Early April is the time I make a trip to my favorite nursery, Yamigami’s, to get starter plants of heirloom tomatoes and vegetable seeds. I checked their Facebook page to look for special Shelter in Place hours and I stared in disbelief. It was April 8, and the nursery had been closed down by County officials as a non-essential business. I thought, so let me get this straight. I can go down to the Cannabis Dispensary, deemed an essential business, and get marijuana to roll myself a doobie, but I cannot go down to Yamagami’s Nursery to buy tomato plants and seeds to grow my own food. What is more essential than food? It took a month, but after hundreds of people wrote their County Supervisors and signed a petition, the County announced plant nurseries would be allowed to reopen May 4 subject to social distancing requirements. A little late for planting, but manageable with the long growing season in California and now I can have both homegrown tomatoes AND a doobie!
Submitted by Margaret Ma, Santa Clara County
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series. The links to all twelve parts are: Syllabus, Lesson 1, Lesson 2, Lesson 3, Lesson 4, Lesson 5, Lesson 6, Lesson 7, Lesson 8, Lesson 9, Lesson 10, and Final Exam.