With the tight economy, gardening provides a way for you to save money and enjoy the results of what you grow.
Natalie Crees who runs Crees Garden with her husband, Dan, thinks some reasons for the increase in gardening is because of the cost, and more people are becoming environmentally conscious of where their food comes from. Plus, Crees said the flavor of homegrown vegetables, such as tomatoes is much better compared to store brought.
"It's picked up the last couple years," Crees said of people buying vegetable seeds and vegetable plants.
The basics have been popular such as: tomatoes, radishes, kohlrabi, carrots, onions and potatoes. Many people make their own salsa, Crees said so peppers have been a pick too.
Julie Wiig gardens and has a greenhouse near Kirkman. She began gardening when she was six or seven years old with her grandparents. Her Grandma Ida Zimmer taught her how to hoe around the heads of early and late cabbage and her father and stepfather were avid gardeners as well.
Vegetables she grows include: peppers, sweet potatoes, muskmelon, watermelon, and 90 plants of tomatoes Wiig enjoys baking and eating her garden produce. She often comes in late summer to the Harlan farmer's market with produce where she enjoys meeting new people.
"Things are coming along quite nicely," Wiig said of her garden.
Wiig said she thinks more people are putting time into gardening in an effort to save some money as a result of the economy.
"I have found in the last couple of years people are backing off vacations or staying closer to home," Wiig said as one reason more people are gardening.
A critical part of gardening is the soil, Wiig said, because the softer the soil is, the easier it is for seeds to pop and weeds won't be as bad. You can achieve softer soil through tilling or spading the plot of soil. Wiig said her husband, Gene is a big help because he mixes the soil for her garden and helps in other ways. Depending on the size of your garden, Crees said you'll want to till the soil if it's a big area but if it's a small area, using a hand trowel or hoe will do.
Even if you live in an apartment you can still have a garden. Wiig suggests buying huge containers and puting dirt in them. Or ask your landlord if you can till a portion of yard in your apartment area.
If you're a beginning gardener, Crees suggested planting radishes, kohlrabi and lettuce because they're easy to plant and harvest. Other vegetables to begin with are a couple tomatoes, such as Roma or cherry tomatoes and three heads of cabbage, Wiig advised. Another tip Wiig offered is spreading chemical free grass clippings on your garden to hold weeds down and hold in mositure. It's critical to use chemical free clippings because if they're not, it will kill everything in your garden.
Patience is also needed as you grow your garden. Don't become too discouraged if you fail. Instead ask yourself why it happened and how you can improve. Gardening has taught Wiig to appreciate "that tiny little seed."
"Mother nature is a trial and tribulation every year," Wiig said.
Wiig is often surprised at the amount of people who don't know how to can produce. If you have questions or would like to learn, Wiig is willing to help others.
Although gardening is time consuming with upkeep including mowing and little things such as picking worms off the produce, Wiig enjoys every minute of it.
"I enjoy being home and the peace," Wiig said.
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** AmpleHarvest's mission: provide fresh produce to food pantries
Often food pantries don't offer much fresh produce. But AmpleHarvest hopes to change this. According to AmpleHarvest's Web site, "millions of American homeowners grow more food in their backyard gardens than they can possibly use."
Their website allows gardeners to find a food pantry near them, and for food pantries to register so interested gardeners can find them. To find if a food pantry near you is registered and for more information about AmpleHarvest please visit: http://www.ampleharvest.org/.
