“It’s a perfect storm for food gardening,’’ Butterfield said, noting the downturn coincided with growing interest nationwide in eating locally produced food.
While the recession started in December 2007, he said the economy really turned sour at the end of 2008, fueling the gardening boom the following year. And, Butterfield said he expects the trend to continue with the Department of Agriculture’s switch from a food pyramid representing its nutritional guidelines to a plate encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables, and people spending more time at home, either because they are unemployed or avoiding expensive vacations.
Seed supplier W. Atlee Burpee & Co. said its sales of vegetables seeds and starter plants have jumped substantially in the past several years, with 30 percent growth in 2009, 15 percent to 20 percent growth last year and another bump in March. The company based in Warminster, Pa., speculated recent rises in gas and produce prices have prompted more people to try to save money by growing their own food.
Ann Janda, 43, of Hinesburg, Vt., estimated gardening saves her and her husband $75 a month on groceries about eight months out of the year. They rarely buy any vegetables from June to August, relying on their 16-by-50-foot garden to feed them. They freeze and can vegetables to use in the winter.
Janda, who planted her first garden when she moved out of the city four years ago, said it is easy to overspend on supplies and equipment, but she and her husband try to do it as cheaply as possible.
They use dead elm saplings from nearby woods as stakes, start most of their plants from seeds in reusable pots, and trade seedlings with other gardeners. Their tools are a spade, shovel, and hoe, and their landlord tills the garden for them in exchange for vegetables later on.
