Sprout savings in backyards

Vegetable gardens are red hot right now.

At the White House, the Obamas have broken ground on a vegetable plot. Everyone is anxious to save money these days, and vegetable gardens are a great investment – especially during a recession. According to the National Gardening Association, a $70 investment in home food gardening can deliver a $600 return in vegetables. An added plus: pulling weeds is free exercise, so you can put your gym membership on hold for a few months.

Liz McCarron, a member of the Reading Garden Club and a master gardener, offered some tips to get started:
Make sure you have enough sun.

“Vegetables need six to eight hours of sun a day,” McCarron said. If you don’t have enough sun, consider planting tomatoes or other vegetables in a barrel with wheels. That way, you can move the barrel into the light.

Forget the expensive seed starting kit. Instead, start seeds in takeout containers with lids. Fill the empty container with seed starting mixture. Pop in the seeds, water and place the cover back on. “It will water itself,” McCarron said. “When the seeds pop out, take off the cover.”

According to Walgreens manager Lou Melanson, that store sells packs of vegetable and flower seeds three for $1, or 99 cents each. They also carry three-pound bags of Hyponex potting soil for $1.99.

If you prefer to buy seedlings, Calareso’s Farm Stand and Garden Center has flats of cold weather crops like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and assorted herbs available now. They will have more selections in mid-May when the weather is consistently warm.

McCarron has one more piece of advice for the garden-planner: “Only plant things you like to eat.” Otherwise, you will be spending your late summer giving away eggplant or summer squash, she said. Life is too short..

McCarron suggested planting your own herbs. Chives, oregano and thyme are perennials, meaning they will come up year after year.

“Herbs are so expensive in the stores, this can really save money,” said McCarron.

Get some free advice. During their spring sale in May, the Reading Garden Club has an “Ask the Master Gardener” table. Here, you can ask your burning questions about broccoli, bugs, or bargain Beefsteaks. Before or after the sale, try the Help Line at the Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association. 
Involve the kids. “Kids love to plant vegetables,” said McCarron. “And they will eat them if they can see them growing.”

Michelle Obama concurs. Although she says the White House garden will help feed the first family, she recently said that educating kids about healthy eating is an equally important goal – especially for a nation with growing rates of obesity and diabetes.

In planting a garden at the White House, the Obamas aren’t breaking new ground. Eleanor Roosevelt started a national movement when she planted a victory garden in 1943.
“The new victory garden is a recession garden,” McCarron said.