Veggie gardens prosper in hard times
BY BARRY SHLACHTER • MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS • March 25, 2009
FT.WORTH, Texas — Unfazed by losing her vegetable crop to a freeze last year, Debbie McNeill is more than just gearing up.
The 49-year-old Haslet, Texas, resident is upping the stakes, putting down twice as many tomato, onion and jalapeño plants in a 15-by-15-foot raised garden at her mother’s home “because it’s fun and because of the economy.”
McNeill is not alone.
From seed producers and greenhouse growers to retailers, all are reporting booming sales. All attribute it largely to family financial issues.
“This happens every time we have a downturn in the economy,” said Rick Archie, the third-generation owner of Archie’s Gardenland on the west side of Ft. Worth, Texas, founded in 1934. He estimates that vegetable plant sales have increased 20% to 25% so far this year.
Seed companies have recognized the market demand.
Park Seeds of South Carolina rushed out multiseed packets called Victory Garden, lifting the name from successful federal programs during World Wars I and II that boosted home garden production.
W. Atlee Burpee Co., the Pennsylvania pioneer in the mail-order seed business, which also supplies major chains, matched Park Seeds with Money Garden.
The latter is priced at $9.95 for a packet that will grow six vegetables.
If weather doesn’t get in the way, Burpee estimates that the modest investment could yield an edible bounty that would have cost $650 at a supermarket.
Sales of vegetable seeds at Burpee “are exploding across the board,” George Ball, Burpee’s chairman, said.
During the last week of February, orders were up about 25% over the same period in 2008, far more than the seed producer expected.
“Last year, we saw increases of 15% to 20% because of the (salmonella) food scare over tomatoes and peppers,” he said. “And we thought we’d see a back-off, not an uptick.
“We never anticipated the mortgage crisis and the effect on people’s 401(k) retirement accounts.
“And we haven’t seen produce prices back down when fuel prices dropped last fall,” Ball said, rattling off reasons why more folks might be planting vegetables.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090325/FEATURES01/903250345
Excellent articles on gardens.
Good morning, hope all is well with you.
The talk of community gardens, reminds me that at Lake Havasua they have had one for many years.
There was a cement septic tank manufacturer, who built a bunch of them, a few inches too small to be legal for the code, so they wound up as planters at the community garden.
Would be perfect, they are about 8’ by 4’ and 5 or 6 foot deep, filled with good soil, should grow well......
A pen pals husband enjoyed his plot in that garden.
I, being the selfish person that I am, want my garden on my land, so I have full control, but if there were no other way, I might want a community garden.