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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Fill Your Garden at Cross Country Nurseries

Husband and wife team Janie Lamson and Fernando Villegas are known for growing large numbers of plants, including 500 varieties of peppers and 180 types of tomatoes, on their farm, Cross Country Nurseries. Located in Stockton, the two pride themselves not only in their massive variety of plants, but also their amazing quality and careful shipping to consumers all over the country. Mainly a mail-order business, Janie boasts, “We replace less than one percent of what we ship.” An impressive number, especially considering during their peak season they send out tractor trailers full of their crops. Janie created Cross Country Nurseries in 1985 and even met her future husband on the job: “He came to work for me in 1990 and we were married by ’93,” she smiled.

Fueled by her love of nature, Janie muses, “I would rather be in the woods than at a party.” After taking a few horticulture classes, she “jumped right in,” growing her business and learning through experience.

The season begins April 11 and runs through May 31. During this time, locals are able to visit their farm and browse two retail greenhouses full of plants to handpick. The expansive farm is open seven days a week during the season.

As to not become overwhelmed by the vast selection offered at Cross Country Nurseries, Janie suggests visitors browse their website and the catalog they provide in order to decide which plant will work best for the individual consumer and their family.

Her joy comes from reuniting people with long lost varieties of plants and seeing the fruits of her labor produce a bounty for other families. She says, “I’m motivated by my customers. They send us pictures of their children gardening or recipes they’ve made with our plants.” She adds, “I love that the plants we grow here are sent all over the country to produce healthy and delicious fruits for our consumers.”

Location: 199 Kingwood-Locktown Road, Stockton. Walk-in hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm. For more information, visit ChilePlants.com.

Community
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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