Many of the millions of people who turned to gardening to save money during the recession appear to be sticking with it during the recovery as food prices remain high and interest in safe, fresh and local food grows nationwide. Forty-three million American households planned to grow at least some of their own food in 2009, a 19% increase from the estimated 36 million who did so the year before, says the National Gardening Association, citing the most recent figures available. Spending on food gardening—including growing vegetables, fruit trees, berries and herbs—jumped 20% in one year to $3 billion in 2009 and stayed at that level last year, says Bruce Butterfield, research director for the nonprofit association.
“It’s a perfect storm for food gardening,” Butterfield says, noting the downturn coincided with growing interest nationwide in eating locally produced food.
While the recession started in December 2007, he says the economy really “tanked” at the end of 2008, fueling the gardening boom the following year. And Butterfield says he expects the trend to continue, given the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s shift in focus, from a food pyramid representing its nutritional guidelines to a plate encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables, and the trend of people spending more time at home than prior to the recession.
