Garden Center Opens in Downtown Easton

If you've ever thought about gardening, but put off the idea because you don't have a backyard, Barbara Whiteside wants to help.

Whiteside owns Compost, a small gardening center which opened this weekend in downtown Easton. She said her focus is on people in apartments, condos, or homes without a lot of space to grow things.

"It's just to get people started," said Whiteside, who runs the center out of a backyard space at 216 Pine Street. "You don't need to be this big gardener. I'm not some huge gardener. I just read and try."

Her knowledge came through as she walked through the garden, filled with potted blueberries and raspberries, as well as thyme, chives, parsley and other herbs. 

For example: planting different things next to each other can affect their taste. Grow parsley next to garlic, and your parsley will have a more pungent taste.

In the coming weeks and months, she'll expand her inventory, putting together "vegetable pots" that will include two different types of plants, such as tomato and basil.

For now, the garden is mostly shades of green; by July, it will be in full bloom. There will be more color, Whiteside said, as well as new plants, such as celery. Fresh celery, she said, is dark, not watery, and not stringy. In short, nothing like grocery store celery.

"I'm not telling you 'Don't go to a supermarket,'" Whiteside said. "I am telling you 'Don't complain about the price if you can grow it yourself.'"

Compost is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.