by Greg Draiss

Created on: November 10, 2008

The New Gardening Economy

It amazes me how the necessities of long ago are now the luxuries of today. Take wooden boats for instance. Once the necessity of the fishing trade a wooden boat is today a luxury.

Gardening is no different. And that is what makes it a great business to be in. Gardening is recession proof or so it should be. You see almost everyone likes a garden. And there are times when everyone can use a garden.

The only things that change in the garden are the plant varieties and the reasoning behind what goes into a garden. During times of fast growth and economic expansion gardens are filled with colorful trendy new plants or tough to find traditional heirlooms. However the trendy new kinds and heirlooms are often of the decorative kind not the edible kind when the economy is in high gear.

Today with $4 for a gallon gas looming on the horizon along with $3 for a dozen eggs what will be in your garden this year? Trendy heirloom flowers or tomatoes? If you are really tired of high food prices and the cost of fuel just to go to the market why not fight back?

I wonder if we really are the resourceful Americans we used to be. Merck and company have not run any ads lately for a new magic pill that can miraculously increase gas mileage, lower oil prices and bring down the cost of corn. They don't have a magic pill. But I have a magic bag of seeds that will save gas and lower your food bill!

Remember the Victory Garden? Plant your own garden and help the US win the war. That was the cry of World War Two. Everyone was encouraged to plant a garden in their back yards to help the US food supply be able to feed soldiers overseas. The resourcefulness that defined this country from its humble beginnings was evidenced in our ability to rise up at any cost and head off any problem facing this great nation.

But did we give that all up in favor of the fountain of youth in the form of a magic pill? It seems that may be the case if one has watched the infomercials on all the new HDTV channels. A major television station in Albany has given up morning news on the weekends in favor of infomercials. Their digital channel is all infomercials for half the morning and most of the night. Many of these infomercials tout magic pills that help you lose weight, clean your clock, and pay off your debt.

But they don't have a magic pill that will save gas and lower the cost of food.

I DO!

I do not intend on selling you a magic bean stalk. I intend to sell you on gardening. A garden full

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