Doing the Right Thing

Today's mail seemed unremarkable at first: ads, catalogs, the usual suspects.  One thing that caught my eye was an offer from a grower in Michigan.  I received this because I'm a member of the Garden Writers of America, and this grower is making us a special offer.  They've partnered with an Israeli herb and vegetable specialist to create a gourmet cherry tomato that can either be eaten out of hand or dried very easily for a sweet yet nutritious snack.  Yet it wasn't the tomato that really attracted my attention - it was the statement that "...starter plants....can be sold only to growers servicing independent garden centers and retailers".  And (drum roll, please), they very explicitly stated that it will not be sold to discount and "big box" retailers.  Well, hot damn and hallelujah!!!!  Finally, someone is trying to give our all-important small growers, nurseries and garden centers a richly deserved break from the stifling effects of the big boxers.  I can't tell you how happy I was to read that.  So many wonderful small garden centers and nurseries around the country (and even some larger, legendary growers as well) have folded over the last decade because they just couldn't compete financially with a Lowe's or a Wal-Fart every 5 miles.  Which means that plantaholics like myself are left with fewer and fewer options for quality material, to say nothing of the loss of plant diversity in general. Perhaps the pendulum is finally beginning to swing back in the direction of sanity and the greater good - perhaps we're finally beginning to realize that "cheaper" often comes with hidden costs......