AUGUSTA, Ga. () – With food prices rising, people are seeking ways to reduce these costs. Many of them are growing their own food.

People I spoke to at Good Earth are trying to create their own gardens to save on produce costs or at least keep that money local. They say they get better quality and more bang for their buck.

“They’re noticing that our produce items are not costing the equivalent or right close to the same as some of these big box stores,” said Lacey Enevoldsen, Garden Center Manager, Good Earth. “So, they would rather get the better quality and have their dollar just have a little bit more to it.”  

Good Earth has seen an influx of people coming in to start gardens with some of their favorite produce.  

“There’s definitely been a very large increase this year. We had a lot of people interested who go all the way from seeds to just regular starter plants. For more most people, it definitely has been looking to save money but also been a lot,” said Enevoldsen.

You don’t need a lot of space to garden if you’re interested.  

“Container gardening has gone up significantly. We saw it a lot in 2020 because people were kind of cooped up inside, a lot of apartment livers. And now people are just having to live in apartments or duplexes due to housing,” said Enevoldsen.

Some customers want to buy local produce.  

“It definitely means a lot more to the community to shop local. That dollar that you’re then receiving is going right back to you and is going to benefit you in the long run. It keeps the cycle going and helps places like us grow,” said Enevoldsen.

One customer enjoys being able to sample what she buys there to know that what she is getting is fresh and good quality.  

“We stumbled across Good Earth just randomly one time in the last couple of years, and we came for the peaches and now we come for the pineapple, and we’ve just everything taste better,” said Andrea, a Good Earth Shopper .  

And if you needed one more reason to shop locally or start a garden, Enevoldsen says local produce lasts longer than store-bought produce.