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With food prices going up and up here in Utah and around the world, some people are using gardens to combat rising food prices and to provide healthy food. Here at NS growing healthy produce is also a money saving tradition for many.
Lynden Howcroft, a freshman here at NS, got into gardening because of her grandparents.
“I would always go over to their place to help them with [their garden],” Howcroft said.
Gracie Kjar also got into gardening because of her grandparents. She gardens with them at their home. She fondly recalls her grandfather teaching her how to garden.
“I just really love spending my time with my grandpa,” Kjar said.
Kjar and her grandparents pick what they grow by what they eat the most.
“The top thing we have most of is potatoes. We really love potatoes,” Kjar said.
Making sure the plants have the right amount of water and the right amount of sunlight are necessities with gardening. Agriculture teacher Jens Andreason says some plants need more sun and water than others.
“Every plant has a certain water requirement. Some use a lot more than others,” Andreason said.
Recently gardens have had to adapt to the changing climate. An increase in heat and water shortages have created problems for some.
Andereason encouraged the use of an artificial shade to combat the rising temperatures. Others are also seeing the effects of water shortages on their garden. Howcroft said her family has to sometimes use house water to keep her garden healthy, and Kjar says her garden is about three quarters of its normal size.
Kjar mentioned that bugs could be a problem as well.
“You have to watch out for bugs. You never know what they’re gonna eat,” Kjar said.
Kjar isn’t the only one. Howcroft also experienced problems with bugs. Neither of them have any pumpkins this year thanks to these bugs.
Andreason suggested a unique solution to bugs in gardens.
“If you shy away from pesticides at all, ducks are a really good thing to have in your garden cause they will eat the bugs while leaving alone your crop,” Andreason said.
“Anybody can [garden]…. You can have a garden with as small a space or as large a space as you’ve got available,” Andreason said.
