I got back early this morning at 1:30AM, 94 hours after my annual mid-winter adventure began on Monday morning.  I was in New Orleans attending the Direct Gardening Association (the brand new name for the former Mailorder Gardening Assoc).  The 77-year-old DGA is the world’s largest association of gardening companies that sell direct to consumers. Our Board meeting and the conference itself came off without a hitch.  Travel back to Maine was another story. This week’s latest East coast snowstorm created chaos in northeastern airport hubs. In the end it took an extra day to make it back home.

 Subtropical Bohemia. 
     Our DGA meeting was held in at the historic Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans’s French Quarter.  If you’ve ever wondered whether all the fuss and hullabaloo associated with New Orleans is warranted, from what I could see, yes I’d say it is completely justified. The Cajun culture (decendents of the Acadian French up our way in northern Maine and the Maritimes) has fiercely resisted the homogenization that the rest of America has endured. For those of us who appreciate authenticity, New Orleans is a subtropical bohemia worth checking out.

Garden Trends. 
     One of the major themes at this DGA convention was Trends in the Garden Industry.   Back once again to present his research was Bruce Butterfield, Research Director of the National Gardening Association in Vermont.  Bruce has been analyzing the garden industry for the NGA for over thirty years.
     Last year three out of four households – about 83 million – participated in do-it-yourself (DIY) garden activities, up two percent from the year prior. The Great Recession, cutting across all sectors of the economy, has taken a hit on overall DIY gardening spending.  Measured dollar-wise spend was down 16% last year from the previous five year average of $35.4 billion.  Separate from DIY gardening, lawn and landscape services have tumbled an incredible 44% in the last three years.

Edible Gardening. 
     But here’s the good news.  The only lawn and garden category with increased sales last year was food gardening - up for a second year in a row, and last year up by 21%. This year 20% of gardeners plan to spend more on food gardening. There is reason to believe that the current food gardening growth is more sustainable and on a firmer footing than in past periods of economic turmoil. Expectations are for 10% food gardening growth this year.

World View. 
     Bruce also shared the findings of the 2010 Global Garden Report conducted by Kairos Future in Stockholm.  This report identified Ten Top Gardening Trends worldwide.

1. Kitchen Gardening.
2. Organic Gardening.
3. Feel-Good Gardening.
4. The Designed & Artistic Garden.
5. Re-Creating Wilderness.
6. The Social Garden.
7. Urban Farming.
8. The Lush Garden.
9. Container Gardening.
10. Greenhouse Gardening.

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USDA Moves to De-Regulate GMO Alfalfa.

     Buckling to pressure from the biotech industry, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack yesterday ignored the pleas of the organic community and moved to de-regulate Monsanto's Roundup Ready alfalfa and allow it to be planted this Spring. Vilsack failed to address objections that such an action will lead to the contamination of organic crops. NEFU (New England Farmers Union) is urging citizens to call the White House (202.456.1111) and urge President Obama to overrule his Secretary. Meanwhile, our friends at Center for Food Safety vowed that they would challenge Vilsack's move in court.

Click here for the full story from CFS.