Digging into rich soil with a metal spade and a packet of seeds on hand is often considered a time-consuming and laborious activity. Why produce your own food when a grocery store is only 10 minutes away? But “time-consuming” is just what people are looking for these days.

With the arrival of COVID-19, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order that will stay in effect until June 10, according to an executive order signed on March 30.

Residents soon started looking for new things to try their hands at, such as baking, painting, and, to match the arrival of spring, gardening. Gardening has always been a way to get outside, relax, and be self-sufficient. Additionally, time and constant attending are necessary in order to bear the fruits of hard work.

“I really like the outdoors, and it’s fun to dig in the dirt and see the thing you plant grow,” junior Mackenzie Shore said.

Clearly, gardening is providing a much-needed escape from the harsh reality of life right now. It’s no surprise that people have gravitated towards homegrown fruits and vegetables, which according to an agricultural news source, Morning Ag Clips, is a constant trend that coincides with the arrival of war and depressions.

A lot of people have been gardening since the outbreak using their preferred method: seeding. In fact, this surplus of seed demand has left suppliers on backorder since the nation started quarantining. But luckily for Purcellville locals, Southern States still have access to their seed stock.

“We can get Southern States seeds, but the large seed companies are sold out,” manager of Southern States Dan Virts said.

According to The New York Times, these larger seed companies include online shops like Johnny’s Selected Seeds and the Victory Seed Company. The influx of popularity to these stores has left them on the backlog for up to 24 days. Most of the seed orders are for various vegetables, with the best seller being beans.

It’s important to note that there isn’t a complete depletion of seeds, but a major backorder. This is proof that people are looking for new ways to adapt to this strange life and find control over something, even if it is just a couple of plants.