Gardening Less, 2007 Farm Bill Online, Online Sales

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The industry that brings us our glorious gardens is worried that we are going to abandon them. Sales at garden and lawn retailers totaled $34.07 billion last year, down nearly 15 percent from 2002's peak of $39.6 billion.
One publication said that arthritic 50-year-olds are throwing down their trowels and that the younger Generation X and Y will never garden.
Well, maybe that's true of some but not of me nor my plant enthusiastic friends. We seem to buying at our usual rate, if not more.
Anyway the industry wonders what they can do to encourage us to buy more.
Any thoughts? Comment here or send me an email at mollyday1@gmail.com.

Photos: Two iris blooms from my yard

Papa Geno's, located in rural Lancaster County, Nebraska is having an iris sale until the end of July.
Breck's is having a sale on bulbs for all seasons of bloom - from iris to stargazer lilies. You could get together with a friend or three and order enough to get free shipping.


Gardener's Supply, the purveyor of all things for the yard, usually has stuff on sale and right now they have a 'the season is ending soon' set of products like pots, plant markers and pond maintenance.

The 2007 Farm Bill - full text online
. . . makes investments in conservation, nutrition and renewable energy. Highlights of the bill (H.R. 2419) include: more than $1.6 billion to support the fruit and vegetable industry; a new section for horticulture and organic agriculture that includes nutrition, research, pest management and trade promotion programs; strengthening payment limits to ensure that people making more than $1 million a year can't collect conservation and farm program payments and closing loopholes that allow people to avoid payment limits by receiving money through multiple business units; cutting federal payment rates to crop insurance companies that are making record profits due to higher crop prices; and new investments in conservation programs such as Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Environmental Quality Incentive Program and Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.
(This summary appeared in "Weekly Nursery and Management" email newsletter.)


IN OUR GARDEN
We are picking blackberries twice a week now. They are thinning out but it's been a great harvest. We made jam today to remind us of summer next winter.

Keep growing and stay in touch.

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