Backyard gardens save money and health

A package of cucumber seeds for pocket change could yield pounds of cucumbers that would cost more than the toll to get to Canada. So, it's not exactly science... it's horticulture! Your garden will save you money and it doesn't hurt to get a few green things in your diet - especially if they come out of your own garden.

Excerpt:

"I know it saves me money when you compare it to the price of produce in the store," said Tracy Parrish of the vegetable and herb garden she plants every spring in her Ferndale yard. "When you grow it at home you can just go outside and get it for free."

Garden advocates have dubbed the renewed green-thumb movement "recession gardens" and the trend -- part self-sufficiency, part health-consciousness -- has even reached the White House where last month first lady Michelle Obama unearthed a grassy patch of the south lawn to start a fruit and vegetable garden for the first time since the Roosevelt administration.

"Growing vegetables at home has never been easier. Plants can be grown in the ground or in containers. There are many products on the market that can be used if you don't have space or enough sun in the ground," said Jennifer Youngquest, marketing manager with locally based English Gardens florist and garden center. The company, with seven area outlets, has seen double-digit seed sale increases, she added.

Read the entire article here.

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