Durham County nursery seeing surge in first-time gardeners during COVID-19 pandemic

DURHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Durham county nursery is seeing a surge in first-time gardeners since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bill Sparrow is the second-generation owner of Red Mill Landscape and Nursery.

"We saw a big uptick in sales in topsoil, mulch, and to a certain extent, plants," Bill said.

Retail nursery business is up as much as 50% compared to this time last year. The biggest buyers: First-time gardeners.

"We kind of figured that people wanted to get out int their yard, they were stuck at home," Bill said. "We fielded a lot of calls of people who were putting in home gardens."

Bill offers three tips to first-time gardeners:

• Know your soil. If you live in an area, like a subdivision where the soil is compacted, you might consider topsoil or at least a soil amendment like compost soil.
• Watering - New plants need to be well watered, but Bill says that overwatering can be an issue
• Make sure you have proper amendments and nutrients.