Last Updated on February 14, 2024 by Lifevif Team and JC Franco
If it seems as if everyone is suddenly talking about creating their own home garden, it is because they are. Home gardens and how to get them thriving are hot topics right now, but why?
What is making more and more people transform their backyards into thriving gardens? Why is the current norm for the average person to have a flourishing garden bearing forth fruit, vegetables, and herbs for the family’s (and possible the neighbor’s) consumption? Why is it considered quite unusual these days to have no garden or plants at all? Let’s find out…
Gardening is becoming increasingly popular because people are becoming far more aware of their personal impact on the environment. Home gardening is popular because:
- It helps people minimize their carbon footprint.
- It provides food security.
- It helps to save on grocery costs.
- It is therapeutic.
- It is a healthy form of exercise.
- It provides an opportunity for quality time.
- It is a simpler, more mindful way of life.
It is safe to say that the main reason why gardening is growing in popularity is that people want to do their bit to minimize their carbon footprint and want to live healthier lifestyles, too. If you have been wondering if a home garden is the way to go for you and your family, read on.
Below, we take a closer look at the reasons why people are home gardening, which may provide the perfect opportunity for you to make an educated decision regarding home gardening for yourself.
8 Reasons Why Home Gardening is becoming Increasingly Popular Globally
You just have to walk outside into my vegetable garden to see just how rewarding home gardening can be. My garden might not be the best-looking garden, but you can see that it is loved, and you can literally see how happy it is by the way it is thriving. I personally adore spending time in my garden and creating meals made from veggies and herbs that I have nurtured and cared for myself. That doesn’t mean that gardening will have the same value for you.
You need to decide what you want to get out of gardening. I know … that’s the big question here, isn’t it? Why is gardening so popular, and should you start gardening, too?
If you are wondering if gardening will add much value to your life, you have come to just the right place. Below are 8 simple reasons why gardening has become so popular and is sure to become even more popular in the months and years to come. Let’s jump right in.
1. Personal Awareness and Guilt
Yup, you read right; people might start growing a garden when they suffer personal environmental impact guilt. Good people are noticing that they, too, have an impact on the environment. While one person’s impact may seem small, when you add up that small impact with the billions of other people’s, the end result can be catastrophic.
If each human did their bit to minimize their impact at the same time, the world would be in a far better state right now. And our future would look ever so different. The more people realize that they, too, play a role in the destruction of the planet, the more aware they become and the deeper their feelings of personal guilt become. This often leads to people looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment, and, of course, gardening is a great way to do that.
2. It helps people minimize their carbon footprint.
What is exactly a carbon footprint, and why do people want to reduce it? Your carbon footprint relates to just how much you contribute to the pollution around you.
When the vegetables and fruit you buy are transported to the grocery store, there is a certain amount of carbon produced. Much the same, when you drive to the store, you are involved in the creation of even more carbon dioxide. By the time your vegetables make it back to your kitchen, wrapped in all of their packaging (which adds to waste by the way), the carbon footprint attached is quite high.
People are starting to give much thought to this, and so home gardening has started making more sense than driving to the store every time something is needed. By growing your own vegetables, herbs, and fruit, you can have everything you need right at home – no extra carbon dioxide production is required at all.
3. It provides food security.
Having a garden at home means that you could always have access to fresh, healthy food.
Often storms, production problems, low stock levels, and similar issues arise quite unexpectedly. These types of problems can cause local grocery stores to run low (or out of) stock or cut people off from access to these stores. This can lead to a poor supply of food. If you have a thriving vegetable garden, you will have food available to you whenever you need it – and this means that you have food security.
If you lose your job and won’t be able to afford food – your garden will supply. Now that’s security!
4. It helps to save on grocery costs.
Grocery shopping costs money, unfortunately. And just like everyone has to eat, everyone wants to save money too. Every apple, tomato, onion, or potato that you buy comes at a cost, plus the cost of packaging and transport. The fresh produce you pay for is far more expensive than it would be if you grew it and harvested it for your family and yourself.
For many people, especially big families, growing a garden is the best way to cut back on costs without compromising on the quality of meals and nutrition.
5. It is therapeutic.
Yup, gardening is therapeutic – I have experienced it firsthand. If you can’t afford to or don’t have the inclination to, head to the local therapist for your dose of “talking about it”, just head out for a few hours of gardening chores. It really works for me. It’s the perfect time to work through the worries in your head and think things through. Some of the tasks will also be a great way to work off some pent-up anger or frustration.
6. It is a healthy form of exercise.
Of course, everyone has realized the importance of staying fit and active. Do you get enough exercise every day? A lot of people don’t. If you want to get some exercise but aren’t keen to go for a run or do a heavy workout at the gym, doing a bit of gardening is a great alternative.
Gardens need tending every week, which means that when you garden, you are guaranteed to get some exercise every week. Gardening provides exercise that focuses on endurance, strength, and flexibility. Wheelbarrow pushing, walking around, pulling weeds, squatting and standing up, raking, chopping hedges, and so on. For many, regular gardening is done because of the exercise it provides.
7. It provides an opportunity for quality time.
Have you ever given much thought to how much value a garden can offer to your family unit? Not only in terms of having a nice outside space to enjoy, but also in terms of quality time and bonding. What can the entire family do on a Saturday afternoon that does not cost a lot of money, lasts longer than an hour or two, and where both young and old can interact happily?
Finding quality time entertainment that is appropriate for all members of the family can sometimes be challenging. Managing a project together is a great way to bring the family together and spend some actual quality time. Gardening is a great way to spend quality time as both young and old can participate. Garden days can involve a picnic or barbeque, games for the children, and of course, a meal created from the garden’s harvest. What could be better?
8. It is a simpler, more mindful way of life.
Not everyone is interested in gardening for environmental purposes. For some, it is also for selfish reasons. Everyone wants to ensure the most rewarding life possible for themselves, and for years we have been told that living mindfully is the way to do that.
Mindfulness is all about living in the exact moment we are in without distracting from it or letting other thoughts and worries rob us of the moment we are enjoying right now. Mindfulness is not a life approach that comes naturally. It is something that has to be practiced usually by fully engaging in an activity and actively bringing the mind back to the current moment if you find yourself drifting off to other thoughts.
Reap the Benefits!
It is an undeniable fact that people are becoming more and more interested in growing a home garden. For some, it is about the environment, while for others, it is about convenience and cost-saving. Regardless of your reasons for doing home gardening, there is little doubt in my mind that it will provide real value to your life as well as the environment that you live in.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who share their experiences and knowledge about the "Seven F's of Life".
JC Franco
JC Franco is a New York-based editor for Lifevif. He mainly focuses on content about faith, spirituality, personal growth, finance, and sports. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business, majoring in Marketing. He is a certified tennis instructor who teaches in the New York City Metropolitan area. In terms of finance, he has passed the Level I exam of the CFA program.