KELOWNA–Kelowna Community Gardens has 16 gardens with a total of 500 plots – and more than 200 interested people.
Society President Ruth Mellor says people want to have the gardening experience.
“Also we don’t use pesticides or herbicides,” says Mellor. “They know what’s in their food.”
The manager of Buckerfields Supply Store in Kelowna. He says sales of seeds are up 40 per cent from last year.
“I think a lot of it has to do with people wanting to grow their own vegetables, with the high cost of produce you find in the stores,” says Jeff Cameron. “This year is the continuation of the drought in California and Arizona and Mexico, the U.S. dollar is driving prices up, and I think people are really switching to growing their own,” says Cameron.
According to the Canadian Price index, the cost of fresh vegetables rose 17 per cent between February 2015 and February 2016.
Curtis Stone says the market is ripe for local producers to make money on growing vegetables.
He calls himself an “Urban Farmer”, and has recently written a book about how others can get into the business.
Instead of a lawn, all the available space around his home is used for growing vegetables. He even rents space from his neighbours.
He sells produce to about 20 of Kelowna’s best restaurants.
“There’s going to come a time very soon where the local farmers will be able to compete, even with the conventional food you find in the grocery store, and it will be organic,” says Stone.
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