We came, we saw, we gardened in 2020. In fact, more than 20 million novice growers took up their trowels and pitchforks in response to the pandemic, according to Bonnie Plants CEO Mike Sutterer. We as a nation went from 42 million gardeners to 63 million in the past year, with the majority being males under 35, a fairly unique demographic. And there’s good news: Sutterer believes these newbies will be back in 2021.
And what will everyone be growing? For 2021, it’s clear that the bliss of being in nature, in general, will be bigger than ever, with people increasingly turning to their yards for exercise, stress-relief, and a creative outlet. Both seasoned and new gardeners are keen to surround themselves with beautiful plants, and they are looking for more unusual, adventurous species like tropicals. But they also want to keep up the “victory gardens” they started because of the pandemic, especially to help their neighbors.
Bigger and Better Food Gardens
One top reason millions of newbies hit the gardening scene in 2020 was to grow their own food. According to a recent Garden Media Trend report, edible gardening influencers such as Timothy Hammond of Big City Gardener saw as much as 400% growth on their platforms, due to an influx of followers and engagements with first-time gardeners looking for guidance. The report also notes that 67% of surveyed adults are “growing or plan to grow” edibles into 2021.
As the pandemic drags on, Sutterer thinks that this boom in homegrown produce is “not just about growing food for you and your family, and the benefits that it brings to you personally.” He believes it’s also about taking “a few extra zucchini, a few extra tomatoes, a few extra cucumbers, to my local food pantry to help those in my community as well.”
Article By Mackenzie Nichols for BHG©
Source: 4 Gardening Trends You’ll Want to Dig into in 2021 | Better Homes & Gardens (bhg.com)
