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The home garden is the hot place to be this spring, according to enthusiasts of the pastime.
Shoppers are increasingly turning to their backyards for fresh and inexpensive food both in Montgomery County and across the nation. According to a recent National Gardening Association poll, 43 million Americans plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries this year, a 19 percent jump from last year. Twenty-one percent of respondents said they plan to begin gardening in 2009, according to the survey, while 11 percent of people who already have gardens expect to grow more and 10 percent plan to spend more time in their gardens.
The Maryland Master Gardeners launched a "Grow It Eat It" program this winter to help people start vegetable gardens after receiving an increasing number of inquiries on the topic in 2008, according to Master Gardener Bob McDowell of Damascus. Rising food and energy costs and the growth of organic and local food movements have contributed to the mounting interest, he said.
"You certainly save some money and get a fresher vegetable, and there's also the pleasure of it," said McDowell, who got his start with his family's victory garden in World War II. The gardens, promoted as a way for American families to cope with limited resources during wartime, are gaining popularity in many communities faced with new national challenges brought on by the recession.
The 178 20-feet-by-25-feet plots at the city of Rockville's community garden at Woottons Mill Park sold out last week, according to Nanette Belice, one of the garden's administrators. The garden has been around for more than 30 years, she said.
"This year we are definitely seeing an increased interest, no doubt," Belice said. "We usually sell out by the deadline, March 31, but we're about three weeks ahead of schedule. People are really getting into it this year."
About 25 people attended a talk about vegetable gardening for beginners last week by McDowell at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Laytonsville. The talk, hosted by Citizens to Preserve the Reserve, was one of four McDowell had scheduled in the county since Master Gardeners began its program.
"It has come to our attention that more and more people are getting into vegetable gardening, and out here people have the space to do it," said Phyllis Sterling, one of the event's organizers.
The hour-long talk on March 12 covered basics like soil, water, fertilizers, sunlight and the growing season as well as pest control, irrigation systems and garden layout.
Margie Holsinger, 74, said she began growing her own vegetables last year after moving in with her son's family at their Laytonsville alpaca farm. She used to have flower gardens but now enjoys tending the vegetables with her two grandchildren.
"We're trying to expand and grow most of the things we like to eat, and we're trying to get the kids to eat their vegetables," Holsinger said after the talk. "I think the vegetables are more rewarding, and the children help out — they love the planting."
For more information on starting a home vegetable garden, visit www.mastergardener.umd.edu or www.hgic.umd.edu. For more information on Rockville's community garden, visit www.rockvillemd.gov/residents/
garden.
Master Gardeners will answer garden questions 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at Brookside Gardens, 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. Call 301-962-1400.
-$2.5 billion: Money spent in 2008 on food gardening
-43 million: Households planning to have a food garden in 2009
-36 million: Households with food gardens in 2008
-1 million: Households that garden in community plots
-600 square feet: Size of an average food garden
-$70: Average amount of money spent per household in 2008 on food gardening
Source: National Gardening Association
