Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Gardening is growing, and not just the plants
By Megan Hupp

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Apr. 13, 2009
http://www.jsonline.com/business/42936442.html

Jason and Cari Landowski are getting their hands dirty, part of an effort
to save on groceries and eat healthier.

The couple never planted a garden before. But with a big yard at their
Campbellsport home, they decided to give it a shot this year.

Jason Landowski said he'll grow sweet corn; cucumbers and dill for
pickling; tomatoes, cilantro, onions and hot peppers for salsa; green leaf
lettuce and spinach; and pumpkins for the couple's two young daughters.

"For beginners, it's a big list," Landowski said. "And the cost isn't
really there at all."

He estimated he spent less than $50 on seeds and supplies for the garden,
and he plans to borrow some tools to get it started.

Gardeners' motivations might differ - saving money in tough times, concern
over the safety and eco-friendliness of food - but one thing seems clear:
Vegetable gardening is in vogue, and sales are up at seed catalog and
garden centers. And that was before the nation's first family started a
garden of its own.

Sales at the Jung Seed Co. in Randolph have increased between 15% and 18%
this year in each of its five seed catalogs, Jung owner Dick Zontag said.
Jung supplies plants and seeds to garden centers from the upper Midwest to
the East Coast.

Jung publishes eight catalogs starting in December, and even though orders
from non-seed publications are down slightly, Zontag expects sales to be up
8% or 10% by the end of the year.

"Right from the word go we've been very busy," Zontag said. "We definitely
correlate that to the economy."
Surprising sales

Wisconsin Garden & Pet Supplies in Wauwatosa has probably doubled its seed
sales thus far, said Sue Gerlach, who owns the store with her three
siblings. Gerlach expects sales to rise again in May when young vegetable
plants are ready to be transferred to home gardens.

"People want to know where their food is coming from. They want to know
that it's healthy," Gerlach said.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co., the nation's largest seed distributor, put out its
most recent set of two-week sales figures March 20.

"They were astonishing," said George Ball, president and chief executive
officer of Pennsylvania-based Burpee. "We were 25% and 30% up."

This spring, first lady Michelle Obama broke ground for the White House's
first vegetable garden since World War II. With the first family on board,
Ball expects the vegetable gardening trend to continue.

"It's been a tidal wave already," Ball said. "(The first lady) will help
it, and she's a great symbol, but she didn't start it."

Jeff Morey, chief executive officer and publisher of Nursery Retailer, an
industry trade magazine, said the "grow-your-own" movement began with
concerns about the healthiness of food. Last summer, consumers saw an
outbreak of salmonella in tomatoes and hot peppers, and in 2006, E. coli
was found in spinach. Morey said the recession seems to have put the trend
into overdrive.

Over the past 10 years, Burpee's has conducted a study on the cost savings
for homegrown vegetables compared with those bought in stores. The study
found an average cost-savings ratio of 1-to-25 in favor of homegrown
vegetables. Planting bell peppers and snap peas provide greater savings,
while growing onions and potatoes in the garden won't save consumers quite
as much, Ball said.

Gerlach was hesitant to confirm Burpee's figures. She suggested new
gardeners would figure soil, fertilizer and tool costs into their budgets.
But still, getting 75 tomatoes from three plants is "pretty amazing
savings," Gerlach said.
Stocking up

Garden centers are loading up on seeds and supplies.

Kevin Milaeger, owner of Milaeger's Home and Garden in Racine, has
re-ordered several vegetable seed varieties already this year.

Expecting another sale surge when the weather improves, Milaeger doubled
the number of eggplant and onion seed varieties it offers and added 30 new
tomato varieties and seven new cucumber varieties. In addition, Milaeger's
is offering vegetable gardening workshops later in the spring.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Melissa O'Brien said stores across the country have
reported increasing demand for vegetable seeds. Throughout the spring,
Wal-Mart plans to give its home gardening displays greater visibility than
normal, she said.

Gerlach said several customers already are looking toward the fall and have
asked about canning supplies. While Wisconsin Garden & Pet Supplies doesn't
typically carry the tools for canning fruits and veggies, Gerlach said
she's considering the idea.

"There's a whole generation that has never grown vegetables before," she
said. "We hope people have success so they stay interested in gardening."