The Gardener Guy

What happens when the garden shows get canceled on television? What happens to the hosts when it's all done? They start web sites! The most recent former television host to do it is Paul James, of Gardening by the Yard fame. His new website is called, "The Gardener Guy." The page I just linked to is his "HGTV and me" page where he explains why he is no longer on HGTV. Paul also explains why television is dropping gardening shows left and right. He say's, "I know it’s hard to reconcile how on the one hand interest in gardening is stronger than ever, and that gardeners spend billions of dollars every year on garden-related products, while on the other hand there’s an apparent lack of interest in garden-related programming by networks. On the surface, you’d think they’d be clamoring to acquire new garden shows." He continues, "the simple truth is that gardening shows, for whatever reason, don’t produce significant ratings, my show included. Basically, not enough people watch them."

What will be interesting is whether people migrate to a website of a former host for HGTV when there are a million other websites about gardening. There is no doubt that Paul is an entertaining guy.  I would occasionally watch his show just before going to work. It was what's on, and if you watched garden TV it's what you watched. That's the nature of old world television programming. New world TV programming includeds hundreds of channels and hundreds of hosts (bloggers). You don't have to watch any particular show just because it's on. Don't like the addvice from one source, just head to another.

Will the former hosts of Televisions more popular gardening shows find success on the internet? I don't know. Anyone can be a star now. What happens when scarcity (only a few garden shows programmed by networks), meets infinity (new garden bloggers everyday)? We are going to find out.

We had a conversation back in 2006 ago about Mr. Flowerdew, an English televison gardening host. It came about when Claire of An Alameda Garden  lamented that, "the fact that we here in the U.S.A. don’t have a Mr. Flowerdew and “that if there was an American Flowerdew–someone knowledgeable, funny, charismatic, and (it goes without saying) organic–that he could be the pied piper to seduce more of us into taking up the shovel and rake? That he (or she, of course) could actually grow the audience”? My answer then is the same as I would give now, "We already have our own Mr. Flowerdew. It’s us! People like Calire and other garden bloggers, and readers, are our version of Mr. Flowerdew. Instead of learning from one man on the television screen, we are learning from hundreds and soon to be thousands of people blogging. Why watch another boring garden show on HGTV with a paid celebrity when we can share with so many others, ideas that are so far ahead of anything we are seeing in mass garden media." Now of course I was not talking about Paul when I said boring garden show. Paul is anything but boring, but the decline in garden television shows was clearly noted over three years ago.

I still don't hold out hope for a national gardening show or host like they have in England.  It is going to be much more localcentric (a new word?)in the future. The future lies in connecting with others who garden in your region or other regions like your's. Watching garden shows produced from back east makes little sense here in our arid west. Gardening is local as my friend Angela say's. 

In addition the garden blogger usually works out of passion, certainly not a pay check.  People with passion are always more fun to read than paid performers. Paul was fun to watch, unlike many others on the little screen. Perhaps Paul's passion will relate to readers on the internet, and his webpage will become a go to place for information and entertainment by many. Best of luck, Paul.

Organics got you confused?

My last post  "Should people stop using peat moss?"came as a result of a post by Ken Druse at Garden Rant. The argument is that by buying peat moss you are encouraging the depletion of peat bogs in Canada, where peat moss is harvested. Some alternatives to peat moss might be home made compost or coir, a fiber from coconut production.  What I find interesting is peat moss is organic, yet because it is harvested from peat bogs it's bad. Same could be said for coir, which is the result of the coconut production on the other side of the world.  The point that "most of our peat is shipped hundreds of miles, often when it’s wet and heavy, which adds further to the fuel required for shipping", could easily apply to coir. Sure coir is lighter, but it's shipped thousands of miles! I realized a few years ago that the use of organics is a very personal thing and subject to the users interpretation. We had a customer looking for organics and when shown the blood meal or bone meal said she could not use them in her garden because she was a vegan! No animal byproducts in her garden. What we thought of as safe, organic fertilizers we're to her anything but.

As gardeners with blogs, or gardeners that read blogs, this stuff is interesting and important. Outside our world, the general public must be really confused. You can imagine the angst that some people go through in trying to grow something. Over at Gardenpunks, Katie goes through some of this angst when trying to decide weather buying ladybugs is ecologically the right thing to do. We had this argument a couple of years ago at Gardening Tips n Ideas. She has a good answer for those confused as to which way to proceed. Katie say's, " So folks, make the decisions that are best for you AND mindful for the environment simultaneously. Don't let the tsunami of available information on both sides of every decision/subject paralyze you from making necessary decisions. You’ll never please everyone all the time." Fantastic advice.

Should people stop using peat moss?

There is good post by Ken Druse at Garden Rant concerning the use of peat moss. The concern over peat bog depletion is the crux of the post with reference made about peat substitutes like coir. The post also addresses Monrovia's foray into potting soils. The following is the comment I left at the post. We carry coir as a substitute for peat moss. Peat still outsells coir, either because people like what peat does for their potting soil, or they don't know about coir. Peat is generally acid reacting so it's great for acid loving plants like blueberries or azaleas. Coir is neutral, and I have had a couple of people tell me that is why they like coir. No one in our area uses peat moss as a soil conditioner. It's use is almost always for seed starting, and container mixes.

Monrovia's website focuses on what they think is important in their "soil". The ingredients for all soils are listed on the bag, from the most used to the least. Peat moss is there, just like most quality potting soils. The lack in mentioning peat in their website is not unusual in the potting soil world.

Many people focus on the cost of the product rather than what's in it. When people question the price of an exceptional potting soil I use the ingredient list to show why it's better. Just like Monrovia's website say's, "If your mix contains too much sawdust or fresh bark, for instance, you will likely see the leaves of your plants yellowing due to a nitrogen deficiency." That's what makes up the majority of ingredients in many of the cheaper potting soils, sawdust.

So if we are concerned with the depletion of resources, what about the sawdust that is used in many potting soils, and bulk purchased soils? It's use is far more widespread than peat.

Just as you point out that, "Some wetlands scientists point out that a managed bog lacks the biodiversity of the original bog", so the forest where the sawdust originally comes from also lacks that "biodiversity" of the original forest. I also wonder about the coconut plantations where coir is harvested from. Are they bio-diverse? Coir comes from fibers found between the husk and the outer shell of a coconut. The coconut plantation certainly displaced the native flora and fauna of the area they are grown in.

You are correct that compost makes a great soil conditioner, though people growing in containers generally need a potting soil, not compost. Some will make their own, but most buy the bag, and either way they use many of the same ingredients.

I am stunned that the manager of that garden center did not know where peat came from. This might explain why peat moss is used so often where is shouldn't be, in the ground. Perhaps through education we will be able to steer people to better alternatives for their situation, and thus avoid the depletion of the peat bogs. It's not the use of peat that is bad. It's the misuse of peat in situations where it is unwarranted that causes problems.

The future has arrived!

I read this story through Open Register. Husqvarna, maker of power tools released a trend report concerning the evolution of lawn care in the 21st century. After talking with 1000 homeowners about their vision of the yard they discovered that, "38% of the 1,000 U.S. homeowners surveyed suggested one that is entirely self-maintaining." Here is the disconnect, "Twenty-three percent want to grown their own food". So we have homeowners that want a yard that is "self-maintaining" yet "want to grow their own food." These seemingly contradictory goals show how little people understand what's involved in vegetable and fruit growing.  Yet the report offers some good news for those of us in the garden businesses. It also states that, " The economy has played a major role in changing gardening behaviors and will play a key role in shaping the future. The emerging ‘make do and mend’ attitude has been caused by looming credit worries, lack of consumer confidence, rising food prices and limited personal spending has increased the need and desire to become self sufficient."

Here is the finding that I can get behind, and really we all should have been behind years ago. They say, "yard becomes a source of food, shelter and relief." I switch out "yard" and put in "home', but the results are the same. How long did I hear that we should make our houses homes instead of investments to be flipped every two years or so? This is what's driving  the current interest in gardening, at least here in California. Who can even think of selling their home at this time? Most people are backwards on their loans, so why not feather the nest? At least you can create a refuge from the crazy world right in your own garden. People concerned with the environment, and feeling helpless can make a difference by changing their own environment. I hope the younger generations are starting to realize this. Changing the world starts in your own space. From that will grow a change in other peoples attitudes.  Be the example in the neighborhood, and show others how to do it.

As discouraging as the economy and outside events can seem, it would appear that a golden age of gardening is upon us. How ironic that the popularization of gardening we all want to see is accompanied by such dismal economics. Could it actually be that gardening will lead us out of the current state of affairs? A new attitude of self-sufficiency, and hard work at the home front is exactly what this country needs. Forget about big government and it's lame attempts to straighten things out. We need to get back to the garden and make our sterile neighborhoods come to life again! Who should be leading this return to the garden but the locally owned garden center? It's a golden opportunity for those of us in this business. I see growth potential for small, neighborhood nurseries that become the trusted source of all things outdoors. Small, and locally owned is where it's at!

Who owns the rain?

Interesting story in Popular Mechanics about the use of rain barrels. It seems that depending on where you live, the rain that falls on your property may or may not belong to you. In Colorado you do not own the rain that falls on your property. I can see how this would effect us here in California, as we have no summer rain. All our rain comes in winter, and to be effective we need large holding tanks to get through the dry spell. What happens when homeowners start putting in large cisterns, 5000 gal plus and collect their own water, cutting down revenue to the water company?

How's it going?

How's it going out there? We have been busy this spring, so little posting on my part. It seems like a good spring, considering how we felt before Christmas. Sales are good on vegetables and fruit trees, of course. I see interest in the ornamental side of the gardening world, too. Seems people want to get outside and beautify their surroundings. We are entering our busiest time of the year. The "old timers" don't plant tender vegetables around here until May 1st or Mothers Day. Looks like we missed having a major drought this year. Just the usual "we need to conserve" message, which really should be our state motto considering how we never invest in new water projects. So the weather gods have been good to us this year.

All in all, considering what is going on out in the "real' world I am glad to be a small nursery. People are returning to the garden, and the garden center. I feel like we have some control over our destiny, unlike people in government or large corporations. It seems the places that use to provide the security we desired no longer do. You are actually more secure working for yourself. I see a whole new batch of independent small business starting up like Carol Miller and her new business, Carol Miller Media. Carol worked in one area of our industry that has been seeing hard times, horticultural publishing. Not one to rest she is launching her own enterprise. It will be a struggle at first, but any quality business has to start somewhere. This is good stuff. Loose your job, start your own business, and work your tail off. Now your in charge, and the sky is the limit. Go Carol.

Here is some sage advice from Sid Raisch.  He say's, "I think this may be the best spring opportunity we've seen in five years or more. On the other hand, as good as summer could be I have never seen anyone add a nickel to their bottom line after the 4th of July. Moral: Get the bank account as full as possible by the 4th of July, being careful not to go into the slow traffic period with more inventory than you can sell then with the lower traffic to keep as much money as possible in that bank account."  Right on!

 

Organic fertilizers are selling!

I wanted to share an e-mail I sent to a friend in the nursery business back in New Jersey. She had written me concerning a new line of Bat Guano she was being presented with. She asked my opinion, as we have written about this before. Realizing that for many in the country organic fertilizers are somewhat new and untested I thought I would share the e-mail that I sent back. By the way, my nursery friend say's they may have just had their best March ever. Things are looking bright for small, locally owned garden centers! Here is my e-mail. "I get my bat guano from Sunleaves. That being said, bat guano is not my biggest seller. I will still carry it though, as it rounds out our fertilizer selection. I carry Indonesian and Mexican Bat Guano as well as Seabird guano. Bat Guano is the most potent of all manure products. You sprinkle it on dry, or make a "tea" out of it.

I would say bat guano is like a specialty fertilizer that sells, but never as much as your all purpose types like Marine Cuisine, or E.B. Stone Organics. I like carrying the bat guano because it sends the message that we are serious about fertilizers and about carrying a wide selection. I don't know about your area, but I have people who love to try out new fertilizers. Especially organics. Ever since I started carrying more of the fertilizers that the local hydroponic shops carry, my fertilizer sales are way up! I mean, why didn't I do this earlier? I have never sold so much fertilizer, especially organics. Now our local crowd doesn't have to travel 12 miles to Auburn or Placerville to get the same stuff. So, I cost a $ or two more. Travel time and the price of gas keeps them here.

I wouldn't want to steer you the wrong way. I do business in northern California where this stuff may be more accepted. I will say for me the increase in types of fertilizer has benefited us. I now carry almost 90% organic, and have finally weeded most if the Miracle Gro crowd out. For me its been a blast because I like fertilizer, and I like people who are interested in trying different things. I am counting on fertilizer sales this summer to keep the cash registers humming. It gets very hot here during the summer, so not much planting gets done. The only thing to do is water, (we sell drip systems) and sell fertilizer to keep those veggies growing.

Hope this helps,

Trey

I want a chicken now!

We open today, Easter Sunday from 10 to 2am. We usually close at 4pm on Sundays. We have to go the the nursery to check on water anyway so we have been open on Easter for the last few years. It's a time when people bring their relatives to the garden center. Visiting guests are always amazed that such a beautiful place exists here in Garden Valley, and the locals like to show us off. My "build a raised bed" workshop on Saturday was a hit. It is always well attended, but this year we we're packed with people interested in the concept. Here in the Sierras our soil is not always workable, so raised beds are a great way to get gardening right away.It's funny but people are so excited they don't want to wait for things to happen. I had a lady call the other day looking for a chicken. I don't know why she called us, but I said the hardware store across the street was selling baby chicks. No, she want's a grown chicken!She doesn't want to wait for the six months before they lay. She want's to live the lifestyle now!

This is very interesting. I had a call from a landscape firm in Granite Bay called,  peas and harmony. They design organic gardens. They called us a few weeks ago looking for fruit trees to plant for a home orchard they we're installing. I think this is a great idea. People do want to install organic gardens and orchards, but so many don't know where to start. I believe this is the single greatest growth area for garden centers or landscapers. People looking for information on making the lifestyle change to more home grown food. Not just growing food, but in enhancing the entire garden, be it ornamental or food bearing. People do want to "get back to the garden". They just need a guiding hand, and a full grown chicken.

I'm being followed by a box of fertilizer

I received a "follow" from Miracle-Gro at my Twitter account. They are not the first company to "follow" me, as it is "in" for business to get involved. I am not sure what these companies hope to achieve. I don't really have a problem with being followed by corporations. It's just I don't know who is following me. According to Scotts/Miracle-Gro their Twitter account will supply me with, "Updates from ScottsMiracle-Gro, Miracle-Gro's PR team and gardening fans!".  One of the things that keeps me interested in Twitter is the updates are from individuals, not corporations. I think Miracle-Gro's account would be better served if the CEO of Scott's Tweeted. Now that might be interesting. Do we really want to hear from Scotts PR team? No, I want to hear from Jim Hagedorn president of Scotts. That will put a personal face on giant corporation, and make for more interesting Tweets.

Thrilled to do business with you!

My last post elicited some interesting comments. The comment from greenfred is interesting for a couple of reasons. Greenfred say's he worked for a national seed company. He claims that if I, "truly want to sell this product to your customers, may I suggest spending a weekend building a peg-board display to hold the packs? Or perhaps try your hand at bending and welding wires and pipes together to fabricate your own metal spinner?" Excellent idea greenfred! Just what I wanted to do with my weekend. He continues, "The notion that a supplier should be 'excited' that you 'want to sell their…' is beyond condescending. And in today’s retail climate, your promise to 'be selling their seeds for years, helping build their brand…' is a joke. Suppliers today operate knowing that a huge percentage of their customers today may not even be around next season, let alone 'for years.' Why would I expect any supplier to be excited about selling me their product? If they are not, then I wont be selling their product. That's exactly what's so wrong about what greenfred has said. Yes, you should be thrilled to be selling your seed through my store. Greenfred continues, "This seed supplier has decided they need to charge you for your rack so that they can maintain their profitability. If you disagree, buy your seeds somewhere else."

Here is the bottom line greenfred. I am not carrying the seed companies seed that required the rack be paid for. Period. You want me to do business with a seed compnay because the,"seed they supply you costs them money to produce. But the packaging they design and print to hold the seed also costs them money. And the freight they pay to deliver the product to your store costs them money. And the marketing they do, and the display rack on which you mount the seed packs costs them A TON of money" So, because it costs the seed company money to stay in business I should want to do business with them? How about the costs I incure to run my business?

I am the customer! There are plenty of seed companies to do business with. I use Lake Valley Seed, and it's displayed on a rack I got from them so long ago I cant remember if we paid for it or not. I wanted to carry another rack, but since I decided not to pay the freight on the rack I guess Lake Valley Seed gets the sales floor for now.

My last post was more about how to get the customer (me) to create a long term relationship with a business (the seed company). Like most customers I believe the world revolves around me and my needs.  Satisfy those needs and we will do business forever. Whine at me about the costs of doing business, or how grateful I should be that your company exists and I am gone. Give me a spinner rack with your logo on top where my customers will be seeing it for years. Watch as we sell, year after year your seed. Just as Perry said, "From their perspective, if they send the rack out, they know that they aren’t likely to see it again, and they aren’t likely to get paid for it either. Ask them how much volume of business it would take to get the rack for free. Then… ask them if they want that only in one year, or over all the years that you intend to buy their product. Ask them for some other incentive to offset the cost of the rack (free product etc.) If they aren’t bright enough to take an exclusive deal with the ability to get more over time, they might not be there later anyway. Ask them if they recognize that a 1/2 loaf is better than no loaf at all. With things the way they are… can they afford to be starving? It’s their choice to make."

To say that, "the notion that a supplier should be 'excited' that you 'want to sell their' is beyond condescending." Condescending? Yes, greenfred, every supplier should be very excited to sell me product. They should provide me with all the tools needed to sell their product, spinner racks, handouts, etc. They should constantly remind me just how pleased they are to be doing business with me. Yes, they should be thrilled to be doing business with me or we won't be doing business for long together.

Here is the bottom line greenfred. We had better start getting a clue who is important here. The customer! There is no one more important in my store than the customer. We will just about do anything to satisfy our customers needs. If we don't they will shop elsewhere, and we may or may not ever know they could have been a regular customer. The small retail garden center is also a customer of the wholesale nurseries and suppliers. They should treat us just as we treat our customers. If they don't we shop elsewhere. Right now Lake Valley Seed gets all my seed business, and you know, that's o.k. Seed sales are great and I am not so sure now if I really need or needed that other seed rack from that other company. I'll just order, and re-order more from Lake Valley seed. No big deal, except for that seed company that could have gotten their seed in my store while we are growing our business.

The hidden costs of doing business

Why is it that seed companies, or at least the seed company I want to do business with, require that you purchase the seed rack? You know, the metal spinner that holds the seed packs. If I don't have to buy the rack then they require that I pay the freight to get the rack to my store. Why is it that I have to pay to have a seed company take up space in my store? It's their seed we will be selling. It valuable retail space that will be advertising their product. We will be sending them money on a regular basis. Shouldn't they be excited that we want to sell their seed?

The seed company is a good, family run company that we want to see succeed. It's just that we won't be carrying their seed because we don't want to pay the freight fee. What a shame. We would be selling their seeds for years, helping build their brand. I would think they would be excited to send us a rack to display their seed.

I know that paying for the rack, or freight to get it has always fallen to the retail store to deal with.  Why?

Store managers, this is how not to respond to disgruntled customers

I got a angry e-mail from some guy named Tim who say's he is a store manager at a Smith and Hawken Store. He want's to know why I am  down on Smith and Hawken.  He asks what happened at the Feb 3rd meting that was suppose to decide the future of the chain. He makes the point that nothing has happened, and that Smith and Hawken has spent thousands of dollars installing televisions in their stores. Why would they do that if they we're going to close? What I didn't like about the e-mail was the subject line, "You suck". The rest of the e-mail was in that vain. Here is some information for "Tim". I did not say that the future of the chain was going to be decided on Feb.3rd.  It was a commenter at the blog that said that. If you have a comment about my posts then why not post that at the blog, rather than sending me a angry e-mail. That way everyone can read what you have to say.

I have no idea whether Tim is actually a store manager or not. If he is, he should given a course in how to deal with angry customers.  I was one of Smith and Hawkens original customers, long before Tim was ever involved with the company. Better to have provided his input at the blog in the comments, minus the derogatory language.

More and more, business is going to have to deal with customers and others talking about how they feel about companies on their blogs. Is Tim going to fire off angry e-mails to anyone that speaks in less than complimentary tones about his company? What's the deal with the televisions being put in? Hearing that they are going to put televisions in the store makes me even more doubtful about the future of the chain.

Here is the bottom line. If you are a store manager of a nursery or garden store the last thing you should do is get involved in a war of words with garden bloggers. It solves nothing, and the history of your comments will be viewable forever. Better to have just disagreed with me, like many do, and left a comment. It would be the mature way to respond.

Independents moving in!

Here is a trend that I would like to see continue. According to Iconoculture, "Having been hit hard by the recession, many indoor shopping centers are seeing new tenant rates drop and national chains closing shop." We all know that, but what's interesting is who is filling the space. At one mall in New Mexico it is "filling those storefronts with mom-and-pop shops". This bodes well for quality independents. According to Iconoculture, "consumers see shopping at mom-and-pop shops as a way of keeping their money in the community and directly benefiting their neighbors." So there is a change in how people are spending their money. People are starting to realize that money spent and kept in the community, benefits the community.

Boy I hope this trend continues. You could take the same mall, and drop it in any town in America, and that's what we have now. It would be so nice to see regional differences expressed in these malls. It's really interesting to see the sea change going on with the consumer. If I we're a large chain this trend would have me concerned. It seems for once that the news is good for the small independents.  As Iconoculture said, independents are " connecting with consumers' interest in authentic and unique goods." I would add that connecting with the customers values is also high on the list.

Things are looking up

Before Christmas the mood in the retail world was certainly downbeat. I would say the mood is still rather downbeat, except for one notable exception, the retail garden center world. Over the last few years the reatil garden center business has been hit with a steady barrage of seemingly negative news. People just wanted someone else to put the landscape in, (DIFM). Generation X and Y are not interested in gardening. Celebrities told us that , "you can go to the home improvement stores and buy 4-foot pavers, and, as long as you can lay them on sand with no grout. Fill them with crushed granite, and you have yourself a patio!”. Boy have things changed in just a few months. Now it's "I'll do it myself", generation X and Y are embracing gardenng, and the celebrities? We'll, you decide. What is so refreshing is we have been talking about how wrong these "trends" were years ago. Here is a blog post from 2006 concerning, homogenized gardening.

I can't remember where I read it. Someone was thinking about opening a garden center. All their friends we're telling them they we're crazy to start a small business in this economy. I would have to say the friends are crazy! I can't think of a better time to start a small business, especially a garden center. What other business addresses the needs of people in these days so well? Start a "green" business? Can't get much greener than a place that sells plants and trees. Want to keep you money with locally owned small business? The locally owned small garden center. Want to grow your own vegetables and fruits? You have to buy them somewhere. The local garden center. Sustainable business? Our offerings not only sustain, but grow in value for the customer and improve the environment. Home values have dropped, so you can't sell you home anytime soon. Why not fix up the house and make it a home, complete with a garden that makes all the worlds concerns seem a "world" away? Who can help with this? The local independent garden center.

Not all boats in the horticultural world are rising in this climate. I would not want to be in a landscaping business in this area. Home building has slowed to a crawl and it looks like DIFM (Do it for me) is being replaced with IDIM (I'll do it myself). There are still lot's of wholesale operations that are in trouble. Those that depended on the landscape trade, and service the box stores are in trouble. The box store scene will in my opinion be dominated by one or two growers (Color Spot and Bonnie?). The box stores will have their own exclusive growers that service them, and most likely not the independents. We have been talking about this trend here for the last few years, and it seems to be playing out. Growers will have to decide which boat to board. Box stores or indies?

I am excited about the possibilities that await.  Who would have thought that one of the few growth areas in this economy would be the smaller independent garden centers? Some of the old timers told us that in slow economies people return to the garden. We we're are told that this time however things would be different. Gardening was on the way out, and garden accessorizing was in. Vegetable garden? Naw, give me a wide screen outdoor TV to put next to my built in BBQ. Add some throw pillows and your done. Times have changed.

Just Garden!

I love the argument about whether food produced from gardening is free, inexpensive, or expensive. Really, what does it matter if you enjoy doing it? No, Alice Waters is wrong, food supplied from The White House Garden or any other garden is not free. I am quite sure when all is said and done the food from the White House garden will be very expensive. Can you you imagine all the associated costs with having a garden in a place like that? Like any hobby you can spend as much or little as you want. George Ball will gladly explain how a garden produces much more in food than the costs associated with gardening.  I don't like the idea of using the costs involved with gardening, low or high, to induce people to garden. Can you save money gardening as opposed to shopping at the grocery store? Sure, after you have developed the garden over a period of years.  There is no way you can grow vegetables here in the foothills of The Sierra without a certain amount of work and money to get the granite to give back. Now after the soil has been conditioned, or raised beds put in, the costs can drop dramatically. But free? Never.

This is the argument the small farmer has been fighting for years. Ask any small organic farmer if growing food is free. I am a small farmer and can assure you growing food is not free. We work six and seven days a week, sometimes ten hours a day. I haven't had a vacation since I don't know when. This is what bugs me about the gushing going on with the current gardening scene. Telling people that gardening will save them money is not the first argument I would make. Peace of mind, exercise, being outdoors, fantastic tasting, healthy food, etc. are some of the reasons to garden.

I, as a small nursery owner love the fact that gardening is "in". Our sales are up and I feel much better about the year before us, than I did before Christmas. I actually like the fact that there is all this talk going on concerning costs associated with gardening. The blogosphere hashes these things out, people take sides, and we move on. All this attention is great for the small farmer and nursery.

I think Doug Green summed it up well.  "Not only do we now have breathless prose for Victory Gardening, we also have the pundits arguing about how much it costs to actually have a vegetable garden. Good grief." Like Doug, I remember the last time we had this type of hype in the 70's. " The last time this kind of 'debate' raged was back in the 70’s when we all knew it was tongue-in-cheek to cost out the roto-tiller, the fencing, the nanny to watch over the kids, the 4×4 to haul the produce to market etc etc etc. And equally spurious is bragging about how much money you saved on your garden."

Gardening has been around forever. Forget about what you will save on food by growing your own. What is more important is you will be growing healthy, great tasting food.  You'll have the satisfaction of having done it yourself. That's it!

And that's enough.