Encouraging Trend

This post should really go on my nascent YardFarms blog, but since I don't have the nuts and bolts of that blog worked out, I'll put it here -- it needs to be read:

Rob Johnston is the founder and chairman of (the employee-owned) Johnny's Selected Seeds in Winslow, Maine, and is one of the patriarchs of the organic/sustainable farming movement. Here is an excerpt from his latest email update -- a folksy, newsy epistle he sends out regularly. Rather than explain why I'm posting it I'll put the salient points in bold, red type. Attention scribes: There's even a chance to win a few dollars in a small gardening-related writing contest Rob is announcing, so sharpen your quills!

Vegetable Gardening Like It's the 1970's Again

1973 was a favorable time for me to start a seed company. The back-to-the-land movement was well under way in the US late in 1973 when the Arab Oil Embargo resulted in rapidly escalating gasoline prices and shortages. Americans adopted a kind of vocational motivation to plant a food-producing garden, a combination of cultural and economic security interests. "Maybe I'm going to have to know how to do this someday."

Coincidental with Reagan administration, the back-to-the-office movement began about 1981 and was well established by 1982. A decline in home vegetable gardening began then, and it continued through the 1990s. During the 2000s it hasn't seemed to be declining, but it hasn't been growing either. Through those 2 ½ decades our business with commercial growers grew to the lion's share of our total. But then last year we experienced a very small, but we thought real, turnaround in our home garden business, enough to make us think, Hey, maybe something is changing.

We had enough optimism from 2007 to plan for a modest growth in HG for 2008. Instead the HG volume so far this year has been substantially above last year. Other seed companies are doing well, too. Vegetables and tools and equipment are the biggest movers, suggesting that this is about growing food. It's also happening in Europe. I don't know yet about other places.

People have been asking me, How come? I think it's a convergence of a number of things including a strong interest in more local supply of food. For as long as I know we have been set on making the world a smaller place, but now - and it's a healing urge - many of us would rather make it become a bigger place again.

The increase in home vegetable gardening is being well publicized this spring, and normally the reason given is economic, like high gasoline prices and sticker shock at the supermarket. I think that these economics are a factor, but not the main factor. Home vegetable gardening was in decline or was static in the US, and I think in the whole "first world," throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and 2000s up through 2006. During those 25 years there were several bad periods economically, but there was no vegetable gardening increase in response to any of them. I think that the main motivation is quality of life, and a regaining of meaningful culture.

A small contest. In 500 words or less, where do you see this increase in home vegetable gardening going? Why? If we find your answer to be the most helpful or enlightening of all that we receive by May 16, we'll give you a credit for $200 that you can spend this year or next. Second place $100. Third place $50. Email me. I'll publish the winners next month. Thanks.