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By Teena Monteleone

Food Security

Rising grocery costs and tariff concerns drive surge in home gardening interest

Apr 1, 2025 | 4:18 PM

Managing a budget can be overwhelming enough without factoring in international trade policy, but with the threat of tariffs it appears more people are looking for ways to manage their grocery bills and where their food comes from.

Angie Bragg is the owner of Wrights Greenhouse near Melfort. She first noticed an increased interest in gardening during the pandemic.

“We’ve seen a big uptick since COVID and it’s continued on with more people interested in gardening and vegetables,” she said.

She expects interest to increase by the time her greenhouse opens on April 21, partly due to the concern of rising food costs, but also because people are more interested in the origin of their food.

“If they’re growing their own fruit or vegetables, they know it’s fresh, it’s not sprayed and it hasn’t travelled from 5,000 miles away,” she said.

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According to researchers at the University of British Columbia, on average, about 50 per cent of vegetables besides potatoes, and 75 per cent of fruits eaten in Canada, are imported and the United States provides a large share of that. Learning about that dependency through all of the tariff talk has consumers asking more questions.

Jackie Bantle is the Departmental Assistant for the University of Saskatchewan’s Plant Sciences Department in the College of Agriculture. She just gave a talk at the Gardenscape Trade Show in Saskatoon and noticed a renewed interest in home gardening.

“People are really into how they can grow their own food for cheaper,” she said. “The title of my talk was ‘What 10 Vegetables You Can Grow to Save Money’ and there was a lot of interest and participation from the crowd.”

The idea of ‘tariff gardens’ has popped up in horticulture communities on both sides of the border in recent weeks as a means to mitigate any disruptions in the trade flow, but Bantle said most people are interested in growing their own food because they’re concerned about cost.

“I don’t know if they’re thinking so much about the imports and exports, but it’s more about the cost of it. So, if they can store more food and use it over the winter, then they don’t have to purchase it. So, it saves on their grocery bill and things like winter squash, potatoes and carrots are relatively easy to store,” she said, adding people should consider learning how to can and freeze food, too.

Bragg grows her own potatoes, cucumbers, peas, carrots and tomatoes and said you don’t need a green thumb to be successful.

“I have a really small garden that is eight feet by eight feet and you just have to water and fertilize a little bit and the rewards are great. Even if I get five servings of potatoes, I’m happy with that,” Bragg said.

Concerns about food security has also led to an increase in enquiries at the Prince Albert Food Box program. It’s a non-profit that offers fruit, vegetables and pantry staples at a reduced price to help increase access to healthy food.

“I haven’t had anybody specifically speak to the trade war,” said Lori Galbraith, PA Food Box coordinator. “I just know we are rising constantly in numbers. For instance, in February we had seven new clients order food boxes and in March we had 13, which tells me the need is out there and people are concerned about grocery costs and being able to provide healthy, nutritious, fruits, vegetables and food.”

Galbraith said her clientele come from all walks of life with varying financial incomes.

Just what sort of impact the tariffs may have on produce remains to be seen. President Donald Trump is expected to apply sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports on Tuesday, April 2, which he has called ‘liberation day.’

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teena.monteleone@pattisonmedia.com