Garden varieties

As consumers take a closer look at how their food is grown, shipped and served, the gardening world is expanding. Many are choosing to start their own fruit or vegetable garden whether it’s in a window box, container, garden plot, backyard or a larger space. From the traditional tomato to the most radical raspberry, garden centers are seeing an increased demand for edibles across the board.

“For a while, we’d take orders down 5 percent,” said Carrie Engel, retail greenhouse manager at Valley View Farms in Maryland. “About three years ago, it started building back up, primarily for edible plants.”

Even though summer crops are in the ground, there is a lot of interest in container gardening to provide fresh and tasty vegetables all year long, so it’s not too late to jump on board. Many young people are trying their hand at gardening for the first time, as are urban and suburban residents, and they’re thinking year-round.

“There is a huge number of people who have never done this before,” said Victoria Anderson, who works in the herb and vegetable department at Gethsemane Gardens & More. “They’re starting from ground zero; they don’t know anything about growing.”

Education is one of the most in-demand services when it comes to edibles. From a new interest in heirloom varieties to the basics of planting, garden center staff are answering more questions than ever on how to grow.

“There’s an enormous amount of education we’re having to do here, but we’re so happy when people are on this bent,” Anderson said.

Citrus trees
Fruit trees are becoming a hot commodity, even indoors. Citrus trees, particularly lemons and limes, are stealing the spotlight, as are some more unusual varieties like figs and olives. New types of self-fruitful trees mean growers can get the fruit they want from just one tree, and multiple graft trees are providing several varied harvests in just one season.

“Citrus trees have been huge for us this year,” Engel said. “It’s just been nice and steady and there has been good availability this year.” For the six years, USDA regulations prohibited the import of fruit trees from Florida, but garden centers are now free to import from the state and citrus trees are striking a chord with consumers. The interest in citrus has been so high that many centers now carry citrus fruits at the store and other products specifically for the citrus gardener.

“It’s not a difficult houseplant,” said Bryan Wave with Gethsemane Gardens & More. “The flowering scent does really, really well.” For an indoor grower, the scent is a big draw, especially in the winter.

As with other departments, consumers really want to know more about their plants and how to care for them, so Valley View has been holding educational seminars. “We bring in a fruit tree grower or wholesaler to talk to customers and employees,” Engel said. “Attendance goes up every year.”

Fruits and vegetables
Gardeners are looking for the ordinary and the extraordinary when it comes to fruits and vegetables. From the old standbys like tomatoes and strawberries to the more exotic like pink eggplant, golden raspberries or heirloom varieties, consumers are interested in a variety of options. Often customers are looking for something with a unique look, or something new they saw at the local farmers market.

“People are wanting to try different things,” Engel said. “If they have success with one, they’ll come back for others. Other times, they want the biggest, or the one that comes from Russia or Germany. Often it’s whatever they got at the fresh market.”

Berries in general, and pink blueberries in particular, have been a big hit this year at Valley View, and other garden centers have been taking advantage of regional interests as well. Trinidadian peppers seem to fly off the shelf in Maryland, where they are great for container gardens.

Bitter melon, a vegetable gourd, is extremely popular with the Filipino and Indian community, and sells very well at Gethsemane.

“As long as people know of something out there, they’ll give it a try,” Engel said. “Part of the strategy is to get the newest and greatest stuff to get them to try one more extra.”

Small spaces
From the community garden plot to the windowsill, urban and suburban dwellers are looking for the new ways to grow their own food. Community gardens are gaining popularity, as are small home gardens. A 2012 survey conducted by the National Gardening Association showed that 3 million new households participated in a do-it-yourself lawn and garden activity in 2011, up 3 percent from the year before.

Container gardening is on the rise as urban and suburban dwellers find ways to put a garden near them.

“Container gardening is huge,” Engel said. “We have a couple seminars and classes on that. Like any other garden center, I think our employees are into it and it gets the customer into it.”

Traditional varieties of tomatoes and peppers are great for the right size container, but strawberries are also becoming a big hitter. “Strawberries are incredibly popular with people who have children because kids love the sweetness,” Anderson said. “They’re also a really attractive plant, so they sell themselves.”

“People are always crazy about their tomatoes,” Anderson said, noting that many community gardeners stock their favorites first, and then try new varieties to fill in the space.

A good stock and helpful employees can get gardeners to try something new this season or next, whether it’s an heirloom tomato, or their first container garden.