Canada: Can you grow your own food to beat inflation? It depends

‘You can do urban gardening downtown,’ says Calgary horticulturalist

By Boshika Gupta
CBC News
May 08, 2023

Excerpt:

Colin Hayles, a horticulturist and buyer at Golden Acre Home & Garden, says the best way to get into gardening is to “start small” and take it slow until you feel comfortable.

“Don’t start big. Don’t bite off more than you can chew,” Hayles said. “It’s a recipe for disaster — and that’s any hobby that you get into.”

Hayles recommends testing out the soil, adding compost and learning about optimal growing conditions to make the best out of what you’ve got. For example, leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale can easily thrive in the shade while other options like tomatoes and peppers need plenty of sunlight to grow.

According to Joanna Tschudy, community development co-ordinator with the Calgary Horticultural Society, it’s difficult to completely rely on homegrown produce for your everyday needs.

“I don’t think you could fully, you know, provide all your food from the garden, but there’s definitely a great supplement from our home gardens,” she said.

Tschudy added that everyone can start gardening and grow their own vegetables “as long as there’s land to access and some time” coupled with basic resources like water.

Consumers do need to find ways to combat higher grocery prices. According to the Consumer Price Index that was released in April, inflation has “slowed in recent months” but grocery prices remain higher than usual.

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