That was the word from local gardener Jim Machuga, who is offering free vegetable gardening classes at the Main Street Mercantile at 45 Main St. in Br

Gardening may be answer to rising food prices

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2021-05-21 19:00:13

That was the word from local gardener Jim Machuga, who is offering free vegetable gardening classes at the Main Street Mercantile at 45 Main St. in Bradford. The classes will begin at noon on May 22, June 12 and June 26 at the store and are open to the public.

Machuga, who owns Bradford Nature Company with his wife, Selene, said they have offered the classes for a number of years to the public. The couple, who homestead and garden at their rural property in Bradford, had previously offered full-day gardening sessions at other locations. They have since scaled back the classes.

“I’ve condensed it down to an hour or an hour and 15 minutes because I want to keep it simple just to get people involved,” Machuga explained. “I think the main reason right now is if anybody is watching inflation, especially with food inflation, there has never been a better time to plant a garden.”

He went on to explain that a $2 tomato plant purchased and planted locally can yield a half-dozen up to two dozen tomatoes by the end of the season.