Recession gardens take root

Monday April 27, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- As food prices soar and the economy slides, Americans are turning to backyard gardening in record numbers.

The National Gardening Association (NGA) projects that 45 million of the nation’s 111 million households will grow some of their own food this year, up 19 percent over last year.

Spurred by the organic movement, and the desire to cut costs, gardeners are finding that growing their own food is a solution to both. “What can be greener than a backyard garden,” writes Daisy the Groundskeeper on composthappens.com. “Homegrown veggies are inexpensive and delicious with less risk of contamination in the harvest or shipping process.”

Seed suppliers nationwide report skyrocketing sales as people realize the economic windfalls of personal farming. George Ball, chief executive of Burpee seed company, cited research that said every dollar spent on seeds translated into $25 worth of produce. An MSNBC report stated that a $2.50 packet of lettuce seeds would reap 800 heads of lettuce. With the recession in its 16th month, that’s a lot of green.

And you don’t need acres of land to get a hefty bumper crop. More than 57 percent of American gardens were 100 square feet or smaller, according to an NGA survey. The average garden, it reported, can produce 300 pounds of fresh produce a year, worth an estimated $600.

The desire to go organic has also played a role in the garden craze. The NGA found that organic gardeners rose from 5 million in 2004 to 12 million in 2008.

(By Sheilah Downey, and edited by Heather Kelley)