Patios, garden centres preparing for busy summer

Businesses in Saskatoon are getting busier as warm temperatures blanket the province.

Kaitlin Dirk, owner of O’Shea’s Irish Pub, said she’s hoping for a busy summer after their rooftop patio opened last Friday.

“We’re off to a great start. It kind of hit hard and fast, but thankfully, I had the staff to get it going,” she said, adding last summer’s patio plans were delayed due to weather.

Dirk said extra staff have already been hired for the season and are already training to start working on the deck. She said the patio is already getting good traffic over lunch and during happy hours.

“It’s like full summer – zero to 100 in a good way,” she said with a laugh.

Although Dirk aims to have the patio ready to go by May 1 most years, she said customers have been eager to sit on the patio since April. The bar owner said they will receive tons of calls from customers when temperatures get into the double digits asking if the patio is open.

Meanwhile, business is blooming for garden centres.

Derek Bloski, general manager of Early’s Farm and Garden Centre, said this year’s quick turn from winter to summer temperatures has been taxing for the business, but last weekend the centre saw record sales.

“It’s great for business (but) creates a little bit of stress as far as making sure shelves are full and product is in place,” he said, adding he’s also working hard to ensure the business has enough staff for the season.

Bloski explained that the garden centre’s most important months for sales are April, May and June, and last year’s season was more spread out between those months.

The hottest items at Early’s are potatoes and garden seeds, Bloski explained, adding that the business creates their own brand of seeds. Other popular purchases this season include onions and garlic.

“If the weather holds, business will be good. Hopefully, we can mix in a good long rain at some point,” he said.

Bloski’s advice for gardeners this season was to test soil before planting.

Jill Van Duyvendyk with Dutch Growers said her garden centre also experienced a late start to the season, but because of the warm weather, they are seeing purchases for bedding plants and seeds.

She predicted a rising trend of shoppers buying their own vegetables due to food insecurity. Items with longer growing times such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce are also popular at this time of year.

“People (are) wanting to pick up their own vegetables and grow more things closer to home,” she said.

Planting season started back in February for Dutch Growers with perennials, Van Duyvendyk said, and hanging baskets are planted shortly after in preparation for Mother’s Day.

Perennial planted flowers bloom at Dutch Growers in Saskatoon on May 3, 2018. (Chris Vandenbreekel/650 CKOM)

Van Duyvendyk advised gardeners to look after plants by putting them outside during the day and bringing them in at night to ensure they can acclimatize before they are planted outside.