Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Noah Davidson traces his gardening itch back to the family plot in Ontario  but prior to his arrival on Cortes Island, he worked in restaurants. He started out behind the cash register of his father's restaurant in Toronto and went on to work in a number of fast food establishments. This continued after his move to British Columbia. Noah worked at the Floathouse Restaurant, in Gorge Harbour Marina, during his first two years on Cortes Island.  


“A couple of seasons after working with them, I decided to experiment with the possibility of starting a business on my own property. I remember asking the Gorge, ‘if this doesn't work out, would you mind hiring me back, because I don't know whether this is going to be a grand success or a grand failure.’  They said, 'you know, you've given us two good years and we'd certainly take you back,” he explained.  


Cortes Currents: have you ever gone back to work for the Float House?


Noah Davidson:”No, that was the beginning of entrepreneurship for me. I really haven't had to branch out too far from there since then.”


Cortes Currents: One of the first things you notice upon entering the Whaletown Garden Center, is two garden chairs with the sign ‘registered psychiatrist’ slung between them. 


Noah Davidson: “The Garden Centre can be a place of helping people find garden supplies, but sometimes maybe turns into some deep conversations.  A friend delivered me a sign that says ‘registered psychologist,’ even though I'm definitely not a registered psychologist. I proudly display it  on my Adirondack chairs where two people can  pull up a seat and have a chat. It brought in a lot of good laughs.”
  

He emailed, “My passion comes from helping people find success in their garden, whether they're growing one pot on the deck or they have five acres of land. If someone's issue can be solved with a 20 minute conversation, with or without making a sale, my aim is that people will leave Whaletown Garden Centre happy and informed. Customers have told me it's one of the many things that  keep them coming back  to Whaletown Garden Centre.”
“I established Whaletown Garden Centre in 2008 with the goal of bringing a comprehensive garden supply centre to Cortes Island. Over the last 15 years of operation, I've tried to hone in on the items that gardeners on Cortes are looking for. As of today, Whaletown Garden Centre has over 500 different products available. Even with our small island population, Cortes has a great community of passionate gardeners, and it was my hope that Whaletown Garden Centre would meet their needs and save them a trip off island. Competitive pricing is something I take very seriously. I am constantly looking for the best products I can source at fair and affordable prices for my customers.”Noah Davidson: “I carry everything from different fertilizer products, to help with funguses, pathogens and issues with bugs. I have lots of tools, everything from forks and rakes and shovels, axes,  pruning tools,  Reemay,  hoses, even some obscure tools like the old dutch hoe, or pick mattock. The list goes on and on. I've tried to put out various different advertisements that  cover a lot of the products that I carry, but I don't think people can really get the idea unless they actually come in and see what's available.”


“I also bring in manure from a poultry farm in Black Creek. I carry peat moss, coco coir, potting soil, worm castings, perlite, vermiculite, mushroom manure and plenty of other  soil products. One of the other things that I focus on is a decent West Coast seed selection. Every year I bring in this year's fresh seeds and try to cover all the bases as far as what people would need for their veggie garden, a little bit of a mix of flowers and that kind of thing.”