Ready for spring

The good news is spring officially arrives at 1:32 p.m. Saturday.

The bad news is the National Weather Service is predicting eastern North Carolina will experience below normal temperatures through May.

“It’s as a result of the residual effects of El Nino,” said John Elardo, a duty forecaster with the National Weather Service in Newport. “We are also predicting near normal precipitation for that same period, which is good.”

El Niño is “characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific,” affecting weather around the globe, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Web site.

Garden centers are seeing more activity daily, area store employees said.

“You can tell spring is in the air,” said Ray Wynn, the manager on duty at Home Depot on Western Boulevard. “People are starting to buy landscape fabrics, landscape bricks and timbers, patio furniture, grills and plant and lawn materials. Since the time change we have been getting busier every day.”

Pumpkin Center Lawn and Garden, on Wolf Swamp Road, has already sold some tomato plants in spite of the colder temperatures.

“I’ve been selling a lot of tomato plants already because of the tomato shortage from the cold weather in Florida,” said Fran Lackey, who plants and cares for the greenhouse vegetable and flower seedlings. “I was prepared; I just knew it was going to happen when I heard the news.”

She anticipates Good Friday will be the busiest day for local gardening centers.

Other than “cole crops” — cool weather crops — “the rule of thumb for the locals around here is you plant flowers and vegetables on Good Friday,” she said.

Despite Good Friday’s date of April 2, Lackey recommends people hold off planting warm weather crops until April 15.

“I tell people when the income tax is due,” she said. “But I know even though it’s early, people will come in Good Friday because that’s what’s in their minds.”

Lackey anticipates more and more people will want to put in vegetable gardens with the economy.

“Last year everybody had a garden, and I think it will be the same this year — and we have a lot of new organic gardeners too,” she said. “I sold four times more vegetables than flowers last year — people spent three times as much on as they did three years ago on gardening and gardening care. You can buy a four-pack of tomato plants for $1.25, that will produce enough tomatoes to feed a family of six all summer.”

Those anxious for the taste of locally grown strawberries will probably have to wait a bit longer for their arrival this year due to the below normal winter temperatures.

“The strawberries have suffered, we don’t know how much as yet,” said Julian Wooten, the owner of Southwest Strawberry Farm on Pony Farm Road. “Absolutely they’re going to be later than usual. It’s probably going to be mid-to-late April this year (before strawberries will be available).”

Earnest Willis, the owner of Willis Strawberry and Vegetable Farm on Willis Farm Road in Newport, said the cold weather has also affected crops.

“I’m afraid stuff is going to be a little bit later this year,” he said. “I don’t think the rain hurt us as much as the cold weather — plants are a little bit smaller than they normally are.”

While looking over the marigolds at Home Depot Wednesday, Camp Lejeune resident Amanda McConnell said she has already planted some flower seeds and wanted some “already flowering” plants for a front bed.

“I can’t wait for warm weather — we’re ready for spring,” she said. “I’ve had enough rain and enough cold weather.”

In anticipation of her husband coming back from Afghanistan in May, McConnell said she is also considering planting a vegetable garden.

“I’d like to have tomatoes, cucumbers and squash at least,” she said.

Having just moved from Middletown, N.Y. into a home in the Bear Trail subdivision, Billie Ann Wright described herself as a “flower nut.”

“I’m getting really itchy since I’ve been seeing some of the flowers blooming around here,” she said, as she and her son loaded up a cart at Home Depot Wednesday with flower boxes, pansies, petunias, potting soil, a grill cover and lawn fertilizer.

With springs also comes the opening of the Onslow County Farmers Market.

It opens on N.C. 258 on April 10, said Jeff Morton, horticulture agent at the Onslow County Cooperative Extension Service.

“Starting April 10, it will be open every Tuesday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. through the first Saturday in November,” he said.

The second Onslow Farmer’s Market location, off Western Boulevard behind Dick’s Sporting Goods Store, will open April 15, and will be open every Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. through October.

Morton said vendors will sell vegetable plants, yard flowers and local vegetables. He said the unusually cold weather has caused some delays in what will be available.

“Local vegetable crops are going to be later with the cold and wet winter,” he said. “It was confirmed (Wednesday) by a couple of the growers that there will be some strawberries. There will be some cole weather crops like cabbage, broccoli, onions and possibly cauliflower. We’ll also have eggs, baked goods, goat cheese and arts and crafts.

In addition, the farmers market in cooperation with Sturgeon City will offer live flounders for sale.

“Sturgeon City will man a booth with a fish tank for the first time this year,” said Morton.

The National Weather Service forecasts high temperatures in the 70s Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“That will make things start happening,” said Wooten.