Interest in gardening is sprouting this spring

By CATHY DYSON

Ray Pollock hadn't gardened in 25 years, so when he decided to bring back broccoli and beets, he gave them prime real estate.

"People will see this and say, 'Oh, I'm gonna put a garden in my front yard, too,'" joked the Stafford County resident. "I'm setting the standard here."

There's a practical reason Pollock put his 10-by 12-foot plot in front of his Clearview Heights home. There's too much shade in the back to grow onions, radishes, lettuce and beans.

Folks with the Stafford Victory Gardens project love what the 72-year-old has done with his yard.

They're encouraging people to grow what they eat, just as Americans planted Victory Gardens during World Wars I and II to offset food shortages.

"People are feeling the pinch and they're responding to that," said Art Hart, a Stafford man who came up with the idea with fellow resident Bobby Crisp. "They just want to grow their own food. They like it, it's fresher and they know what's in it."

The Stafford group offers a special incentive for seniors. For $10, volunteers will survey an older resident's yard, till the soil and add up to 40 pounds of fertilizer.

More than 20 Stafford seniors have gotten gardens growing with Hart's help.

"I think this reunites us with the past and brings back, maybe, what we did growing up," said Shirley Hardisty of Falmouth. "It's a feeling of satisfaction."

She hopes to preserve enough tomatoes to be able to make homemade spaghetti sauce and chili all year.

Across the Fredericksburg region and the nation, interest in gardening is sprouting this spring. An estimated 43 million households in America are expected to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs this season, according to the National Gardening Association in Vermont.

The number is up almost 20 percent from last year. Local officials believe the increase is not just because of rising prices or the threat of contaminated food.

"People need to do something so they feel like they're in control again," said Diane Beyer, director of the Tri-County/City Soil and Water Conservation District.

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FREDERICKSBURG: Downtown Greens Community Garden has several acres of organic gardens open to the public. 540/371-7315 or downtowngreens@verizon.net.

A Liberty Garden plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 25 at the Tri-County/City Soil and Water Conservation District office, 1802 Augustine Ave. Call 540/656-2401. The agency also plans a demonstration garden at its office.

STAFFORD: Seniors can have gardens tilled by volunteers for a $10 donation. Call 540/286-3676 or 540/371-9235.

Demonstration gardens will be planted at Belmont and at the Rowser Building on U.S. 1.

Details are being worked out on a community garden, at the YMCA site on Mountain View Road next to the Gardens of Stafford apartment building. Plots would be available to apartment residents and others in the area. Call 540/371-9235.

SPOTSYLVANIA: A Master Gardener is available to answer questions at the Virginia Cooperative Extension office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 540/507-7572.

Starting April 25, Master Gardeners will hold a plant clinic each Saturday at the Spotsylvania Farmers Market at the commuter parking lot off Gordon Road.

KING GEORGE: Virginia Cooperative Extension plans a program on container gardening at 6 p.m. April 28. Call 540/775-3062 to register and for directions.

CAROLINE: The county has a community garden at the old landfill in Bowling Green. There's access to water, and plots are available. Call Beth Jimenez at 804/633-6550.

Gardeners in the Fredericksburg area offer the following tips: START SMALL: Plant a few things you like, see how they do and go from there. CONTROL soil conditions by using containers, such as buckets or raised beds. Fill with potting soil or other rich dirt, add nutrients and water as needed. INFORMATION is available by the bushel online. Local sources include:

staffordvictorygardens.org

Tri-County/City Soil & Water Conservation District: tccswcd.vaswcd.org

Virginia Cooperative Extension: Go to ext.vt.edu and type "gardening" in search box.

Master Garden Association of the Central Rappahannock Area: mgacra.org

GARDENS: 36 million in 2008, a third of all households in America THIS YEAR: 43 million households plan to plant food. One in five has never gardened before. AVERAGE SPENT: $70 per home in 2008 WHY? A third of gardeners said the recession motivated them to grow their own. Main reasons to garden: for better, safer food and to save money. FAVORITES: tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet peppers

--National Gardening Association

Date published: 4/18/2009

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