Sometimes a pretty picture is s good as a long article. The following graphic was taken from the Mother Nature Network. Check out their website. They got their information from the National Gardening Association which is a great website and resource for gardeners.
Click on Graphic to Enlarge
I like seeing the amount of homes with food gardens increased by 7 million households from 2008 to 2009 which was a 6% rise. I wonder why gardening is getting more popular. Are people realizing the satisfaction of gardening, or is it a function of a bad economy and necessity. Is there anything in the graphic that strikes you?
~Michael
11 comments:
That's great! I love to feel part of such a positive group, and being in my mid-thirties, I feel ahead of the game. I might copy that post and repost it on my page if that's ok with you. Very cool!
I'd like to know how the "amount of return" was calculated. I'm guessing it was done by figuring how much the gardener would pay for equal produce at grocery store rates? Just as the graphic compared median (96 sq. ft.) and average (600 sq. ft.) garden sizes, I'd like to see a median figure for the investment return. Very impressive, though!
Sure. Here's what sticks out: us older, educated gals are leading the charge for edible home gardens. Garden caps off to us ladies taking the lead.
Some people say they don't have room for a garden. Yet the median garden size is only 96 square feet. That means that half of the gardens are less than 10 feet by 10 feet. Many people have that much room. On a garden that size you can grow lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers for a lot of salad.
I think it is great that more people are gardening. But I'm struck by the fact that summer squash got beat out by cucumbers, peppers, beans, and especially carrots.
Like Mary, I feel ahead of the game. I was struck by the return on investment. I guess I should calculate how much I get out of my garden this year to see how much I save, but I've already eaten several salads... not sure how many.
Love it!! What a great graphic. I wonder how you could gather this info... but I still like it.
I think it's a combination of both hobby and bad economy. For me personally, it's both :)
I might repost that pic.
I like how colorful it is. :) I've never kept track of what I've produced. Maybe I should... It would certainly help me justify what I spend on seeds (but really, buying seeds in the winter is the best anti-depressant I've found to help me deal with the winter blues).
It's also interesting to compare what I grow with what the average gardener grows.
Based on the typical gardener label, I guess I'm an anomaly; male in his late twenties. I think its interesting how all regions of the country are fairly evenly represented. I think in recent years, gardening and eating healthy have become more popular and are talked about a lot in the media. Also, Michelle Obama seems to be a big proponent of vegetable gardening.
Personally, I grew up around vegetable gardens so when I bought my house one of the first things I put in my backyard was a small vegetable garden (48 sq ft). I've since expanded by putting in some berry bushes, growing some things in pots, and renting a larger plot in a community garden. Its also a good way for me to get my kids outside and interested in nature...like I was.
96 Square feet... interesting, that's about where I started, a 10x10 plot, that's also what my parents had when I was growing up. It's amazing how many delicious tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beans (also on par with the graphic) we could pull out of that little square.
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