early spring flowering shrubs: forsythia, duetzia, spirea, heather, keiria, daphne, hamemalis, witch-hazel, sarcacoca, edgeworthia.
Plan ahead for our dry summer weather to come. Think about ideas that will minimize your water usage and maximize your efficiency (i.e. Irrigation system, plant choice, design, soil and mulch, etc).
Keep sowing your vegetable and flower seeds: squash, pumpkin, lettuce, beets, spinach, greens, carrots, parsnips, chard, celery, early potatoes, leek, onion, and summer flowering annuals. Greens and lettuce should be sown every three weeks.
Harvest your early crop of rhubarb and your asparagus. Continue this for the next six weeks. Yum yum!
