GARDENING: GARDEN SUPPLY BUSINESSES READY FOR WARMTH

Paul Schnare, owner of Sunny Hill Gardens in Cape Girardeau, displayed some pansies that he has for sale to brighten an area home.

Jack Watts, manager at Orscheln Farm & Home Supply in Cape Girardeau, pointed out some of the features on the deluxe garden tiller at his store.

As spring-like temperatures warmed the ground last week, the annual urge to grow plants and vegetables hit area gardeners.

Like golfers anticipating that first round of the spring or fishermen craving to wet a line, gardeners respond to the signals of sunshine and warmth as well.

"There's something about growing things -- watching a seed come out of the ground," says Paul Schnare, owner of Sunny Hill Gardens in Cape Girardeau.

"It's neat to see God's handiwork in a garden every day. The neatest thing is being able to go out to the garden and pull a few things and have them for dinner."

Schnare, who holds a doctorate in plant physiology, says gardening takes a person back to older days when it was necessary to survive.

"It brings people closer to nature. It quiets the soul and allows time to think."

The majority of his business occurs now at the onset of the local spring planting season.

It's a hectic time. He usually works at the store from 5 a.m. until dark. Most of the store's employees, who may be part-time at other times of the year, also work full-time now.

"The demand is so great in such a short time," said Schnare, who's been in the business since 1972. "People think about a project all year long and when it turns nice, they want it done yesterday."

Peas and the cole crops like cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli should have been planted last month, Schnare said. It's time to plant radishes, onions, potatoes and lettuce now, he said. Gardeners are also buying onion sets and fruit tree seedlings, while St. Patrick's Day was the traditional time to plant potatoes.

Some gardeners are buying their peppers and tomatoes in bedding plants now. Schnare suggests that they be grown inside until transplanting to the garden about mid-April.

Schnare handles garden fertilizers and pesticides and their applicators, pots and potting soils and a line of hand equipment, such as shovels, rakes and hoes.

Fred French, owner of French's Feed & Supply in Cape Girardeau since 1987, said customers bought a lot of seed potatoes last week for the St. Patrick's Day planting date. Bedding plants and flowers are also popular now, he said.

Most of his customers take advantage of the bulk packaging of vegetable seeds he offers. He said a bulk package may give three to four times the amount of seeds at the same price as a small seed packet.

French has garden chemicals, sprayers and hand trowels. He said most customers use an all-purpose Triple 12 -- nitrogen, phosphorus and potash -- fertilizer for their gardens.

Jack Watts, manager at Orscheln Farm & Home Supply in Cape Girardeau since October, said those planting a garden, especially for the first time, would benefit from a $9.50 soil test through the University Extension.

For gardeners breaking new ground, Watts recommends peat moss -- a fibrous, mossy type of material useful for breaking up the soil. He also suggests gardeners consider adding lime so their soil will have a good alkaline base for growing plants. He also thinks Triple 12 fertilizer is good for most gardens.

Orscheln carries several types of tillers, spreaders, wheelbarrows, rollers and utility carts, Watts said. His store also has a seed display, pesticides, garden tools and gloves.

Tom Jones, operations manager for Lowe's of Cape Girardeau, said the store has pansies, roses, shrubs and trees ready for replanting in area gardens. Seed packages, garden hand tools, chemicals, fertilizers, spreaders, line trimmers, edgers and tillers are all available, he said.

Andre Assouad, sales clerk in the lawn and garden section at Wal-Mart in Cape Girardeau, said bedding plants of tomatoes and cabbage are expected to arrive today.

Wal-Mart has vegetable seeds, flower bulbs, fruit trees and shrubs on display, he said. The store also handles wheelbarrows, spreaders, rakes, hoes, shovels, hand trowels, hoses, sprinklers, multiple purpose sprayers, fertilizers, pesticides, peat, mulch, wood chips and crushed rock for decorating.

Jane Allgeier, retail manager at Cape Garden Supply since last October, expects the store's display yard to be filled by April 1 when all the roses and other flowers, plants and shrubs will have been delivered. She said the store will be handling fruit trees and vegetables for the first time this year.

Allgeier likes to offer something new and exciting to her customers each year. She thinks the Black Cosmos, an annual plant that smells like chocolate, will be popular. She said shrub roses and some new weeping plants should be interesting to her customers.

The warm, sunny weather last week brought a lot of people out to Pioneer Market on Highway 72 west of Jackson, owner Sam Beggs said. He said the ground was getting dry and ready to work so customers were selecting their garden supplies.

Beggs said seed potatoes were a big seller last week. It's also time to plant radishes, lettuce and onions, he said. His market handles fertilizers, sprays, potting soils and mulches and has a greenhouse full of roses ready for replanting.

The major purchase for most gardeners is a tiller or garden tractor, ranging in price from about $200 to several thousand.

Chris Mayes, an associate at the Tractor Supply Co. in Cape Girardeau, said the deluxe tillers with counter-rotating tines are much easier for gardeners to handle since they stay on track.

With engines generating up to 20 horsepower, TSC's garden tractors, can be used with ground-engagement equipment like a tiller, cultivator, box blade, rear grader blade and disk harrow. TSC also carries garden tools, spreaders, seeds and garden chemicals.

At Orscheln, Watts agreed that the rear-tine tillers are the easiest to operate. On his store's best model, the tines and the wheels will move either forward or backward.

Gardeners also can shop for tillers at: Heuer Sons Implement Co., where prices range from $699 to $849; United Distributing Co., from $260 to $700; and Mid-America Power Equipment, $549 to $2,000. Several of these dealers also carry other gardening equipment, such as string trimmers, brush cutters, shredders and tractors.