High food prices prompt many to grow their own gardens

By SCOTT NILES Courier staff writer

May 22, 2008 12:05 am

— OTTUMWA — Higher vegetables and fruit prices in the grocery stores are prompting a few southern Iowans to grow their own gardens.
Ostrander’s Flowers & Greenhouses Owner Kristy Ostrander said she has noticed an increase in the number of people buying produce plants and seeds this year.
“It has definitely increased from the past,” she said. “I think people are getting tired of paying supermarket prices.”
She said she has seen more customers buying fresh vegetable plants and she has had several patrons purchasing numerous, peach, apple and cherry trees.
“It cuts down the cost of what you spend in the store and it is healthier for you,” Ostrander said.
“We’ve had an excellent spring selling tomato plants ... ,” said Earl May Manager Jim Bremer.
He said more customers are planting gardens this year than in the past. He said they had a lot of requests for fruit trees and sweet potatoes.
“Those have been big sellers,” he said. “Also a lot of vine crops, like your melons and cucumbers.”
Bremer agrees the increase in gardening could be due in part to the higher prices in the supermarkets, but there may be other reasons.
“This way people can control what they put on their crops, like insecticides and other chemicals. If you grow the stuff yourself, you know how they are being grown.”
Ottumwa Master Gardener Eugene Kromray has been planting his own fruits and vegetables for a number of years.
He offered some tips to those who might be thinking of planting their own gardens.
The first tip, Kromray offers, is to keep all of the crops fenced off from deer or rabbits.
“I have an eight-foot-tall fence for deer and a six-foot-tall wire fence for rabbits,” he said. “That will help keep your crops safe.”
Another suggestion was to mound the soil where you plan to plant your seeds or plants.
“It’s better if you plant in a raised up bed than directly on flat ground,” Kromray said.
He also said if you can add compost, that is the best, but that does not add a lot of nutrients to the soil, it simply acts as a conditioner.
“You want to use a [nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium] based fertilizer,” he said. “And after a couple years of it getting built up in the soil, you would only have to use the nitrogen.”
He said let the soil get dry before you water too.
“You want to be able to let the soil soak up all the water and then when you do water, don’t just put a little water on the soil, soak it down about six inches or so, to where the plant will be fully drenched,” he said.
Other southern Iowans have also been planting their own gardens and know the routine.
“I plant my own garden every year,” said Ottumwan Ben Barker. “It saves money. I give some away and I eat the rest.”
Barker said he has been growing his own fruits and vegetables for nearly 10 years.
“My mom and dad grew their own vegetables and now I grow my own,” he said.
Barker added his garden in his backyard that he composts every year. Because of that, he said the soil is rich enough that he needs little fertilizer.
“I just plant them and then let them grow,” he said.
Ostrander said the best way to get the produce to grow is find a good spot that has some enriched soil or if the soil is poor then use some compost or fertilizer on it. Till it up and then plant your seeds.
“The tomatoes and peppers have to be started in pots if you don’t buy them as plants. But, most of the other things can be planted directly in the garden. Now is a good time to start planting ... ,” she said.
Scott Niles can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or via e-mail at sjniles@mchsi.com.

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