Really, really local produce

Guest blogger Lance Jungmeyer here ...

High fuel prices this year have a lot of retailers scrambling to put together local or regional supply contracts for typical summer vegetables.

This is sure to gain traction among many consumers.

However, demand for vegetables in general may be down from previous years, if a new survey is any indication.

According to this New York Times article, gardeners have been scooping up vegetable seeds at a historic rate.

George C. Ball Jr., owner of the W. Atlee Burpee Company, said sales of vegetable and herb seeds and plants are up by 40 percent over last year, double the annual growth for the last five years. “You don’t see this kind of thing but once in a career,” he said. Mr. Ball offers half a dozen reasons for the phenomenon, some of which have been building for the last few years, like taste, health and food safety, plus concern, especially among young people, about global warming. But, Mr. Ball said, “The big one is the price spike.”

The striking rise in the cost of staples like bread and milk has been accompanied by increases in the price of fruits and vegetables.

“Food prices have spiked because of fuel prices and they redounded to the benefit of the garden,” Mr. Ball said. “People are driving less, taking fewer vacations, so there is more time to garden.”

Another aspect of the NYT article should give vegetable marketers pause.

Each spring for the last five years, the Garden Writers Association has had TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, a polling firm, conduct a national consumer telephone survey asking gardeners what makes up the greatest share of their garden budgets. “The historic priorities are lawns, annuals, perennials, then vegetables, followed by trees and shrubs,” said Robert LaGasse, executive director of the association. This year, vegetables went from fourth place to second.

Supermarkets probably won't feel a huge decline in vegetable sales, but there's a distinct possibility of somewhat lower sales come July and August, when many summer vegetables are harvested. This happens every year, but perhaps it will be more pronounced this year.

Personally, I expanded my garden this year. We have red, white and yellow onions, zuchini squash, four kinds of tomatoes, three kinds of peppers, three kinds of cucumbers, strawberries and various herbs.