Spurred on by both the growing local sustainability movement and the current economic downturn, home gardens have been springing up all across the country. However, new gardeners find growing their own produce is not as easy as it may seem.
"First-timers typically overlook fundamentals like light, good soil, planting time and proper spacing between plants. Also, "a lot of young people are kind of curious but don't know the time commitment," says Jon Traunfeld, a senior agent with the University of Maryland's Extension service, which assists gardeners in communities statewide. Mr. Traunfeld, who specializes in fruits and vegetables, says the service was hammered with questions, logging in 1,963 phone calls and emails last year, up 47% from the year before.
The city of Baltimore replaced its flower beds in front of city hall with vegetables last year. The goal, says designer Angela Treadwell-Palmer, was to show that vegetable gardens could be attractive and to grow harvests to donate to a local soup kitchen. But the local charity reported that some crops�particularly beets, kohlrabi and eggplant�weren't appetizing to people.
So this year, Ms. Treadwell-Palmer is redesigning the garden to grow bigger yields of fewer crops like cabbage, kale and collard greens. The garden will also have a less-fussy, more minimalist look. And in the spring, at least, not all the beds will be vegetable plots, leaving room for some tulips�and more time for gardeners to breathe. "It was hard work," she says."
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