Vegetable Gardens Soar, Seeds, Plants Save Money

In many ways, it harkens back to the Victory Gardens planted during World War II when fresh produce and money were scarce.

‚”Vegetable gardening is really one of the bright spots in the economy,” said Randy Schultz, spokesman for Mailorder Gardening Association. ‚”Gardening seems to be recession resistant, and vegetable gardening is growing. It is bigger now than what it was two, four, five years ago.”

Recession Spurs Interest

A recent survey of 2,500 households by the National Gardening Association bears this out. Nearly 37 percent of those surveyed said they plan to grow their own food this year, up six percent from a year ago.

Fruits and vegetables will be a priority for 34.5 percent of gardeners, up 108 percent from 2006, according survey results released Feb. 25.

Growing Organic

Organic, home grown food is more popular with consumers following outbreaks of salmonella poisoning in bagged spinach in 2007 and, most recently, in peanuts, said Jim Gerritsen, owner of Wood Prairie Farm, an organically-run family farm in Maine.

‚”Last year was a turning point for organic seed sales,” Gerritsen said. ‚”We had our best year ever and we expect the demand for organic vegetable seeds will continue to grow this year.”

Equally optimistic is Renee Shepherd, owner of Renee’s Garden, a California mail-order seed company that specializes in cottage garden flowers, gourmet vegetables and culinary herbs.

‚”You can control your own food; you know where it comes from,” Shepherd said, noting her vegetable seed sales are up 40 percent from a year ago.

Help for Beginners

To help fledgling backyard gardeners get started, the company’s seed packets, available on-line and in select garden centers, will include a label telling consumers which varieties are easiest to grow.

To get the best bang for the buck, Shepherd recommends salad greens, such as lettuce.

‚”Salad greens are some of the bigger ones for saving money,” Shepherd said. ‚”They have a long season for harvest and can save you loads of money.”

Although the average size of vegetable gardens is 600 square feet, about half of backyard gardens are 100 square feet or less, according to the National Gardening Association survey.

Crops for Limited Space

Gardens don’t have to be huge to be productive; using space-saving techniques let you make the most use of the area you have, said Mary McLellan, Extension Master Gardener program coordinator at Michigan State University.

‚”Some crops simply take up more room for what they give than others,” McLellan said. ‚”Vining varieties of winter squash and pumpkins, peas, sweet corn, dry beans and potatoes, for instance, require a fairly large investment in space to provide significant yield.”

For a good return on space, consider growing peppers, snap beans and green onions; bush varieties of squash and cucumbers; and root crops such as radishes, carrots and beets.

‚”Plant breeders have developed many compact varieties specifically for limited-space and container gardening,” McLellan said. ‚”Look for them in seed catalogs.”

If you do not have seed catalogs on hand, you can order them through the Mailorder Gardening Association Don’t worry about getting a late start; seed companies are processing orders and shipping seeds through late April, said Schultz, the Mailorder Gardening Association spokesman.