Home Gardening Is Growing Biz
Hard economic times are acting like instant fertilizer on an industry that had been growing slowly: home vegetable gardening.
Amid the Washington talk of “shovel-ready” recession projects, it appears few projects are more shovel-ready than backyard gardens.
Veggie seed sales are up double-digits at the nation’s biggest seed sellers this year.
What’s more, the number of homes growing vegetables will jump more than 40% this year compared with just two years ago, projects the National Gardening Association, a non-profit organization for gardening education.
At W. Atlee Burpee, the world’s largest seed company, seed sales will jump 25% this year, Chairman George Ball estimates. “It’s weird to have everyone else you talk to experiencing plunging markets. We’re on a roll.”
Burpee recently rolled out the “Money Garden,” a value bundle of tomato, bean, red pepper, carrot, lettuce and snap pea seeds sold online. With a separate retail value of $20, the pack sells for $10, and under the right conditions, Burpee claims, can produce $650 worth of veggies.
Photo by woodsy.
From Business Opportunities Weblog.
Original post by Rich Whittle