June 12th, 2008
Americans growing their own: veggies this time
The high energy prices may be hurting a lot of retail businesses: not gardening. Sales of garden plants, seeds and supplies are way up. Americans are growing their own. These are not World War Two “Victory Gardens.” These are 21st Century Inflation Gardens. The outdoor exercise is free to every gardener.
It’s long been understood that the traditional grassy lawn is a huge sump of energy, fertilizer, water in many climates of America. To replace that traditional English look with productive gardens may be a sign that Americans are focusing more on the pragmatic, less on conspicuous consumption. Who’ll be the first to design golf courses with strawberry plants and rows of corn instead of lawn and evergreens? I walked by a shop that sells home remodelling supplies yesterday and their side “lawn” had been converted into a several rows of healthy looking garlic plants coming right upto the edge of the parking lot. What’s next? Planter boxes at the mall full of cherry tomato plants instead of petunias? Good idea this year with a tomato ban in full force in many areas.
Meanwhile, gardening is expanding as a blogosphere topic as well. As this blogs shows, it not just our penny-pinchng elders who are into gardening.
If you can’t grow your own in your apartment hallway, here’s a place to find your nearest growers’ market. Here’s another good reference site.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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