A growing concern

New garden centre offers a unique approach

Every one of the plants at the newly opened Carson’s Market + Garden store is edible in some degree, whether it be leaf, flower, fruit or root. This is a deliberate and well-considered choice by owner Carson Arthur, who has had a long career in garden and outdoor space design in both television and print media. In addition to the plants, there are hundreds of packaged seed varieties, a selection of high quality gardening tools, and an array of environmentally friendly products such as fertilizers and insecticides. Holding it all together is a friendly and well-informed staff. This is all in keeping with Arthur’s aim of making gardening easy and accessible for all, particularly those who may have had only a passing acquaintance with it. “Whether you are a new gardener who’s just starting out, or a seasoned gardener who knows a lot of stuff, we want people to come in and be excited about growing food and doing it in the right way,” says Arthur. “Gardening over the last 10 years has become a challenge for people, and I’m trying to demystify it.”

Carson Arthur stands in the greenhouse at his new garden centre.

The heart of the garden centre is the large greenhouse at the back of the main building. Here, in a warm and lush environment, thousands of seedlings are waiting for someone to select them to take home.

The vegetables are all heirloom varieties, grown in conjunction with Stacey Hubbs of Edible Antiques, and there is also a selection of herbs brought in from around the world, including 12 varieties of basil. “We’ve all had the same five common plants that we get at the box stores, but I want to take it to the next level,” says Arthur. “Growing your own food has never been so important, but I want to do it in a way that is manageable for everybody. I want people to get excited about growing for themselves.” To make it really straightforward, the garden centre offers ready-to-go planters, where customers can choose their seedlings and the staff will plant them in an almost foolproof container that can be placed on a patio and simply watered once a week or so until harvest.

Arthur has also partnered with Flossie’s Sandwich Parlour, giving them a permanent home at his garden Centre. Flossie’s, owned by Kyle Jones and his wife, Nelda, had been operating as a popup over the past year, and Kyle is thrilled to have a place for their business to call home. Flossie’s uses fresh, locally sourced ingredients, and fits in with Arthur’s overall vision of the garden centre as being a hub for local businesses along Wilson Road. “It’s absolutely important to me to have local partnerships, but really I want to give a voice to people who aren’t being represented,” says Arthur.”I’m partnering with Flossie’s and Gillingham Brewery. We have Domaine Darius Winery and Sugarbush Winery. We’re in this little hub where people can come, park their vehicle and spend an afternoon. We’re targeting the people who are looking for that farm-to-table experience and who want to take a little bit of that home with them.”

Having a family-friendly place is important to Arthur. He has a selection of children’s gardening equipment, and there’s a fenced area that will be home to some llamas later this season. There’s a cozy fireplace area, and a small library where visitors can borrow a book. What he wants to do is to kindle the love of gardening in the younger generation, and have them pass that passion along to their children. “We’re seeing the millennials coming in, the 35-and-under generation, and they really want to grow food and to garden, so gardening as a hobby has really exploded because of them,” says Arthur. “ I want to be part of that. I want to show them how to do it the right way and how to do it ethically.”

Carson’s Garden + Market is located at 1317 Wilson Road. For more information, please visit carsonarthur.com

Kyle Jones offers up some fresh County fare at Flossie’s Sandwich Parlour.