Not too early to prepare for gardens

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - It may be too early to put plants in the ground, but not too early to get supplies.

Warmer temperatures gave local greenhouses some much needed business.

Nursery Sales Manager of Bennett's Greenhouse Cindy Gruver agreed.

"It really was a shot in the arm. People kind of have cabin fever. They are ready to get out of the house and it's a little early to plant but they just want to get dirty and get their hands in the soil and start cleaning up their beds," said Gruver.

Gruver said in March when snow is still possible, she said customers buy basics.

"Some lawn fertilizer. Garden seed is huge right now. We've seen a big trend in gardens. Everybody is starting to do their own home gardens. So that was really big, your dormant oil and your lime sulfur, sprays for your fruit tree crop, that's really important right now to get those prepared," said Gruver.

Customers like Olivia Wood have been waiting for weeks to come out and see what is available.

"The snow is gone. So it's the first time in our yard. We're backed up to a wooded area, so this is the first time we had all grass for him to put fertilizer on," said Wood.

Assistant store supervisor Cheri North said most customers reach for pansies because of their durability in early Spring.

"The primrose is a good early plant too. They wont take quite as much cold, if you are going to plant them outside, as the pansies will, but they are one of those first blooms," said North.

Gruver said now is also the time to prepare if you plan on making landscaping changes .

"You can start right now re-mulching everything then you can kind of add as you go. Now is the time when the ground is soft. It's never too early to rip things out, so if they want to re-do their landscape now is the time to clean it out," said Gruver.

Gruver said business at Bennett's Greenhouse will really start to pick up in mid-April. She said people with gardens are spending but just not on big pricey items like trees.