If you’ve spent any time digging in the dirt around Seward, you already know the name Carol Souza. Gardener, painter, writer, comedian — Carol wears a lot of hats, and this weekend she’s back in her favorite one: plant pusher. Seward’s beloved backyard nursery is officially open for the season.

Weezingreens has pretty much everything your garden could want: veggie starts, herbs, annuals, and hardy perennials perfectly suited to Seward’s temperamental weather. There are even a handful of greenhouse-only varieties — peppers, cukes, tomatoes. All starts are fully “hardened off,” which is garden-speak for “bring on the Seward rain, wind, and moments of sun.”

This year, Carol has a wider variety than ever — except no potato starts. And if you’re hunting for soil, you’ll need to swing by Knots-So-Fast Feed Store. (“Weezingreens: Plants, not dirt!”)

You’ll find Weezingreens tucked in the Camelot Subdivision, at the corner of Camelot Drive and Excaliber. Don’t even try Googling it — Google claims it’s either closed forever or somewhere over by Bear Lake. Ignore the internet and listen to Carol, who says on Facebook, “I am not permanently closed. Probably not true until I’m permanently deceased.” Nursery hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 9 to 5.

Carol’s plants are about as organic as it gets. Most starts are grown from seeds she’s saved herself, without a whiff of chemicals, sprouted in her basement. The only thing artificial here is Carol’s sense of humor. To keep up with demand, she brought in a few annuals from the Mat-Su Valley this year (such as pansies and petunias, which need a head start as early as February). 

If you’ve ever wondered how one person remembers so many plant names, Carol has a trick: “Write enough tags, you’ll remember the names.”

Her neighbor and original seed mentor, Tye Long, is quick to take credit — or blame: “I’ve created a monster.”

Carol admits she’s better at starting seeds than growing them to full size. “For my own garden, I plant greens and then graze. I start, not grow.”

Weezingreens opens every year on Memorial Day Weekend, like clockwork. If you’re new to gardening in Seward, Carol’s got one last piece of wisdom: June 1 is the magic date for planting outside. Mark your calendar, grab your starts, and get growing. The garden season — and the local legend behind it — is officially underway.