Many plant vegetables as food costs rise

The escalating cost of food is turning Triangle residents into urban farmers. Sales of vegetable seeds and tomato plants are soaring as people try to counter food prices that have increased 2.6 percent since the beginning of the year and are expected to increase as much as 6.3 percent for the year.

The increased interest in vegetable gardening has been a boon for seed companies and garden centers that have struggled the past few seasons as the area's widespread drought dried up their customers.

Vegetable seed sales are up about 10 percent this year, said Chuck Wyatt, owner of Wyatt-Quarles Seed Co. in Garner. The bulk of sales: beans, corn, squash, cantaloupe and watermelon.

Wyatt said the spike breaks a decadelong lull in seed sales. But the jump in sales was no surprise to him.

"We anticipated this could be a good year for home gardens," Wyatt said. "We attribute that to the fact the economy is a little slower and people are planting their own gardens."

Jim Garriss, owner of Burke Brothers Hardware in Raleigh, said his sales are up about 50 percent and have shifted from bulk seed packaging to more individual packages, indicating that more people are growing their food.

Both men expect sales to remain strong throughout the year as people turn to cool weather crops in the fall.

When the economy goes south, Southerners -- and others -- typically turn to their gardens, those in the industry say. With organic tomatoes costing about $3 a pound, paying $2.50 for a packet of seeds just makes sense to people who are struggling with higher prices for fuel, food and just about everything else. Not only do people have less money, they are likely to have more time because they can't afford vacations.

There are other reasons people want to grow their own meals, of course. For some, it's a chance to reconnect with their community by sharing the fruits of their labor. Others may be worried about food shortages that have wreaked havoc in other parts of the world. Others just don't want to worry about their food being tainted by salmonella or E.coli, said Carl Matyac, a master gardener and an agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, which oversees the state's gardening information hotline.

Matyac said his office noticed the increased interest in vegetable gardening when calls started rising in early spring. The hotline is averaging about 960 calls a month; a stark contrast to last year when spring calls were off by about half, said Matyac. "With the drought, nobody was gardening," he said.

Kate Standish has planted a few things in the past, but it wasn't until the new bride went grocery shopping for two that she decided to get serious about her garden.

The 3-foot-by-7-foot garden in the front yard of her Raleigh home now has foot-tall tomato plants, green beans, bell peppers and herbs such as basil, rosemary, dill and oregano.

"I like to cook with different ingredients and fresh foods," Standish said. Over the summer, she expects to save $20 to $30 on herbs alone.

Connect to your roots

Community gardens also are seeing a revival this summer.

Lucy Harris, executive director of SEEDS, a nonprofit community garden near downtown Durham, said the two-acre plot is nearly at capacity for the first time in years. The garden has rented 20 lots, double last year's total, she said.

SEEDS, which stands for South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces, assists its gardeners by offering tips and tools.

Gardeners, depending on their income, pay anywhere from nothing to $30 to rent a plot each season. Renters include teenagers who sell crops at local markets and African and Mexican families who are used to gardening in their native countries.