Hello!
I wanted to research what was trending with the gardening community. Gardening has become very popular, especially since Covid 19 hit the USA. During the stay at home orders, people who never gardened before took up gardening and is going to be just as popular for 2021, gardening is still very popular! It has been reported our nation went from 43 million to 63 million gardeners due to the pandemic. The young male under 35 leads in that number, and there is reason to believe these new gardeners will be gardening again in 2021 and want to have bigger and better gardens. In my research I found several gardening trends from 2020 and continues for 2021.
Gardening and Popularity
Organic gardening is the new movement for growing your own sustainable food. There are many benefits to organic gardening which benefit, soil, plant, animals and humans. Besides growing your own food, exotic tropical plants have become popular and unusual houseplants is also on the rise in popularity. The indoor plant boom had already grown popularity before the pandemic with having plants on your desk and more plants in the home. The other trendy reason for gardening is for the long haul. People are planning on continuing the gardening craze. Making gardening plans for the spring to either start or expand their existing garden. I love gardening and was gardener before last year and I am so excited for the spring and get started on all the plans I have.
Growing your own food
Growing your own food was a major reason for starting a garden and continuing to garden. This was one of the top reasons for joining the gardening community. People have a growing concern on how our food is being grown, process and worried about chemicals that may be on our produce that we have been purchasing. Growing your own food, you can control what gets put on your vegetables. In addition to growing your own food, there is usually plenty to share with friends and relatives or donate to your local food pantry, fresh vegetables are always welcome.
I love growing my own food and watching it grow. I have started canning last year for the first time. I canned pickles, stewed tomatoes, marinara, apple sauce and an assortment of jelly. I think canning also became popular in 2020 as well, due to the fact you couldn’t find canning jars or lids.
Having a Garden Hideaway
There are many different ideas for garden hideaways. Having a relaxing space that can be incorporated with a garden is always a benefit. Some people turn their backyard into outdoor living spaces with nice outdoor furniture to accent the hideaway ambiance.
Another one of the biggest trends is to bring the indoors outside. This would help with the social distancing rules that’s currently going on now, gardening with outdoor space to sit and gather with family and friends. Using privacy hedges, bushes and decorative fencing to accent the outdoor space is another way to create a private space.
For the cool nights, adding a fire pit always accents the garden hideaway. We will be adding a fire pit area next to the vegetable garden we are revamping this year. The area between the She Shed shed and the house will be lawn mower free.
Another popular item is having a small to medium greenhouse to incorporate in your garden hideaway. You can use it as a traditional greenhouse or make it another nice sitting area with lots of plants. I have been thinking about a greenhouse but not this year.
Popularity with Container Gardening
Container gardening has become more and more popular with people living in smaller spaces and only have a patio or a balcony to grow flowers and vegetables. Tropical, exotic houseplants do well in container and can add some pizazz to your indoor garden or add it outdoors once the frost is gone. Just about any plant can be planted in a container garden.
There are so many different kinds, styles and sizes for container gardening. Get creative, mix and match containers and soon you will have a nice little container garden. You can also add containers to your regular garden, if you have a garden design and making it more like a cottage garden style.
If you don’t have a space to grow your own food outside there is a couple indoor options by using containers to grow food indoors. If you have a southern window you can put the plants there for optimal sunlight.
Starting a Garden with Kids
Kids love getting into the dirt, why not let them garden with you. Let them experiment and play. Picking fast growing plants for a kids garden is the best. There are several ways to incorporate a kids garden.
Having a small garden in a corner, to incorporating a tree house or playground around the garden. A really fun thing to do with kids is create a tee pee for sweet peas, or any kind of vine that can grow up the tee pee.
Gardening for Wildlife
Gardeners have been aware of the protection and preservation of different living things in your garden. I am new to wildlife gardening. We live on 20 wooded acres and we take care of the property to benefit the animals and creatures that live here with us. My gardening plans incorporate to attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds. I also like to plant flowers to attract butterflies and dragonflies. We have some apple and pear trees that are old and produce a lot of fruit that we allow the deer to eat. We have newer fruit trees that we have protected from the deer from eating until the trees are bigger.
Happy Planting!
As you can see from my blog, gardening became very popular in 2020, and will continue into 2021 and beyond. Millions of people took up gardening and found it to be enjoyable and relaxing. People also liked that they know what their food is being grown with.
Gardening has taken on new creative ideas with making hideaways, playgrounds for kids and many ideas to make a container garden. Gardener have mostly been aware of planting for wildlife but the new gardeners are also discovering it as well. I hope you found this blog informational.
Please comment below, let me know when you started gardening and if you follow any of the trends mentioned!
Cheers!
Chris
Thank you Chris, Gardening has continued to gain popularity not only in the US but also in Africa. People are drifting to making gardens for sustenance and bringing nature close to their living environment. I am a poultry farmer and I am working on bringing gardens to our home with my children. Initially, I felt the won’t like it, but to surprise, they are excited about it. Each of them is calling out one thing or the other from one little garden area and its been fun
That is Great! You should see my article Easy gardening with Kids! It has different idea for gardening with kids and the family. Kids love to garden, watching something new grow is always amazing! I have 5 grand kids and they all love watching my garden and eating from it too.
Gardening is such a therapeutic and fulfilling hobby. We are fortunate enough to have a large property and have a big vegetable garden where we grow a variety of seasonal veggies. We never spray with any chemicals, so it is all organic. I do freeze many of the veggies and also cook and bottle lots of tomatoes.
One gets such a sense of accomplishment when you harvest your own home grown produce, and of course it is zero miles to the kitchen.
Hi,
Thank you for commenting on my site. I started canning pickles and tomatoes last year. I actually enjoyed it and the stewed tomatoes I canned last summer taste so good now. It’s like spring time in a jar. I plan on canning more this year from my garden. I don’t spray any chemicals either, so all organic and beautiful. Visit my site again for more gardening tips.
I have tried to start growing plants hydroponically with my children. We began to investigate plant needs through a different lens. And have also had the chance to developing a deep understanding of the conditions required for healthy plant growth and development. Hydroponic gardening also offers the opportunity to explore foundational engineering and design principles. It has been a rewarding experience. We plan to continue during all this year too.
Nice! Thank you for your post! I also have a post on Hydroponics as well but it sounds like you have an established system.
Yes it is true, gardening is trending since pandemic not only in USA but also here in my country Philippines. In fact this become a livelihood of people who lost their job during pandemic, they are selling their vegetables harvest and indoor plants. I myself love gardening and I’m thankful of your article that I got the idea of creating a playground space for children and let them beautify it by planting plants and flowers.
Hi Maria,
Thank you for your comments. What garden zone do you have in the Philippines? You must get to plant some awesome fruits that I can’t grow in Michigan. Stop back for more gardening tips
For some reason, I don’t have a green thumb when it comes to gardening outside. However, I seem to do very well growing herbs in my aerogarden. When I compare garden herb to aerogarden herbs, I find the later seems to do much better.
We have bore water, so I believe that is why I don’t do so well. Yet, in my herb garden, I use bottled water. Both have nutrients
Thank you for sharing your lovely garden post.
Hi Yvonne,
Thank you for your comments. We have well water that has water softener in it. I also have a reverse osmosis water purifier at the kitchen sink. I have to water my plants with the reverse osmosis water because the water treatment messes with them. Stop back for more gardening tips!
Hi, I have left you a comment on your website. I loved your gardening site. I found your information very useful.
I still struggle with tomatoes. I never have tasty, beautiful tomatoes. Your advice is constructive. I noticed you had provided helpful information on what to do.
I have to agree on the pandemic interest in gardening. The gardening centre where I live experienced increased demand for seedlings, herbs, vegetables, fruit trees and flowers. Just like toilet paper, there was an increase in panic buying for seedlings. Everyone decided to plant and grow their own. I hope they did a better job than I did.
Your post is very well written and I found it easy to read and understand.
Hi Yvonne,
Thank you for your comments. Tomatoes need warm soil and water regularly, don’t let the soil dry but not soggy. Tomatoes need full sun. Don’t plant outside until the last frost has past. Hope that helps! Stop back for more gardening tips.