Published: June 13, 2008 10:20 pm      

Saving money by gardening

Backyard growing helping to put dinner on the table

WORTHINGTON — With the price of produce rivaling gold bullion, more Americans are mining for food in their own back yards.

Backyard gardens always have been a fixture of American suburbia, and now, more than ever, green-thumbed growers are cultivating veggies for their dinner tables.

It’s a trend likely to continue, according to Lori Bowling, a horticulturalist with the Boyd County Cooperative Extension Service. “Both the size of gardens is increasing and we can expect to see more of them because of the increasing cost of produce,” Bowling said.

The economic productivity of an average-sized (500-1,000 square feet) garden is anywhere from $300 to $600, according to University of Kentucky associate extension professor of Horticulture Rick Durham.

The figure doesn’t factor in the cost of labor or equipment, however.

That’s why Durham doesn’t encourage consumers to grow vegetables for economic reasons only.

But if you think of gardening as fun, rather than backbreaking labor, then it can be a good way to put cheaper, fresher food on the table. “Most people garden for freshness or to get specific varieties, or to avoid pesticides,” he said.

“It helps a whole lot,” said Jack Hall, sitting on a milk crate in the shade near his own spread on Court Street in Worthington recently. His main crops are corn, beans, tomatoes and cucumbers and he hopes for a harvest bountiful enough for his wife Iris to can up to 60 quarts of green beans and several gallons of tomato juice, among others.

In 35 years, his garden has saved him money and yielded better, fresher veggies, he said. That’s important for senior citizens like him, who already are struggling to cope with price increases in gasoline and other commodities.

Frosty Evans, who also tends a backyard garden in Worthington, can break down the savings even more. He figures he can buy four tomato plants for about a buck, harvest a bushel per plant, which at retail leaves around $60 in his pocket.

Evans shares his bounty with family, so they save money too. He likes having a better variety than at the supermarket. When he retires he plans to increase the size of his 50-by-100-foot garden.

Gas prices are the culprit driving other costs through the roof, according to Bowling. And that’s why you’ll be seeing more people trying their hand at growing vegetables.

This season she has been getting numerous telephone inquiries from gardening neophytes, wanting to know how to plant and care for crops.

The trend is showing at local garden stores. “People are buying more, absolutely,” said Mary Gifford, owner of the South Ashland Florist and Greenhouses.

Not only that, suburban farmers are finding ingenious ways to grow their crops. “People that never had gardens before are putting them in holes in their yards.”

Some plant veggies amid their existing ornamentals. Others are using pots. “Containers seem to be the most popular,” she said.

Both Gifford and Bowling agree it’s not too late to start some kind of garden. In fact, a wet spring has put many behind schedule anyway.

Tomatoes, peppers, corn, squash, cucumbers and eggplants all are still viable.

First-time gardeners should start out small, maybe with a 6-by-8-foot plot, Bowling said.

The University of Kentucky has extensive gardening information on its extension service Web site, ces.ca.uk.edu.