Gardening is a great activity for a number of different reasons. For one thing, gardening is a great way to get your hands dirty and relax. Far too often, we spend the majority of our days looking at screens – both for work and for pleasure. But this can have negative impacts in our lives and even on our health, straining our eyes, giving us headaches, and making it difficult to sleep at night. Gardening requires no screens at all, and allows us to connect with nature in a way that we might not have experienced before.
Gardening is also something that can serve a functional purpose. For many people, growing vegetable and herb gardens is hugely enjoyable and rewarding. Growing your own produce (or at least some of it) can not only be a point of pride, but can be something that even saves you money in the long run as well. For a great many people, dollars are saved at the grocery store when they don’t have to buy green beans or squash or tomatoes (or whatever else they might have grown in their very own garden).
And gardening is certainly something that can be accessible to everyone – even if you don’t have adequate backyard space (or any backyard space at all, for that matter). For those who do not have outdoor space to utilize at all, owning houseplants is an option, one that is growing in popularity. Already, nearly one third (around 30%, to be just a bit more specific) of all households in this country alone own at least one houseplant. And, as houseplant enthusiasts can tell you, many own even more than this. You can even own houseplants when your home doesn’t get very much light – though you’ll need to do some research and look into various aspects of this and the various types of houseplants that are available to you.
You might also decide to grow a container garden, a fitting option for someone who has SOME outdoor space, but not enough for traditional garden beds. Fortunately, container gardens can be grown in just about any kind of container and many plants (decorative and useful alike) thrive there. You can even grow crops like tomatoes and green beans and lettuces in various containers.
If you’re unsure on where to get started when it comes to gardening, there are fortunately many resources at your disposal. You can do your research online or read a book on the specific type of gardening you are interested in attempting, but you can also go seek guidance from an employee at your local garden store. Garden centers and plant nurseries can be incredibly helpful for those who are just beginning to cultivate a green thumb, and should not be underestimated in their importance.
Taking the time to learn about gardening is more than likely to be worth it, as it is not for no reason at all that gardening has become so prominent and popular here in the United States. More and more young people, even, are becoming interested in gardening. And while older generations still make up the majority of those who are participating in this hobby, more than one quarter of all gardening households (around 29% of them, to be more specific) are made up of young people who fall between the ages of 18 and 29. Lots of older people are of course still gardening as well, accounting for at least 35% of the gardening population.
At the end of the day, gardening is becoming a more successful industry than ever before. After all, this only makes sense when you look at the fact that, according to data gathered in the year of 2017, the average household will spend just over $500 in one single year on various lawn and garden expenses alone. It can take time and dedication to make your outdoor spaces look nice, and investing some money into lawn and garden care is something that most people find to be very much worth it at the end of the day.
Ultimately, gardening is only likely to keep growing and growing in popularity as time passes on (for all people of all ages).