More people in Lethbridge are growing their own food as grocery costs continue to rise: garden retailer

As grocery prices continue to rise, an idea for a simple solution is being planted in the minds of many: growing fresh food instead of purchasing it.

And one Lethbridge organization in particular is hoping to help educate the public on how cost-effective doing it yourself can really be.

“The costs definitely do weigh out, and you get a lot more bang for your buck with gardening,” says Rechele Korbie, the summer program co-ordinator with Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The costs definitely do weigh out, and you get a lot more bang for your buck with gardening," says Rechele Korbie, the summer program co-ordinator with Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank.

“So we really use that to emphasize food sustainability and food security within our community.”

With a community garden of their own, Korbie says the Interfaith Food Bank grew more than 800 pounds of food last year and have already produced more than 100 pounds so far this year.

With their learning garden successfully flourishing throughout the summer months, the organization is using its fresh produce to promote healthy living on a budget families can afford.

“It does help people feel more food secure and it instills a sense of confidence in them about the food they’re growing,” Korbie says.

“So they don’t have to wonder, ‘Oh, I have to get this from the grocery store and spend all of this money to try and feed my family.'”

With the unpredictable seasons and unforeseen developments such as gas prices and truck driver shortages threatening grocery store prices across the province, growing your own food is a solution many residents appear to have already turned to.

“There just seems to be a constant increase in people looking and deciding to start out with their vegetable seeds,” says Karen Barby, owner of the Green Haven Garden Centre. “And they’re excited to plant them. We’re seeing a huge trend in the vegetables and the plants that we sell.”

As various problems continue to plague the market, they are also prompting store owners within the city to source more local produce and help lower consumer costs.

“We’re local and independent,” says David Gurr, general manager of London road Market. “We can buy from a lot of the local Hutterite colonies from around town to really minimize that inflation on gas prices.”

Korbie says another benefit to growing your own food is it offers security that your products are free from harmful chemicals and pesticides.