Demand for seedlings to grow rises as fresh food prices bite
Demand for seedlings to grow rises as fresh food prices bite
Demand for fruit and vegetable seedlings is surging as people try to save on their grocery bills, according to a nursery in Ballarat.
Key points:
A Ballarat nursery says it's seedling sales are increasing as locals look to plant their own home gardens
High fruit and vegetable prices are expected to continue for months
Not-for-profit organisations are running fresh food initiatives to keep produce accessible for all
Take a wander down the fresh produce aisle of any major supermarket right now and you will see heads of iceberg lettuce going for an average of $6 — than double the price than just a few weeks ago.
Tomatoes, too, have emerged a new luxury item, costing more than $10 a kilogram in many stores.
Fed up with soaring prices of once-affordable staples, a growing number of people are looking to grow their own home gardens.
Formosa Gardens Nursery is a family-run business that has been operating in Ballarat for 45 years.
Its director Katie Wright said vegetable and herb seedling punnets sales have been rising over the past few weeks.
The lettuce shelf looking almost bare at a major supermarkets in Ballarat this week.(ABC Ballarat: Laura Mayers )
"Demand has definitely increased. People are looking to do their own growing to save some dollars at home," Ms Wright said.
Budget pressures sprout initiatives
The Food is Free Laneway is seeing around 100 visitors each day.(Supplied: Food is Free Inc.)
Lou Ridsdale established the charity Food is Free Inc in 2014 to boost food security and education in the community.
One of the non-for-profit's raft of initiatives is the Food is Free Laneway on Ripon Street which offers the community the chance to pick up free volunteer-grown produce and seeds and learn about how to grow their own.
"We have lots of educational signage so that people can read and learn what they need to grow at certain times of the year," Ms Ridsdale said.
Ms Ridsdale said over the last couple of months foot traffic at the laneway has grown "exponentially".
Fellow non-for-profit Ballarat Community Garden has adopted one of Ms Ridsdale's initiatives by creating a complimentary food table outside the gates of its Ballarat East location.
The organisation's president Sheilagh Kentish said the community had been respectful of the system so far, only taking what they needed.
Food is Free Inc. has inspired Ballarat Community Garden to set up its own produce table.(Supplied)
In anticipation of produce prices remaining high, Ms Kentish said the group was planting produce such as rhubarb and silverbeet outside the garden gates for non-members.
There are also plans to expand their educational offering for home gardeners.
"We're gearing ourselves up for more workshops and helping people grow in their own backyard," Ms Kentish said.
Demand for fruit and vegetable seedlings is surging as people try to save on their grocery bills, according to a nursery in Ballarat.
Key points:
A Ballarat nursery says it's seedling sales are increasing as locals look to plant their own home gardens
High fruit and vegetable prices are expected to continue for months
Not-for-profit organisations are running fresh food initiatives to keep produce accessible for all
Take a wander down the fresh produce aisle of any major supermarket right now and you will see heads of iceberg lettuce going for an average of $6 — than double the price than just a few weeks ago.
Tomatoes, too, have emerged a new luxury item, costing more than $10 a kilogram in many stores.
Fed up with soaring prices of once-affordable staples, a growing number of people are looking to grow their own home gardens.
Formosa Gardens Nursery is a family-run business that has been operating in Ballarat for 45 years.
Its director Katie Wright said vegetable and herb seedling punnets sales have been rising over the past few weeks.
The lettuce shelf looking almost bare at a major supermarkets in Ballarat this week.(ABC Ballarat: Laura Mayers )
"Demand has definitely increased. People are looking to do their own growing to save some dollars at home," Ms Wright said.
Budget pressures sprout initiatives
The Food is Free Laneway is seeing around 100 visitors each day.(Supplied: Food is Free Inc.)
Lou Ridsdale established the charity Food is Free Inc in 2014 to boost food security and education in the community.
One of the non-for-profit's raft of initiatives is the Food is Free Laneway on Ripon Street which offers the community the chance to pick up free volunteer-grown produce and seeds and learn about how to grow their own.
"We have lots of educational signage so that people can read and learn what they need to grow at certain times of the year," Ms Ridsdale said.
Ms Ridsdale said over the last couple of months foot traffic at the laneway has grown "exponentially".
Fellow non-for-profit Ballarat Community Garden has adopted one of Ms Ridsdale's initiatives by creating a complimentary food table outside the gates of its Ballarat East location.
The organisation's president Sheilagh Kentish said the community had been respectful of the system so far, only taking what they needed.
Food is Free Inc. has inspired Ballarat Community Garden to set up its own produce table.(Supplied)
In anticipation of produce prices remaining high, Ms Kentish said the group was planting produce such as rhubarb and silverbeet outside the garden gates for non-members.
There are also plans to expand their educational offering for home gardeners.
"We're gearing ourselves up for more workshops and helping people grow in their own backyard," Ms Kentish said.
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