CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With so many people spending more time at home, gardening has been on the rise -- and you don’t need a green thumb to have a successful garden.
“Part of it is they’re home and staring at their yard and thinking…let’s do this or this would be pretty," Tracy Black, who works in sales at Pike Nursery, said.
She said starting last year, she noticed an uptick in people wanting to grow their own food.
“I don’t know if it was just that uncertainty when all of this started last year, so it gave them a measure of confidence that they could grow certain food themselves," Black said.
And Black says that trend continues this year as well.
“A lot of vegetable gardens and herb gardens," she said. "They want just general knowledge about growing their own food.”
So if you’re looking to grow your own food, now is the time to plant those veggies that love the heat.
“So when we think of gardens, especially heading into the warm season we are in now, we think of our tomatoes and peppers and squash," Black said. "And that’s exactly right. Those are our summer gardens. They like the heat.”
And the good thing is, you don’t need a backyard. As long as you have a patio or balcony, you’re good to go.
“The bigger key, in that case, is, do you have enough sun?" Black asked. "Are you getting enough direct sunlight, six hours or more, to grow it?”
For amateurs, such as WCNC Charlotte's Iisha Scott, there are some things you’ll need, like a bed, whether in the ground or raised, in addition to a few other things.
“You’re going to want some gloves, so if you’re digging in the ground, you’ll want a good shovel and you do need access to water," Black said.
So, if you are thinking of growing food, plants, or maybe just flowers, there’s one date to keep in mind
“April 15th, as you know, is our frost-free date so that’s the target date for people to look for," Black said.
But, if you have plants or veggies in the ground already, cover them up because we aren’t done with the cold just yet.
