Renewed Interest in Gardening Sends Seed Sales Soaring
Gardening is getting a renewed interest during the recession as many consumers are deciding to grow their own vegetables. The National Gardening Association has estimated that the number of homes with vegetable gardens will increase more than 40% compared with two years ago. They've also reported the biggest jump in seed sales in nearly 30 years.
The Salt Lake Tribunereports Burpee's vegetable seed sales are up 20% and its organic seed sales are up 46%.
Burpee & Co., the country's largest seed retailer, reports that vegetable sales for January 2009 were up 20 percent from one year ago. Organic seed sales are up 46 percent from 2008.
A garden is worth the investment. Spending $50 for seeds and fertilizer now can produce more than $1,200 worth of food in a summer, according to Burpee officials.
First Lady Michelle Obama's recently broke ground on a new garden for the White House, which could get even more people interested in starting a home garden. The Today Show has an interesting article here about the return of victory gardens that also includes links to several gardening resources.
Gardening is getting a renewed interest during the recession as many consumers are deciding to grow their own vegetables. The National Gardening Association has estimated that the number of homes with vegetable gardens will 
