RHINELANDER - As people search for ways to pinch their pennies during this recession, there's a trend growing around the nation.

Newswatch 12's James Fillmore spoke to some local gardeners to find out why many people are getting in touch with the Earth.

The National Gardening Association predicts 43 million Americans will grow their own produce in a garden this year.

Douglas Jacobson is a gardener in Rhinelander, and he says, "That's probably because they're looking for good food, fresh food, and home grown food. They can do it themselves, and if they can save a few dollars by doing it, and not have to run to the grocery store to buy it, why, I think they'll be happy doing it."

A local gardener says, on average, two dollars worth of seed packets can yield 100 dollars worth of produce.

Moria King lives in Rhinelander, and she's been gardening for 5 years.

She says in three months, she saved 34 percent on her family's grocery bill.

King says, "I can teach my children a skill that they can use later on in life. I also enjoy the fact that I can feed my children nutritious food."

Two bags of prepackaged spinach can cost over six dollars from a store, while King says it only costs her 37 cents per pound to grow her own spinach, but she says saving money isn't the only perk.

King adds, "We plant the garden together, we tend it together, we weed it together, and sometimes we even pick a night and our dinner is out in the garden.

Gardeners say growing your own garden not only helps you save some green, but it also helps you live a greener life.

King says, "It takes about ten calories of fossil fuel to produce one calorie of food, with a conventional system. When you garden at your own home you are significantly reducing your carbon footprint."

Jacobson says if you're thinking about gardening, make sure you know what you're getting into; it takes a lot of dedication to keep up on the weeds.




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