Home Gardeners Nursery Landscaping Guide
Home Gardeners Growing Their Own Food
By Suzzie T Franklin
The number of home gardeners is on the rise. Households growing
plants jumped 19% from 2008-2009 to 43 million households, according
to the 2009 Impact of Home and Community Gardening In America
study that was conducted by Harris Interactive for the National
Gardening Association.
At first glance, one might expect people to cite the recession
as a motivating factor for their decision to garden. While a third
said the recession affected their interest in gardening, another
third said it had no impact whatsoever.
Growing Your Own Better Tasting Food
In fact, the chief motivating factor of cultivating home-grown
vegetables is "for better-tasting food."
So just who are all these new gardeners? "The demographics
of today's food gardening households include a broad cross-section
of the U.S. population. There are few other outdoor activities
where virtually every demographic group is so well represented,
no matter what their age, education, income, marital status, household
size, gender, or regional location," concludes the NGA report.
The Most Common Food Gardeners
The food gardening experience is enjoyed primarily by women (54%),
those ages 45+ (68%), college students (43%) and married couples
with no children at home (67%). The gardeners are pretty evenly
spread across the South, Midwest, West and Northeast.
Those making $35,000 - $49,999 in household income are the most
common gardening group (24%), although many who make over $75,000
(22%), under $35,000 (21%) and between $50,000 and $74,999 (16%)
are also represented.
Tomatoes Are The Most Popular Grown Garden Produce
To get started, most households spent about $70 on seeds, garden
supplies and gardening tools. The study of home gardeners found
that the average, well-maintained 600-square-foot garden yielded
300 pounds of produce worth $600 in market value, which saved
households $530 a year.
The ten most popular vegetables grown included the following:
tomatoes (86%), cucumbers (47%), sweet peppers (46%), beans (39%),
carrots (34%), summer squash (32%), onions (32%), hot peppers
(31%), lettuce (28%), and peas (24%).
Save Money On Better Tasting Food
A number of people also grew corn, radishes, potatoes, salad
greens, pumpkins, watermelons, spinach, broccoli, melons, cabbage,
beets, winter squash, asparagus, collards, cauliflower, celery,
Brussels sprouts, leeks, kale, parsnips, Chinese cabbage and rutabagas.
When asked why home gardeners are participating in the gardening
experience, the overwhelming majority (58%) said they want "better-tasting
food." Over half of the participants (54%) say they want
to save money on food bills; 51% say they want "better quality
food" and 48% say they want "to grow food they know
is safe."
Motivation To Grow Your Own Food
About 34% of gardeners say the economic downturn has motivated
them to grow food this year. Perhaps it's the growing concerns
over what is organic and what is sprayed with potentially harmful
pesticides, which makes the average American consumer need to
review their options and be more skeptical of grocery store produce.
Or perhaps it's the recent scares we've had with tomatoes, peppers
and peanuts this year.
The National Gardening Association study revealed the underlying
suspicions of the average consumer, but also this wave of frugality
and earth stewardship that seems to be brewing as well.
About the Author:
Suzzie T Franklin has written a number of articles on gardening, flowers,
and landscaping including
The Japanese Garden,
Zen Garden,
Cherry Blossom,
African Violets,
Plastic Flower Pot,
Bamboo Plants,
Wire Topiary Frames,
Planting Guide,
Flower Seeds,
Gardening Vegetable,
Bonsai Trees.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Little Known Gardening Facts....
How can I use organic gardening tips to my advantage?
In order for you to take advantage of organic
gardening tips you first must learn what organic gardening actually
is. It is a style of gardening that involves no pesticides or
chemicals. You learn to use nature’s own pesticides and chemicals
to keep your plants healthy and strong.
Nature is very good at providing exactly
what a garden needs without risking man-made chemicals and pesticides.
One good tip is to have Ladybugs around your garden. Those dainty,
red bugs actually are voracious protectors of your plants and
will eat a wide variety of pests. Another tip for keeping your
garden safe is to use essential oils.
Most bugs and diseases will not be able
to be near plants coated with lemon oil or lavender. The best
advice is to pick up an organic gardening book. It will have ways
you can make your own fertilizer and compost as well as tips on
taking care of your garden after the plants or flowers have been
harvested.
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