Gardens Continued from Page 1
of a growing number of gardeners. “We were blown away by the amount of interest” in seeds of native grasses and wildflowers, Michaels said, which Hedgerow Farms sells through a part- nership with the online seed packet company Nature’s Seed. She said the farm’s success in the home garden sec- tor could inform future cropping de- cisions as gardeners drive demand for certain species. Recent favorites among home garden- ers have been wildflowers such as lupine, clarkias and California hibiscus. Funding offered by some cities to in- centivize homeowners to replace tra- ditional grass lawns with drought-re- sistant plants has helped drive sales, Michaels said, especially of species such as slender sedge, a native grass favored for landscaping. While it might once have been fashion- able to have a gorgeous lawn, Michaels said “the new status symbol” may be to have a drought-resistant garden with pol- linator habitat. “People are thinking about what they can contribute to the world through their individual gardens and feeling more em- powered to make a difference,” she said. California seed producers such as Hedgerow Farms and American Takii, which grows its own vegetables for seed in the Salinas Valley, reported favorable growing conditions so far this year. Due to increased production costs, “we’ve seen a little bit of a contrac- tion of acreage of most crops,” Wiley of American Takii said. Like many seed companies, Takii breeds vegetables and flowers for seed in North America, Europe and Asia. When it comes to vegetables, garden- ers continue to prefer varieties with short growing seasons such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, all of which reach maturity within 90 days, Wiley said. “We have very good onion seeds,” he said, “but we don’t sell a lot into the home garden market because the typical onion has to be in the ground almost half a year.” Shepherd of Renee’s Garden noted a recent preference for vegetables such as lettuce, cucumbers and dwarf tomatoes that can be grown in small containers on a deck or patio. “People want to find toma- toes that don’t grow 6 feet,” she said. Home gardening may be a small niche within agriculture, but when it comes to consumer preferences, “I think we are a good bellwether of what’s going on,” Shepherd said. “Home gardeners are peo- ple who go to the supermarket, so you want to keep track of what is popular and what people are looking for.” Judging by this year’s seed orders, she said, grocery stores may be wise to stock up on chili peppers and Asian vegetables such as gai lan and bok choy. “International trends are strong,” Shepherd said. “In other words, bringing the world into your garden.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)
strong,” Wiley said. Seed producers and suppliers said many of the people who started gardening with- in the past few years stuck with the hobby after COVID-related stay-at-home orders were lifted. “We haven’t seemed to have lost a lot of the customers who we gained during the pandemic,” Shepherd said. “It’s just that the rapid growth rate has diminished to what it is in most years.” This year, many home gardeners are opting to grow plants that bring environ- mental benefits such as water conserva- tion or pollinator habitat. While vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers remain popular, suppliers said they have seen ris- ing demand for flowers. “Home gardeners are looking at how they can make their gardens more wel- coming to both bees and other pollinat- ing insects and birds, and just generally support wildlife,” said Shepherd, who is a director of the Home Garden Seed Association. “We’re seeing flowers make a little bit of a comeback.” Wiley said he has also observed in-
Jeff Quiter of Hedgerow Farms picks yarrow flowers in Yolo County. The native seed farm has seen strong interest from home gardeners in wildflowers and drought-resistant grass varieties.
creased demand for flowers as garden- ers gain more appreciation for the role pollinators play in cultivating a produc- tive garden. “If you don’t have a few bees visiting your flowers, your melons won’t get
pollinated and may not make a crop,” he said. “They’re good for the overall environment, and they provide benefits for other plant species, be they decorative or food crops.” Finding habitat in residential gardens can also make a difference for California’s roughly 1,600 bee species, many of which are threatened or endangered. “The good news is that we don’t need to create huge national parks to protect these pollinators,” said Julia Michaels, res- toration ecologist at Hedgerow Farms, a native seed farm in Yolo County. “You can really take a bite out of this problem just in your own garden.” For decades, Hedgerow Farms has specialized in growing large quantities of native grass and wildflower seed for land restoration projects. Last year, the farm began selling retail seed for home gardens. With its focus on habitat res- toration, the farm produces a unique range of seeds that meet the demands
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