Break out the tools and garden your way to a healthier mind, body and spirit. Gardeners know and research proves that getting outdoors, digging in the soil and gardening help strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, reduce stress and elevate our mood. Gardening helps fight anxiety and depression forced upon us by the coronavirus outbreak.

While many businesses were forced to close due to the coronavirus situation, others like lawn and garden suppliers remain open.

According to the Interim Guidance for Horticulture, issued by the state on 3/24/20,  garden centers are deemed an Essential Business, and can operate as usual during this period of statewide PAUSE.

“Yes, we are still open”, stated Sarah Van Eewyk, of Grandpa’s Nursery and Garden Center on Rotterdam Road, just off Route 104 in Sodus.

Len Sorbello of Wayside Garden Center on Route 31 in Macedon is seeing quite a few topsoil, compost and mulch deliveries ramping up.

Grandpa’s and Wayside are only two of over a dozen places allowed to remain open due to their “agriculture” standing in New York State.

People are getting bored and with the weather breaking, lawn and garden projects are one of the top of the list “social-spacing” tasks at hand.

“Missing are the persons in the store and impulse shopping. That business is down 60-75%,” admits Sorbello. He hopes with the warmer weather things will begin to break open in April and definitely by Mother’s Day on May 10th.

Both Grandpa’s and Wayside Gardens admit they have not called back as many seasonal workers due to the coronavirus and current situation.

All garden centers are taking precautions to ensure that their environment is safe and clean for our customers. “We have drastically limited our staffing to minimize the potential for germ transmission, we are practicing safe social distancing, and we continuously disinfect all surfaces that are frequently touched,” touted Sorbello. “In addition, customers are free to call and make purchases over the phone, and then drive up to our storefront to either pick up their order or have it loaded by one of our personnel. We are also continuing our mulch and soil deliveries as usual. Just call us to place your order and we will have it to you quickly, often that same day. We who are used to working in the open air really empathize with the vast amount of you who are constrained to your homes for the foreseeable future. We want nothing more than a quick end to this devastating virus, and in the interim, for those of you looking to get some gardening in during PAUSE (the fresh air and exercise are great for the immune system!), we are always here to help. Feel free to wander our greenhouse and outside displays, but remember to practice strict social distancing with our other customers and staff, so we can all get through this as quickly as possible.”