Following a national trend, Madison County residents’ interest in summer vegetable gardening has seen a steady rise since the COVID pandemic took up roots here – and around the world – early in 2020.
Nick Thompson, owner of Madison Garden Center in Madison, said the resurgence of home gardening began as a byproduct of the slowdowns and shutdowns endured by many Americans that year, as they spent more time at home.
“Thanks to the combination of COVID, the shortages of groceries, and government decisions, people have become a little nervous” about the uncertainties of possible food scarcities, he said. “That self-sustaining movement of producing your own food at home has increased. The sale of fruit trees and the increase of vegetable gardening has surely gone up.”
Along with this trend, Thompson said, more customers are asking for natural, eco-friendly, and sustainable organic products.
“Self-sustainability is very popular,” he said. “Being eco-friendly has been a consideration for years, but with more edible plants being used we have gotten even more cautious. Sales of organic soil conditioners and the Fox Farm organic potting soil have been increasing heavily the past three years, along with a lot of natural products to manage weeds, bugs, and diseases.”
In Mississippi, the most popular vegetables that summer gardeners are looking for are the “old standbys” that include tomatoes (“still the most popular”), followed by peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries, okra, peas, butterbeans, snapbeans, corn, and others. In the fall, the cool season crops of lettuce, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, and radishes are favorites, Thompson said.
Trending among newer items for today’s gardens are nasturtiums and pansies, “the most popular edible flowers,” Thompson said. The biggest new differences in herbs and vegetables, he said, are that there are more improved varieties that allow better production and pest and disease control.
“The actual selection has not changed much, but we are offering a lot more varieties,” he noted.
Culinary and aromatherapy herbs continue to be in demand, with rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil topping the list, Thompson said. “They have also been on the increase the last three years.”
Trending in herb production is the preference of many gardeners to grow herbs separately in boxes or pots just outside the kitchen door, allowing an extra level of convenience and freshness for home cooks
For those new to gardening, Thompson recommends starting with some basics.
“Okra, squash, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes are probably the best for beginners,” he said. “In the fall, greens such as kale, turnip greens, and mustard greens are the easiest. I would recommend playing with the other crops to learn. As for herbs, I would recommend whatever you want to flavor with. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano are the easiest to grow.”
All gardeners can make things a little easier by choosing vegetables that grow best in Mississippi, Thompson said. In addition to the list above, he includes cucumbers, cantaloupes, watermelons, strawberries, peas, butterbeans, snapbeans, and corn. In the fall, plant the cool season crops of lettuce, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and radishes.
Did you know that growing a pollinator garden, or just having a few attractor plants for birds, bees, and butterflies, can improve your food plant yields?
Drawing more pollinators to your garden helps ensure that all your plants, edible or not, can be fully pollinated and ready to flourish.
The growing interest in pollinator gardens “is partly because of their beauty and also for the pollinators that go from flower to flower to set the fruit in our edibles,” Thompson said. “Most of these gardens consist of perennials like salvias, coreopsis, butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, black eyed Susans, lantana and many others. We have helped a lot of customers with the design and selections of these plants, and we will also mix in some annuals here and there.”
Mimi Martinson, owner of Martinson’s Garden Works in Ridgeland, confirms that the pandemic has indeed created a ripple effect of customers just now developing a new interest in home gardening.
“It has definitely increased the number of gardeners seeking to grow their own food,” she said. “Growing your own food provides two important components: it develops a feeling of the self-sufficiency that previous generations understood, and it is also a great family activity for all ages.”
But not all gardens have to be alike, Martinson says, noting that there is a plethora of options now for how you approach vegetable gardening. Below, she highlights some of the biggest trending options that can free you from the traditional plot in your backyard that demands a sunny spot, constant weeding, and a pair of sturdy knees.
Popular materials for containers include wood, terracotta, clay, stone, resin, plastic, and metals. You may even want to recycle objects in your home, as you can get creative and turn them into colorful and functional receptacles.
When choosing the size of containers you will need, Martinson advises that you first make sure each container or pot is a good fit for what you’d like to plant. Get creative with colors and textures when pairing two or three plants into one large container, and make sure the water, sunlight and soil requirements are similar. Mixing vegetable plants with fruits and/or herbs in the same pot is also a fun idea, but be careful of overcrowding.
For interesting visuals, place containers of varying heights, colors, and textures together. As the plants grow, they’ll take on different looks and you can spread them apart as you wish.
Experience the joy of gardening this spring or summer, even if time or resources limit you to a few favorite herbs, a couple of tomato plants, or maybe a small plot of pollinator attractors to bring bees, birds, and butterflies to your outdoorsy spot.
Whatever level of gardening you may take up this season, you’ll be surprised how much you’ll enjoy watching your plants grow and change throughout this spring and summer – and it just may cultivate a lifetime interest as it continues to grow on you!
