Due to rising food prices, more and more French people are discovering gardening and starting their own vegetable gardens. A good solution to eat healthier and save money at the same time. France 2 reports from Antibes in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes), it is planting time again for Patricia in the morning. She gardens twice a week, for fun and to save money. “It brings more than one euro in savings, even 1.50 euros, considering that lettuce costs up to 1.70 euros in some places,” she notes to the broadcaster France 2. In this community garden, the gardeners share their harvest among themselves. You can find butternut squash, tomatoes, and also eggplants there.
“At the Provençal market, these tomatoes cost up to seven euros per kilo. Eggplants cost three to four euros per kilo. It’s worth it,” says another woman. After prices for fruits and vegetables at market stands rose by 11% within a year, some French people are returning to gardening. The trend that emerged during lockdown times is continuing now to combat inflation. “People are gardening more and more, with tomatoes as a safe bet, and zucchini,” says Bruno Thirion, head of the vegetable garden section at the Villaverde Antibes garden center. Prices for seedlings have reportedly remained stable in recent years.