Friday, January 1, 2021

Carol O’Meara: Garden gazing ball predicts busy 2021

Courtesy: southwestandbeyond.com

As a little girl, I thought the ornaments in my grandparents’ garden were old-fashioned to the point of being fogey, for example… the green gazing ball nestled in the roses didn’t inspire my preteen mind to anything other than an eye-roll.

Now that I’m older I have more appreciation for garden tchotchke and the gazing ball has made a comeback, and I admit, I can see why.

Gardeners always want to peek into the future to see if their flowers will bloom, vegetables thrive, or rain is on the way. We check almanacs, weather reports, fuzz on caterpillar’s backs, and moon charts to get an edge on Mother Nature. We have many reasons for wanting to know how 2021 will shape up, especially in the garden.

Carol O’Meara CSU Cooperative Extension

To sleuth it out, I talked with a person wise in the ways of gardeners, one who runs a business on gauging trends and what new seasons will hold. And while Curtis Jones can’t tell us if we’ll have a wet season or drought, the co-owner of Botanical Interests Seed Company has some solid advice for 2021.

“This past season, 2020, was an unbelievable year; the U.S. had 19 million new vegetable gardeners. People are thinking about where their food comes from and self-sufficiency,” said Jones “A lot of people that started gardening find that they really enjoy it. A lot of younger people tried it and many are already into houseplants.” 

Flowers as well as vegetable seed sales were strong, not surprisingly.  People staying closer to home wanted to surround themselves with beauty.

So what does next year have in store for us? Jones says gardening in 2021 will be just as strong as it was this year, so plan your garden now. 

Courtesy: Pexels

Those of us who have been around the vegetable patch a time or two should dive into catalogs to find coveted new introductions, or pay a visit to a local retailer to peruse their stock.

The key to success next season is planning and preparation — so get shopping, gardeners.

Complete Article:  DAILY CAMERA 

December 29, 2020 at 3:19 p.m.