Interview with Nursery and Avid Gardener

On April 23rd I had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Melissa at Sunflower Farms whose tagline is "Where Good Things are Always Growing." This nursery has been a fixture in the South Bay for many years and is close to a busy intersection near the freeway and surrounded by two gas stations, a mobile home park, a market and a Wendy's. Once you enter this nursery though, it's such a welcome break from what is going on outside. There are little enclosures a la Secret Garden style, an area devoted to herbs and vegetables, some small ponds and a little shop with gardening materials, vintage books and seeds of course. 

Inside the nursery

See the power lines? Artichokes are looking good. 

I had a good time exploring this nursery that I have often passed by on my way to the freeway. And I've learned quite a bit especially from Melissa. Here's some of my takeaway points from the interview:

• There has been more interest from the public for gardening in general but also in growing their own food.
• The reasons she's heard for the interest is that the food tastes better. 
• Even if they have no idea how to garden their own vegetables/fruits people seem excited about trying.
• More interest in growing vegetables and herbs especially tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers and herbs for cooking and for teas.
• Vast majority isn't very concerned how food is produced for the markets such as how much chemicals farmers use for pest control and for fertilizers or even genetic engineering
• Customers at the nursery come to purchase vegetables to plant in their gardens or in community gardens
• The growing interest in growing their own food are for the above mentions (fresh, tastes better and less chemicals) but also because of the economy people seem to be staying in more and cooking and have noticed how much produce costs at the markets. Market prices have gone up

The thing about urban farming or urban gardens is that the food produced there are fresh, nutritious and satisfying but in the markets the costs are up, often does not taste as good and people are sidetracked into purchasing food that is not nutritious and satisfying.

We touched upon community gardens. There are pockets of community gardens throughout the South Bay with the land often provided by the city. There may be a small fee to have the use of a plot and for water costs.

Another concern that came up is cross pollination by bees. Let's say there are two farms across from each other. One uses genetically engineered crops while the other does not and is organic but the bees will go from one farm to another and will change the non-genetic engineered crops. There are a lot of consequences that the way we produce and eat have on the future. How did eating, the simple act of eating get so complicated?