please let me know if this is true. I am aching for a garden down here. Rena
On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 9:51 PM, Patricia Haines < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > YES!!! rumor has it that Cooperative Extension has developed a light-weight > soil that would allow folks to grow produce on rooftops in cities - does > anyone know anything about this? > > Imagine the acreage for produce in New York City ... or even in downtown > Ithaca! TC Local: how about THIS for a 25-50 year plan for community gardens > downtown? > > - fostering sustainable community through collaborative initiatives in > hospitality, education and the arts, in the 150 year-old democratic spirit > of the Danish Folk School > > > --- On Wed, 6/11/08, Jon Bosak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > From: Jon Bosak <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: [SustainableTompkins] Fw: Banking on Gardening > > To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv" < > [email protected]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 8:36 PM > > Well, well. Here it comes. And not a moment too soon, > > I'd say. > > > > Jon > > > > ================================================================== > > > > The New York Times > > June 11, 2008 > > Banking on Gardening > > By MARIAN BURROS > > > > CASSANDRA FEELEY prefers organic ingredients, especially > > for her > > baby, but she finds it hard to manage on her husband's > > salary as > > an Army sergeant. So this year she did something she has > > wanted to > > do for a long time: she planted vegetables in her yard to > > save > > money. > > > > "One organic cucumber is $3 and I can produce it for > > pennies," she > > said. > > > > For her first garden, Ms. Feeley has gone whole hog, > > hand-tilling > > a quarter acre in the backyard of her house near the Fort > > Campbell > > Army base in Kentucky. She has put in 15 tomato plants, > > five rows > > of corn, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, peas, > > watermelon, > > green beans. An old barn on the property has been converted > > to a > > chicken coop, its residents arriving next month; the goats > > will be > > arriving next year. > > > > "I spent $100 on it and I know I will save at least > > $75 a month on > > food," she said. > > > > She is one of the growing number of Americans who, driven > > by > > higher grocery costs and a stumbling economy, have taken up > > vegetable gardening for the first time. Others have > > increased the > > size of their existing gardens. > > > > Seed companies and garden shops say that not since the > > rampant > > inflation of the 1970s has there been such an uptick in > > interest > > in growing food at home. Space in community gardens across > > the > > country has been sold out for several months. In Austin, > > Tex., > > some of the gardens have a three-year waiting list. > > > > George C. Ball Jr., owner of the W. Atlee Burpee Company, > > said > > sales of vegetable and herb seeds and plants are up by 40 > > percent > > over last year, double the annual growth for the last five > > years. "You don't see this kind of thing but once in > > a career," he > > said. Mr. Ball offers half a dozen reasons for the > > phenomenon, > > some of which have been building for the last few years, > > like > > taste, health and food safety, plus concern, especially > > among > > young people, about global warming. > > > > But, Mr. Ball said, "The big one is the price > > spike." The striking > > rise in the cost of staples like bread and milk has been > > accompanied by increases in the price of fruits and > > vegetables. > > > > "Food prices have spiked because of fuel prices and > > they redounded > > to the benefit of the garden," Mr. Ball said. > > "People are driving > > less, taking fewer vacations, so there is more time to > > garden." > > > > Each spring for the last five years, the Garden Writers > > Association has had TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a > > polling > > firm, conduct a national consumer telephone survey asking > > gardeners what makes up the greatest share of their garden > > budgets. "The historic priorities are lawns, annuals, > > perennials, > > then vegetables, followed by trees and shrubs," said > > Robert > > LaGasse, executive director of the association. This year, > > vegetables went from fourth place to second, which Mr. > > LaGasse > > called "an enormous attitude shift." > > > > People like Rita Gartin of Ames, Iowa, are part of that > > shift. Last year she kept a small garden. This year it has > > tripled > > in size into a five-by-seven-foot plot because, Ms. Gartin > > said, > > "The cost of everything is going up and I was looking > > to lose a > > few pounds, too; so it's a win-win situation all > > around." > > > > Ms. Gartin, who fits gardening into her 12-hour workday as > > an > > interior designer and property manager, is not intimidated > > by the > > 20 kinds of vegetables she has planted: she was raised on a > > farm > > with a giant garden. A fence has been erected to keep the > > deer and > > people out, and it's where the pole beans and snap peas > > are > > already climbing. > > > > She is ready to take a stab at canning, but reserves the > > right to > > freeze everything instead, she said. > > > > "I probably spent maybe $50 for everything and > > that's less than a > > week's cost of groceries or the price of a gym," she > > said. > > > > Seed companies and garden centers say they didn't see the > > rush > > coming. There wasn't any buildup last year, said Barbara > > Melera, > > the co-owner of the D. Landreth Seed Company in New > > Freedom, Pa., > > who takes the pulse of gardeners at the 13 garden shows she > > attends around the country each year. > > > > "We pack for all the shows and bring 16 different > > beans, 10 > > packets for each kind," Ms. Melera said. In earlier > > years, by the > > time the shows end in March, she said, "we are lucky > > if we have > > sold two of the 10 packets." > > > > "This year," she said, "we sold out the > > first show and literally > > sold hundreds. We never sell any corn; this year we sold > > out of > > corn by the end of the season. We saw the same thing in the > > mail > > order business." > > > > She said the greatest demand was for what she calls > > "survival > > vegetables": peas, beans, corn, beets, carrots, > > broccoli, kale, > > spinach and the lettuces. "It was so different from > > what it has > > been in prior years," she added. > > > > Randy Martell, one of the owners of the Garden Factory in > > Rochester, says it isn't just vegetables. "The > > potted fruit trees > > were sold out by the first week of May," he said. > > "Blueberries, > > raspberries and grapes are sold out. I think those sales > > have > > doubled. Overall sales are up about 30 percent." > > > > Dottie Wright, greenhouse manager at one of the Dammann's > > Lawn, > > Garden and Landscaping Centers in Indianapolis, said she > > talks to > > people every day who are starting their first vegetable > > garden. "If they don't have a yard they try > > containers for > > tomatoes and herbs. We can't keep the herbs in this > > year." > > > > Thrilled as gardening experts are about this phenomenon, > > they know > > that many first timers don't have any idea how much sweat > > equity > > is involved. > > > > "Many people I sold seeds to have never gardened > > before," > > Ms. Melera said, "and we have to find a way to educate > > them so the > > experience is successful. They have got to be taught." > > > > Mr. Ball of Burpee knows some of the new gardeners won't > > stick > > with gardening beyond the first year. "Some people > > can't get with > > the idea of digging a hole; getting buggy, sticky and > > hot," he > > said. "Gardening is an active hobby; it's a > > commitment." > > > > Doreen G. Howard, a former garden editor for Woman's Day > > and now a > > writer for The American Gardener, is one of the committed. > > She has > > had a vegetable garden for most of the last 25 years. This > > year > > she has quadrupled the size of her vegetable plot in > > Roscoe, Ill., > > because of the economy and because she thinks the quality > > of > > store-bought produce has deteriorated. Once vegetables were > > just 5 > > percent of her garden; now they are 20 percent. > > > > "Food prices have gotten to the point where we are > > seeing the > > difference," she said. "It's pushing our budget > > and we are a > > two-income family. It was never a concern before." Ms. > > Howard said > > her grocery bill for two went from $100 a week to $140 a > > week this > > year. > > > > She has chosen many vegetables that freeze well, investing > > in a > > secondhand freezer to store the bounty. She plans to dry > > the herbs > > that grow on the back porch next to boxes of mesclun, and > > to make > > pickles from the cucumbers and raisins from the grapes -- > > her > > newest addition. And she is looking forward to a cellar > > full of > > Peruvian blue potatoes. > > > > Some of Ms. Howard's increased harvest will also go to > > food > > pantries through an organization called Plant a Row for the > > Hungry, which encourages gardeners to plant extra > > vegetables to > > share with the poor. > > > > "I'm hoping to take $20 a week off my grocery > > bill," she > > said. This is in the low range, according to Mr. Ball, who > > says a > > $100 investment will produce $1,000 to $1,700 worth of > > vegetables. > > > > Ms. Gartin, now in her second year, says gardening is worth > > the > > effort. > > > > "I got soft calluses from hoeing and digging," > > she said, adding > > cheerfully, "but my fingernails are still pretty -- > > long and not > > chipped. I probably spent 30 hours putting the garden in, > > and when > > I'd come into the house I'd be covered in sweat. But > > now it's > > pretty easy because of all the rain we've had." > > > > And the vegetables, she said, are "awesome." > > "It's a totally > > different flavor from what you buy in the store. It's > > exciting to > > go out and pick the fruits of your labor." > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins > > County area, please visit: > > http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > > [email protected] > > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > > > > _______________________________________________ > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, > please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ > > RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: > [email protected] > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins > free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org > _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
