Inside Plantscape Greenhouses, spring is already taking shape as staff prepare for the busy growing season ahead.
“It’s exciting. We have so much happening,” owner Shannon Walker said. “Plants are getting moved, we’re growing this year — just making sure every little detail is right so they can grow properly.”
But even with warmer days arriving, gardeners in northwest Pennsylvania know spring can be unpredictable.
“In Erie, you know, it’s like cold, cold, cold, and then all of a sudden, oh, we have to do our…,” said Palema Moore, a master gardener. “It’s kind of like that every year.”
Because of that, experts say early spring is less about planting and more about preparation.
“You can start prepping your garden as soon as the snow is gone,” Moore said. “You can add to the soil and get things ready in your beds.”
Moore is sharing those lessons with students through an outdoor gardening class, teaching them the basics of plant care and soil management. Their teacher, Patrick Allen of Erie High School, said the goal is to give students real‑world skills and a deeper understanding of how gardening works.
“We’re talking about having a garden club,” Allen said. “That would be a summertime program that could allow us to keep the greenhouse and the gardens going year‑round.”
While planting season is still a few weeks away, experts say the work done now will pay off later.
“Work smarter, not harder right now — that’s kind of the name of the game,” Walker said.
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