Staff Photo: Jason Braverman
Rosalie Tubre picks cucumbers out of her garden at the Harvest Farm Community Garden at White Street Park in Suwanee. Tubre, a Master Gardener, has two types of cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe and several herbs in her plot. The official grand opening of the park is at 1 p.m. today.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) -- Home gardening has been booming in recent years as millions of Americans try to save money by growing their own food.

The National Gardening Association says the number of households that planned to grow at least some of their own food was 43 million in 2009, a 19 percent increase from the estimated 36 million who did in 2008. Those are latest figures available, but the trend seems to be continuing.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co. says its vegetable seed and plant sales jumped in March. The Pennsylvania-based company says people might be trying to save money after seeing recent increases in gas and produce prices.

But it also says the latest sales increase follows a 30 percent gain in 2009, and a 15 to 20 percent jump last year.