Why 2009 Will Be The Year Of The Vegetable Garden

January 3, 2009 by Plangarden

Make veggie gardening with your kids a goal for 2009!

Vegetable gardening has been a part of my life every year minus a few years when I was lookin’ for Mrs. Right (and luckily found someone who also loved garden-grown veggies!) Every January, I start thinking of what I will grow or try differently for the gardening year ahead, so each year ends up with a theme.

Planning for 2009 got us thinking that it is not just about our garden any longer. It is much bigger this year. It is not what is happening in our backyard, but in backyards across the nation.

2009 is the Year of the Vegetable Garden. Here’s why (in no particular order):

The bleak economic outlook is motivating people to find ways to save money.
There is a movement to convert manicured front lawns into vegetable gardens.
Produce and food supply scares in the past decade are making us think about safety and where we want to source food.
There are people petitioning to have the US White House start a vegetable garden.
There has been an explosion of gardening conversations on Twitter.
It is now “hip” to be square … a square-foot gardener!
The world is buzzing with “green” initiatives.
People want to buy everything from apples to zucchini with an “organic” label.
People are starting to walk the walk on “food miles“.

OK, so there’s no hard data backing up my predictions. Call it conjecture from someone who has been a keen observer, but I’m excited about the prospects of more veggie gardens appearing on the planet.

So this year’s “theme” will be helping and interacting with more novice-to-experienced vegetable gardeners in getting the most out of their gardening endeavors! Please feel free to email me with questions, stalk me on Twitter or submit a question/post on our Plangarden forum.

Posted in MyGarden, Sustainability | Tagged organic, square-foot gardening, Sustainability, vegetable gardening | 14 Comments

14 Responses

on January 3, 2009 at 5:17 pm Angela (In the Cottage Garden)

I think you’re right! I love gardening and have been a flower garden lover for years, but always made my veg gardening kind of an afterthought. I’m really trying to change that, not just to help with our food budget, but because I want to be healthier, more eco-conscious, and help my son see where food comes from…and by that I don’t mean the grocery store.

Good post!

~Angela
on January 3, 2009 at 6:09 pm Plangarden

Thanks, Angela! BTW your blog totally rocks, esp. the metamorphosis pics of your garden I just sighed wistfully looking at them, knowing how much blood, sweat and tears goes into that. Ironically, we are veggie gardeners that are going to incorporate more flowers as companions to attract beneficial insects!
on January 4, 2009 at 5:18 am Sylvia Buetow

We have always had a large garden. I think my husband is a master gardener because he is a retired farmer. You are very right about the growing necessity of gardens.
Keep blogging,
Sylvia
on January 4, 2009 at 5:30 am Plangarden

Hi Sylvia,
You and hubby are so fortunate to have a large garden AND the rich experience of growing your produce. Let us know how it goes this year! We’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll have lots of snow and rain in CA.
on January 4, 2009 at 6:05 am Dana

These are great reasons.
What can I add to this list? Probably would fall under the “food miles” category.
Not only do we desire local produce, but opportunities to sell at farmers markets are increasing. The number of farmer’s markets in cities and towns has increased greatly. There is promise of a change in landscape of farming from large acreages of seed crops for livestock and processed grain products to more produce farms.

2009, the year of the vegetable business garden!
on January 4, 2009 at 6:31 am Plangarden

That’s so true. The economic benefits of growing produce have def. emerged in last few years. Many CSAs are emerging and the so-called “localvore” movement – i.e. eating foods within your local food shed – is a growing phenomenon. We’re really excited about this b/c of the sense that people’s behaviors are changing for the better: stronger sense of interdependencies within their communities and greater care for the environment! YES!
on January 4, 2009 at 7:03 am ang

Yes, 2009 is Year of the Garden. I’m excited about the resurgence in Victory Gardens and plan to do numerous posts for growing veggies in Southeast Texas along with preserving the harvest. Where are you located? I would like to add you to my blogroll so my readers can find even more information for another region.
on January 4, 2009 at 9:14 am Plangarden

That’s terrific! Victory Gardens are sorely needed in urban areas! They can be transformational as they bring people together and reinforce the need to devote more attention to our ecosystem. We’re in the San Francisco Bay Area (94018), notorious for many microclimates. Thanks, and we’ll keep an eye out for your posts, esp. harvest preserving. BTW, you can see Plangarden “Shared Gardens” in your area by entering the ZIP code under “Location” here: http://plangarden.com/share/
on January 4, 2009 at 9:33 am Leslie H

I think you hit on something in your comments … the increased opportunities with Farmer’s Markets. One will open in our small NC town this Spring. Can’t wait.

We’re something of a bedroom community for a large employment center in NC. I think that as we as consumers look at the economy in coming years, we will be reordering priorities, choosing to stay and spend our dollars more carefully closer to home. My extended hope is that this transformation in consumer behavior, in turn, encourages young people to pursue sustainable farming as a career.
on January 4, 2009 at 9:55 am Plangarden

Leslie, your hope is already becoming a reality. Here in our community, a young couple recently started a CSA and have a waiting list (! yes !) of people wishing to join it: http://tinyurl.com/7h9rnt
on January 4, 2009 at 12:19 pm kshadhavar

2009 is the year of the veggie garden for me! I actually started this past fall with a couple of hardy plants, but as the weather starts to warm, I will be expanding. I have thought about the front lawn conversion, and with the water rationing in my area right now I stopped watering it, so its pretty brown. I’ve also convinced my mom to start her own vegetable garden this year
on January 4, 2009 at 12:31 pm Plangarden

Congrats to your (and your mom’s) new gardens! We’re also keeping our fingers crossed that CA will have more snow and rain this winter. Sometimes when we rinse veggies in the sink, we dump that water in the garden. Rationing should not deter us from raising our own produce … we just have to be more creative in finding ways to manage limited resources Thanks for your comment and let us know how 2009 goes for you!
on January 4, 2009 at 12:37 pm Green Luvin'

I hope you are right!! Not only is it important for our country and health but it is important to teach our children where our food comes from. My husband and I are already planning our garden. We look forward to a bountiful summer.
on January 4, 2009 at 1:09 pm Plangarden

That’s really where it all starts – with children, esp. in this day and age. We converted our son’s old play “boat” made out of used redwood fencing into his own garden. He’s currently growing Kettleriver garlic Once our kids know what good, fresh food tastes like, they’ll be more discriminating and ecologically-aware adults! Thanks for commenting!