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<p>It&#8217;s generally believed that Daylight Savings Time was instituted to provide farmers with more time to tend to their crops.</p><p>In reality, it originated as an energy-saving tool during World War I.</p><p>Still many local farmers view the start of Daylight Savings Time, which begins Sunday at 2 a.m., as a gateway to spring.</p><p>&#8220;I will be planting my tomato and peppers over the weekend,&#8221; said Jason Kobusky, a local farmer.</p><p>To Kobusky, Daylight Savings Time means more time in the fields to tend to his crops which included kale, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and watermelon.</p><p>Kobusky&#8217;s farm, started two years ago from humble beginnings, has grown from half an acre to eight acres in Dallas. His interest in providing fresh food to his own children fueled his passion for providing healthy food to others.</p><p>Residents of the Wyoming Valley, he said, seem to have a renewed interest in healthy foods.</p><p>&#8220;I have a lot of opportunity to spend time on the road,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I see people planting gardens again.&#8221;</p><p>He also prides himself on spaghetti sauce, which he makes available to customers.</p><p>&#8220;The sauce has fresh tomatoes, garlic, peppers and onions,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Everything I&#8217;ve grown myself.&#8221;</p><p>Then, laughing, he adds, &#8220;Except the salt. I don&#8217;t grow that.&#8221;</p><p>Kobusky looks forward to the Plymouth Farmer&#8217;s Market in July.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve found it&#8217;s a great place to sell produce,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>Plants responsive to increased sunlight</strong></p><p>&#8220;To us it means that there will simply be more sunlight,&#8221; said Larry O&#8217;Malia, as days grow longer as the spring goes on. &#8220;Many of our crops are very sensitive to sunlight and their growth accelerates with more light.&#8221;</p><p>O&#8217;Malia owns O&#8217;Malia Farm &amp; Greenhouses with his brother, Gary. He said vegetables, in particular, benefit from sunlight, as well as mums, marigolds and petunias.</p><p>&#8220;We look forward to customers coming in throughout the season,&#8221; said O&#8217;Malia.</p><p>Where there is light, he said, there is farming.</p><p>&#8220;When the sun comes up whether that be 7 or 8 o&#8217;clock in the morning, we start out,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we work until the sun goes down.&#8221;</p><p>Spring planting, however, does reflect some seasonal folklore.</p><p>O&#8217;Malia said traditionally potatoes were planted on Good Friday. They were believed to grow better when planted on that day.</p><p>Farming, he said, is a family enterprise which not only provides beauty and nourishment to area residents, but builds on a rich history of hard work and commitment to community.</p><p><strong>Psychological boost</strong></p><p>Harry Golomb Jr., of Golomb Farm and Greenhouses, said the transition to Daylight Savings Time has more of a psychological impact then an biological one.</p><p>&#8220;When the clocks move forward, somehow people start to feel like its spring,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They start looking forward to Easter flowers and growing things in their yards.&#8221;</p><p>Golomb said he and a few part-time employees were finishing up winter work, preparing for spring sales.</p><p>Farming, he said, is a year-long endeavor.</p><p>&#8220;We try to take off between Thanksgiving and Christmas,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In January, we start heavy sowing.&#8221;</p><p>Unseasonably warm temperatures this year have filled the greenhouses with natural warmth and light, but Golomb said the business keeps a standard annual schedule, which deviates only slightly in response to the weather.</p><p>&#8220;This year, we did a lot of work in the fields because of the warmer temperatures, and now we&#8217;re catching up on greenhouse work,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Golomb said as spring and Easter approach, family duties sometimes take him from the farm to church events. Still he said he tries not to waste daylight.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m here mostly from sun up to sun down,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Harold Golomb of Golomb Farms in Plains Township talks about how daylight affects farming on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_daylightsavings01.jpg</photo0><caption0>Harold Golomb of Golomb Farms in Plains Township talks about how daylight affects farming on Friday. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_daylightsavings02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Harold Golomb of Golomb Farms in Plains Township works in the greenhouse on Friday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_daylightsavings02.jpg</photo1><caption1>Harold Golomb of Golomb Farms in Plains Township works in the greenhouse on Friday. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Daylight Savings Time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Area farmers like the longer days that come with spring