According to the National Gardening Association, the number of American households with edible gardens increased 19% in 2009. This trend is reflected both in urban and rural environments, with urban community, compact and/or container gardens becoming more popular than ever (more later on this). Even the Obamas made this a focus early in the administration, with their own garden on the 17 acre White House property (though I haven’t seen any photo ops of the family weeding, watering, tending, etc.), reminiscent of the victory gardens of WWII and other times in history when troubles in the economy reminded citizens of the importance of being able to feed themselves.
It’s never too late to start. For those of us in the northern hemisphere, there are still late summer and fall crops that can be planted now. For more information, see the National Gardening Association’s site or the myriad of other helpful sites on the internet or in books in your local library or bookstore.
I started my garden one year ago. It’s amazing how somany others were thinking the same thing.
I started my garden one year ago. It’s amazing how so many others were thinking the same thing.