Gardens grow in tough times

TASHA JOHNSON - FOR THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

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Bare soil is getting to be a hot commodity.

"Initially I think it's a budget thing," says Shannon Maris, treasurer of the local group Food Not Lawns. "Gardening is one quick way to save."

The response this year in particular has amazed Maris.

DONATE EXCESS PRODUCE TO FOOD BANK
Many homeowners find that their gardening ambitions have a downside - too much produce for their families to consume.
Rather than toss the excess into the compost, donate it to the Bellingham Food Bank. They have a program nicknamed "The Victory Garden" (based on the World War II practice) where people can bring their extra garden-grown produce to the bank. Donations should be taken to the back door.
Who: Bellingham Food Bank
Where: 1824 Ellis St., 676-0392
When: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
May's plant picks

"There has been a huge demand for it. I can't even keep up with it."

It's a trend that often emerges during hard economic times: People turn to their gardens. And if they don't have yards, they seek soil elsewhere. The demand in Bellingham is so great that well before Whatcom County's first frost-free date, all three of the city's community garden plots were rented.

Recognizing the demand, Food Not Lawns, Sustainable Bellingham and Forest Garden came together to form Getting Gardens in the Hands of the People. "Mainly we're trying to work from two sides of the fence," says Maris. "We have people who have gardens and we have people who want to garden." The dream of the so-called "garden share" program is to link people with nearby land and stimulate more locally grown food.

HOMEGROWN FOOD

"Any time there's a recession, we certainly see a lot more people thinking about planting berry bushes and fruit trees," says Terry Maczuga, nursery manager at Cloud Mountain Farm in Everson.

Blueberries may be the most economical choice. Not only do they integrate easily into the landscape, says Maczuga, but "they are probably one of the most problem-free fruits."

Strawberries and raspberries are also great choices for gardeners who want to grow a lot of fruit at home. "If you do it right," says Maczuga, "you'll get a crop your first year. People really like that instant gratification."

ANYONE CAN GARDEN

For self-described novice gardeners Alana, 30, and Ashton Mey, 29, building a vegetable garden from scratch started out as a means to improve the look of their new home's front yard. The couple ambitiously built several raised beds. After a year of trial and error, they were hooked.

Now in their second year, the Meys have expanded - adding two more raised beds to their Bellingham yard. They've even been able to let garden-hungry friends across town use some of their extra space.

"We're so new, I'm not sure we're seeing money yet. But eventually it would be nice," says Alana. "We're trying new things, trying new plants."

"It's a pretty decent learning curve," adds Ashton.

START SMALL

"The best way to curve your learning is to get started," says Maris. "Start small and start with something manageable."

Maris says the community is full of experienced gardeners who are "more than willing to help" and act as mentors.

For those who are just testing the waters, Maczuga recommends starting with a potted herb garden or easy-to-grow veggies. In general, Maczuga is hesitant to recommend fruit trees as an economical choice. "With fruit trees, you really have to take care of them," she says. "It takes a lot of work to get good quality fruit."

Instead, Maczuga suggests novices start with a small salad-greens patch. "It's the easiest way to dip your toes into gardening," she says. Salad greens don't require full sun all day and they don't require a lot of space - "you can even grow lettuce in big pots," says Maczuga.

Lettuce starts run about $2.50 for a pack of six. Compare that to about $1 for a single head of lettuce at the grocery store and it's easy to see the savings. Staggering lettuce plantings by a few weeks ensures fresh lettuce throughout the summer months.

URBAN GARDENER

Carl Johnson doesn't let the size of his yard or his zip code dictate the nature of his garden. He bought his home in the Columbia neighborhood seven years ago and has since set about growing just about every edible available.

His exhaustive list of fruits, vegetables and herbs makes it hard to believe he lives on an average-sized plot just a few miles from downtown Bellingham.

In addition to a robust herb garden, Johnson's vegetable beds cover the gamut of the produce section at most grocery stores. And then there are the fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, figs, apples, pie cherries and plums. He'll grow pumpkins for carving and for homemade pies, muffins and breads, and he grows sweet basil to make pesto through the winter. He even trained a row of wine grapes along the side of his home in lieu of a fence.

"I've just always gardened," says Johnson, 46, who lives with his wife, Joanne Decker, 44, and their son Bryce, 8.

"I like having fresh vegetables," says Johnson. "And I like being able to give them away. I feel like lawn is not very productive."

Although they still buy some produce at the store - celery and summer corn, for example - the majority of the family's produce is grown at home. "We save maybe $20 a week on produce," he says. "In the summertime we really don't have to buy anything."

But having a large garden isn't about saving money for Johnson. In fact, he's sure that his garden has expanded so much that the labor time far exceeds any straight savings. "I put in more than an hour a week," he explained, so money-wise "it probably doesn't in itself justify it."

The real value in his labor is not savings. Working in the garden has been therapeutic for Johnson, who suffered severe migraine headaches for 14 years before he was diagnosed with glaucoma. During that time, "gardening was the therapy for me," he says. "I would get these big headaches and then I'd go out in the yard and they'd go away."

Now the headaches are gone, but Johnson's insatiable love for gardening remains. "It's still a stress-easer."