Aren't Garden Centres and Nurseries essential?

My worry is what will happen when all the veggies and fruit is ready to be picked. Usually it is students and overseas workers who do this, if we are still self isolating what will happen. Will it mean shortages and sky high prices later this year????

Wait until our fresh vegetables stop coming into the shops, then we’ll see how essential grow bags and compost are.

We all need something to do, what better than growing our own food?

I should make it clear
Some clowns were buying grow-bags and fertiliser, which is certainly not essential.
I don't agree that they are not essential

As well as growing food, gardening could be essential to our wellbeing and mental health if we are confined for very long.

Some clowns were buying grow-bags and fertiliser, which is certainly not essential.
I don't think so, as many people will be growing their own fruit and veg now as we may have very short supplies later. Not just the virus affecting the availability of pickers, but the floods were damaging to agriculture too.

On another thread I expressed the hope that nurseries, garden centres, would be able to work online and offer local delivery services. Ours, however, is out of stock of vegetable strips when I looked online
We usually get the bird seed at the garden centre too! Is that essential?

Unfortunately, I think that many carefully nurtured flowering plants, shrubs and trees will be lost.

We have got a small hardware shop here which is still open and they sell a limited number of plants, compost and grass seed.
Very useful.

Waitrose stores often have a small selection of plants so I managed to get some along with the weekly food shop.

It is a shame about the plants going to waste in garden centres.
Surely it would be possible for them to control numbers of people going in so that folk could observe the social distancing rules.

Garden centres are closed so what's the point in this argument?

I just said I wouldn't call anyone buying a grow-bag a clown and gave my reasons.

MerlotGran The line has to be drawn somewhere. If we are all only meant to be buying "essential" items (food, toiletries, household things like sop powder etc.) and getting prescriptions, then everything else is NOT essential, is it?

That's the point I was (quite badly) trying to make. I for one hate going to the hairdresser................

Luckily, my neighbour prompted me to go out the day before lockdown so I had managed to get tomato plants, flower seeds, compost etc. I do think they could have been seen as essential, especially as they sell things to support the wild animal population. It's not just people who are important in this world, in fact bees are more important as humans can't survive without them. I had a fox come nosing up to my patio window the other evening; they many come during the night when I don't notice them but not usually at teatime!

I wouldn't call growing a non essential activity if it benefits the gardener and their family in terms of vegetables, mental health etc.,

I would put growing way above getting a hair-do, buying a new sofa or going out for a meal.

If the garden centre was open - as a lot of them were before lockdown, you can't blame people for buying items that would be essential to an activity that keeps people engaged with the living world.

Our local garden centre will deliver garden furniture and food
but not plants !

I can’t get an on line supermarket delivery so those radishes are going to be pretty essential.

And the beans!

Local garden....

MerlotGran.... What WOULD you call anyone buying non-essential items? If I said that I'm upset that I can't go and have my hair done/buy a new settee/go out for a meal, is that any different?

Crops are going to perish as there's nobody to pick them----so watch prices soar ! I remember Rufus saying not long ago how many dollars was being charged for a lettuce.

Our last cal ga den centre is taking phone calls and delivering too. They don’t have an on line ordering service.

If they were open idiot people would see them as places to go for a browse around.

We are trying to contain this virus - aren’t we ??

Our local independent garden centre is selling plants & compost online and delivering to peoples homes.

I’m really sad they’re not selling their cafe’s pillow-sized meringues online because I’d love one of those!

What about if they sell pet food?

merlotgran is right imo, I wouldn't call someone buying a grow bag or fertilizer a clown. Our garden centre is delivering compost etc, we had 3 bags of compost and some fish blood n bone dropped off last week. Gardening is good for the soul and ours was in great need of tidying after this awful winter. I was sorry not to be able to buy plants.

They are also delivering fresh fruit, veg, meat, cheese and deli produce during this lock down. For those of us in a vulnerable category, totally unable to get a supermarket delivery slot, this has been a boon.

Typical, just as my GGC are taking an interest in plants etc. while they're off school for I don't know how long.

It's very sad, as it will spell the end for a lot of these businesses, but unfortunately they are not 'essential'.

A garden centre about 10 miles from us has sent out emails saying that although closed, they are going to take phone (if I remember correctly) orders/payments and for a charge will deliver to people's doors, presumably in an attempt to rescue some of the huge investment that they have put into their spring plant stock, and try to stay afloat.

I really hope I works for them, and that it is allowed (don't see why it shouldn't, as it's no worse than shopping online), as they must be desperate now.

That’s really miserable to ditch the plants even if they were put on the side of the road to be picked up by anyone out for a solo walk or given to charities people could have made use of them it sounds really wasteful and sour grapes to just bin them
But no of course garden centres are not essential ....gardening may be is but not the centres

I wouldn't call anybody buying a growbag or fertilizer a clown.

If they are keen gardeners they would essential to them. If the garden centre was open you can't blame them for going there.

People need to be kept occupied during lockdown. Those who have gardens are going to spend a lot of time in them so buying things while they had the chance is understandable.

I'm waiting for seeds from e-Bay but it's been over a week now and still no sign of them.

It is sad that plants are being skipped and more so that people could go out of business. I do however think it would provide another excuse for people to go out and if our local garden centres are anything to go by people would be browsing about rather than grabbing plants or seeds etc to grow their own food. Good to grow your own - yes, gardening good for mental health and providing a bit of exercise - yes but an essential service provider - no and gardening in this way an essential activity - no. People can always look after the gardens they have already got and food is still in the shops.

They should have given them to care homes or nhs for them to plant and I’m sure some keen volunteers would have come forward.

Seems a shame to bin all the plants though. They could give them away.