The organisers say it's a good concept that has been well received but say that the Edible Garden Show will not now go ahead due to 'The painfully slow recovery from recession'.
The concept of a show might be good but it still bothers me that 'grow your own' is a passing fad for many that won't be around in such a big way next year.
Am I wrong here; are there enough 'real' vegetable gardeners to sustain this segment of the gardening market - perhaps all this grow your own is not just talk on blogs?
To my mind, if this self sufficiency format is a good one, then launching in a recession is exactly the right time as family strive to grow their own produce and reduce ourgoings.
Are exhibiting prices too high or maybe it's the sponsorship prices? £15,000 to sponsor the bar and catering?
The show is now scheduled to debut March 18-20, 2011 at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire.
The fad part of grow-your-own is the product orientated consumerism that attracts those with a short attention span who get-off on the belief that new endeavours necessarily involved spending out on 'stuff'.
Committed grow-your-owners just quietly get on with it, they don't need tacky, short lived imported junk to produce healthy crops from their plots. Hard core Grow-your-own is not going to be a gold-mine opportunity for garden sundries wholesalers and retailers. ( http://www.landscapejuice.com/2010/01/organic-gardening-less-really-is-more.html ) After all you don't need much gear to Grow-your-own.
So, on the one hand it might be that the fad side of things has already peaked whereas the serious side of GYO is expanding and will continue to develop for the forseeable future. My view is that the future for the Edible Garden Show looks bleak.
Posted by: Richard Loader | Feb 05, 2010 at 02:08 PM
Hmm...lots of interesting angles. I can't think in the current environment there are exhibitors queueing up for trade stands generally at the prices that the bigger shows are charging. It will be interesting to see how the established events like Gamefair do. Does anyone think they offer small businesses value for money?
Posted by: Nick Mann | Feb 08, 2010 at 10:21 AM
Interesting is the Grow your own just a passing fad? For years I was out of fashion having come at Gardening from a grow your own upbringing & then made the leap into Garden Design.
For the last 6 years very few Clients ever wanted to grow anything productive but for the last 18 months most would like something. The difficulty has been gauging the seriousness & longevity of this interest & in some cases keeping it small scale or with an alternative design use if they change thier minds.
I am encouraged at the current level of interest, for once its nice to feel in vogue, but I think there is an opportunity to support this into something for the longer term. Working with clients to make grow thier own managable, economical & enjoyable is the only way.
A large scale trade show may not sit with the low key nature of this type of gardening & other more direct routes into Clients homes may be more useful.
Long may the Grow your own fad continue.
Posted by: [email protected] | Feb 08, 2010 at 11:58 AM