04/07/2022
Hello Patch Family! We hope this finds everyone well.
Like all of you, 2021 was a difficult year for us at the Patch. We lost family and loved ones to Covid. We were fortunate enough to stay healthy here but the stress of the pandemic, lockdowns and current events definitely had an impact on us. The holidays were particularly tough on us, as we lost both our beloved Mina and Gryffindor between Thanksgiving and Christmas while also dealing with some unexpected family issues and upheaval. The loss of Mina and Gryffindor still rests heavy in our hearts.
The holidays are also the time of year when we do all of our planning and preparations for the spring season. With all that was happening in our household during that time, uncertainty of how the pandemic would continue to affect us all in 2022, and the price hikes and supply chain issues we were seeing from our suppliers as well as expecting that inflation would only continue to worsen going into the new year, we were forced to reach the extremely difficult decision to suspend our operations for the 2022 season.
As painful as that decision was to make, in retrospect it wound up being a prudent one, as the effects of inflation, particularly the cost of fuel and heating oil, have been worse than pretty much everyone anticipated. As a small family run operation, it would have been difficult to absorb those costs without some substantial price hikes in our plants and baskets.
The most difficult part in all of this though will be missing all of our patch family visits in the spring. Our remaining pups, Reece and Piper are especially going to miss their jobs of greeting everybody and showing them around. Even Miya is sad at being able to bark at everyone from afar.
We are all fortunate to have two other excellent local garden centers to help fill the void. Crystal Lake and Nash's both have exceptional quality plants. Please help to support them as much as you can this season.
We hope to be back in 2023. Stay safe, healthy and have a great 2022 everyone!
