TUCSON - Keely Sinclair was worried about the politics of food - how far it travels, how safe it is, how pesticides affect the environment.
On top of that, the 38-year-old office manager realized one day that she was spending an awful lot of money on organic produce.
Driven by rising food costs, concerns about global food shortages, and a new environmental consciousness, Sinclair and more consumers like her are beginning to nurture produce on their own plots of land.
"It is amazing how many people are coming in and saying this is the first garden that they've ever done," said Jane Brown, store manager for Native Seeds/SEARCH. "They're saying that they want fresher food and locally grown food and that they're trying to take the edge off the grocery bill."
Determined, Sinclair did research, consulted with other home gardeners and got to work on her backyard garden.
Over the past year, she's successfully grown kale, chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, squash, tomatoes and herbs.
"I am absolutely saving money," she said, estimating she has shaved expenses by $20 a week.
Aside from that, though, it's rewarding, convenient and far easier than she imagined.
"I go out and cut herbs and kale and put it all in a pan and cook it. It feels good to know I'm eating something that I've nurtured and grown from the ground up," Sinclair said.
Cathy Bishop, co-owner of Mesquite Valley Growers Nursery, estimated she has seen a 30 percent increase in interest in food crops. She's also seeing a jump in soil sales for raised-bed gardens and in what she calls the "how do I do it" questions.
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