Segment 2 of S5E15 How the pandemic has changed gardening - The Gardening with Joey and Holly Radio show

The gardening with Joey and Holly Radio Show heard weekly March - Oct
our 2021 anonymous Survey Garden survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11zLBO6dluGFLbLYqDUw6C3GA88Co39xbOCbOiUy7hVc/edit?gxids=7628

In segment two Joey and Holly talk about how has the pandemic changed the garden world

In 2020 16 to 18 million people started a garden for the very first time. And 86% of them are planning to garden again in 2021. My garden talk radio show provides that platform to reach many of them. Turning them into your next customer and new sales.

More than 20 million novice gardeners picked up a trowel for the first time swelling the ranks of American gardeners to more than 63 million according to Bonnie Plants CEO Mike Sutterer. Most of them were males under age 35, and they want to continue gardening in 2021.
source:
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/dec/31/gardening-20-million-novices-took-up-hobby-in-2020/
Minneapolis-based Axiom Marketing. The survey indicated that half of those who gardened this year did so as a way to get out of the house, relieve stress, provide security and for something to do while sticking close to home.
Growing flowers is by far the most popular gardening activity at nearly 73%, with shrubs and vegetables rounding out the top three. More than 32% rank container gardening high on their list. Houseplants are also important with 46% saying indoor gardening is a meaningful activity.

Will the gardening trend continue? Axiom's research reported that 80% of those surveyed felt they were successful in this year’s gardening efforts. In the 19-40 age group, 80% indicated they would plant even more next year. Of those 40-55, 64% plan to increase plantings.
At least in the near future, prospects look good for continued gardening activity, especially as a younger age group became involved in gardening, many for the first time. Of gardeners aged 19-29 in Axiom’s reporting, 49% said they were planning to spend even more time gardening in future seasons.
Through pandemics and past wars, we've needed all the help we can get — and gardening continues to serve as a trusty friend.

cOVID-19 influenced younger homeowners to garden more, according to the research. In the 19-28 age range, 23% said they spent “more time” gardening (that includes indoors or out) and 49% of that age group said they spent “definitely more” time gardening. In the 29-39 age bracket, 26% spent “more time” gardening, while 50% said “definitely more.”
That younger demographic also said they plan to grow more in 2021 – 81% of 19- to 28-year-olds and 83% of 29- to 39-year-olds. The response from 40- to 55-year-olds was impressive, too, with 64% saying they’ll garden more next year.

Better control of one’s food supply wasn’t the only reason for this year’s gardening rush. People have frequently turned to the soil in times of trouble. As COVID-19 caused a need for social distancing, gardening provided contact with something real. The smell of soil and flowers, the taste of herbs and fresh produce, and the feel of warm sunshine provided stability in an otherwise unreal world.
Attending virtual online sessions does not immerse us in reality the way gardening does. Rutgers University professor Joel Flagler described the situation well. “There are certain very stabilizing forces in gardening that can ground us when we are feeling shaky, uncertain and terrified. It’s these predictable outcomes and predictable rhythms of the garden that are very comforting right now.


https://www.brecks.com/blog/covid-gardening-retail-boom

In 2021 Those gardeners are coming back
The research, conducted by the Minneapolis-based firm Axiom Marketing, found that 86% of homeowners plan to continue gardening in 2021. Nearly 40% of those surveyed say they will plant about the same as last year, with 47% say they will be planting more and expanding their garden spaces next season.
Source:
https://www.nurserymag.com/a(continued)