McKenzie Seeds, an excellent seed company out of Brandon Man., reports that their turnaround time is now 5-7 days for online orders, due to volume. It used to be same-day. They still have lots of stock though.

As I write this, I see fresh snow coming down and snowbanks over my garden. But we already have a list of additional seeds we need, and this will be filled in the next few days. When the weather turns warm, everybody will have the same idea.

It looks like local greenhouses will offer a curbside pickup program. This is good: we prefer to buy tomato plants that are 4' tall and already bearing green fruit, because our frost-free season is so short.

In addition to our own garden, our close family will be substantially expanding the garden capacity on an undeveloped property we have access to. Seed has already been purchased. If the downturn drags out, this will be for our use. More likely, the surplus will support extended family and the local food bank, which in the last two weeks saw its demand quadruple. People who were hanging by a thread are in freefall now.

Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride.