Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992 TAG: 9203130267
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN PAGE: L&G-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Because of the hard economic times, many homeowners want to grow their own food in hopes of saving on their food bills.
Kent Agnew is a man who knows about that.
"In a recession more people are planting gardens," he said.
Agnew is owner of Agnew Seed, a store on the Roanoke City Market that is one of the area's oldest businesses, dating to 1897.
Agnew said he has seen an increase in gardening interest, which he attributes to tough times.
The question is: "Can a homeowner save enough through vegetable growing to make it worthwhile?"
John Arborgast, Virginia Tech extension agent in Roanoke, says the home gardener can save, especially if some of the crop is preserved through canning or freezing. And a homeowner should have a garden in spring, summer and fall for the greatest return.
"But some gardeners don't want to go to that much work," he said.
Also, he said, the savings will depend on the size of the garden and the amount the gardener spends on seeds, seedlings, fertilizer and other necessities.
But money can be saved, even by planting one tomato plant, he said. The crop that one plant produces will be that much a homeowner will not have to buy.
However, the inexperienced gardener might be baffled by what to plant. Beans, says Agnew, are the best place to start.
"String beans are extremely popular," he said. "I sell more string beans than any other single item."
Several dozen varieties of beans are available, and Agnew said all that he carries do well in the Southwest Virginia climate.
Peas and tomatoes also are popular items. Peas, along with the various greens, can be planted early to provide a spring crop. Tomatoes and beans come later in the summer.
And in the fall, greens can be planted again to produce an early crop the next spring, according to Barry Corswandt, who operates a garden shop on the Roanoke City Market.
"The seeds will overwinter in the soil and grow in the spring," he said. "Most are real hardy."
Most home garden plots are relatively small and some crops require a fairly large area, corn and potatoes among them.
But many can be grown in a small space, even as small as flower border-size.
Tomatoes also are a popular item to plant, and along with beans, are suitable for the small home garden.
Squash is another popular item, both the summer and winter types.
Peas are easy to grow and reasonably pest free, but the standard green peas must be shelled and when the shelling is finished, the pile of shells will be bigger than the pile of edible peas.
To avoid this, gardeners may want to try what is called the snap pea or sugar pea, a variety that does not require shelling. The whole pod is eaten, raw or cooked.
Onions, carrots and radishes also are good home garden crops. But there is one thing gardeners need to watch out for this year especially: pests.
"We've had a warm winter so we can expect more insects this year," Agnew said. "A cold winter will kill a certain number of insects."
There was a warm winter last year, too, Agnew said, and gardeners experienced more than the usual number of insects last summer.
But insects and diseases can be taken care of with an array of sprays and powders available at garden shops.
Arborgast said two of the more popular ones are the chemicals Sevin and malathion.
But, Arborgast said, many people are turning to organic methods to control insects and diseases. Those are available in most garden shops too.
Gardeners who need to go into pest management in a big way can buy a thick "Pest Management Guide" from Virginia Tech for $11. It can be ordered through extension service offices.
Loose, well-drained soil is needed to successfully grow vegetables, and it is better to plant onion sets rather than seeds. The insect problem is less when onion sets are planted.
Another way to save money is through homemade soil conditioners and fertilizer.
Arborgast said this can be done by making compost, which many gardeners do. A sunny spot where an area about 4 feet square enclosed in chicken wire wrapped around four posts is all that's needed. Any sort of small mesh wire will do.
Into the enclosure put all yard refuse - grass clippings and leaves along with a little soil and a spot of 10-10-10 fertilizer. Some manure would help it along, too, if that's available, he said.
The resulting material can be dug into soil as a conditioner or used around plants or between rows as a mulch.
Any extension service office and most gardening books can supply complete instructions on composting.
by CNB