Nurseries are usually busy at this time of year with people picking up flowers and veggies, but the rain and cold weather have been impacting local businesses.
Michael Halas, the owner of Halas Farm Market in Danbury, said the days of rain make for more work and less traffic compared to other years.
“It’s been overcast and rainy for the last five or six days and it’s made us really work extra hard in the green house to keep everything looking fresh and looking great,” Halas said.
He said his clientele is down about 25 percent from what it usually is on a busy week prior to Mother’s Day and some customers said they’re just waiting for sunshine until they make their purchase.
“No I haven’t been doing anything outside because the temperatures … the swing has been 40, sometimes 45 degrees, so I haven’t been. Too timid even to go out,” Ginny Doyle, of New Fairfield, said.
The lettuce crops, asparagus, scallions and garlic, as well as trees and shrubs, are growing well, but you might want to wait a little longer to put out tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash because those crops need some sunshine.
“I think I lost three plants from the weather, you know hot and cold, hot and cold,” Lillian Hallock, of New Fairfield, said.
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Meanwhile, the nursery hopes traffic for Mother’s Day weekend will pick up. They are putting together hundreds of flower orders and hope customers will stop in and get a special gift for mom.
