Economic Downturn Means Boost for Tomatoes
By Michelle Fabio
One of the most popular stories to appear recently in northern California’s Red Bluff Daily News is Geoff Johnson’s piece about tomato sales booming despite the harsh economy: Economy wilts, but tomatoes bloom.
As Johnson notes, sales of fruit and vegetable plants tend to rise when the economy is faltering, and, indeed, at the local Red Bluff Garden Center, tomatoes have been the most popular plant.
Jeff Brooks, the center’s general manager, knows this trend well, seeing the same increase in tomato sales at other nurseries in the 70s and 90s. His theory is that people travel less during hard economic times and begin looking to spend more time at home—and that, for some, means gardening.
Brooks credits the popularity of the tomato in particular because they are fun to grow and also produce fruit rather quickly; you may be eating tomatoes from your plant within two months, but you could be waiting several years to enjoy the fruits of a fruit tree.
While cucumbers, peppers, and melons are also common purchases, Brooks says that “nothing touches the tomato.”
I’m wondering whether any of you have noticed have noticed an increase in the tomato love, either from a seller or consumer’s viewpoint? Are you gardening more during these hard economic times?
April 28th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I’ve always had “tomato love” — a common affliction among salad lovers, I think.
But the economy is not a friend of tomatoes in our region, particularly the ridiculously high price of gas…it has increased the cost of trucking and delivery to the point where tomatoes are just about out of our budget. I would *certainly* raise more vegetables if I had a place to do so, both for economic reasons and for the sheer joy of “gathering and digging dinner”. 
April 28th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I alway garden, but this year I am hitting it especially hard. I can’t stand to think of the cost and waste of shipping the food we eat. A friend of mine is trying to organize a local farmers market so we can get locally grown produce.
April 29th, 2008 at 6:16 am
Nancy, it’s such a shame that the fresh fruits and vegetables get so expensive in some areas in an economic crunch. My mom has been telling me about the ever-increasing price of produce where she is, so I was especially curious as to how others were dealing with the inflation.
Deb, what a great idea for the local farmers market–one of my favorite things in the world!
May 1st, 2008 at 12:38 pm
My decision to start a garden this year is definitely tied to my personal economy. I’ve been out of work for a year with no job prospects on the horizon. We have less money for groceries, so I’ve been searching for any way to supplement what we buy. Tomatoes are one of the few vegetables my kids will eat, but they are pretty expensive here right now. So I’m hoping that my plants will be fruitful!
May 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 am
Best of luck to you Dani! Every little bit certainly counts with the price of food going out of control.