April 28th, 2021, Jamie Ballard
Spring has officially sprung, and many Americans are turning their attention to their gardens. Several cities have been encouraging citizens to grow “victory gardens” during the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to those popularized in the US during the world wars.
New data from YouGov finds that half (50%) of Americans say they garden at their home, while a few others maintain a plot at a community garden (3%) or somewhere besides their own home (2%). Gardening at home appears to be slightly more popular with those who are between 45 and 64 years old (55%) as well as those who are over 65 (54%). Among US adults who are under the age of 30, two in five (40%) say they have a garden they maintain at home.
Most people who garden say that they started doing so before the COVID-19 pandemic (84%), but some say they began gardening during the pandemic (15%). Among 18-to 29 year-olds who garden, 34% say they began doing so during the pandemic.
Among those who garden, the most popular item to be growing this year is tomatoes. Two-thirds (67%) of gardeners say they’ll be growing tomatoes this year. Cucumbers (35%), bell peppers (34%), lettuce (27%), green beans (25%), and zucchini (23%) will also be sprouting in many gardens this year.
Just 13% of gardeners say they don’t intend to plant any kind of fruit or vegetable in their garden.
As for herbs, 41% will be growing basil this year. Fewer have plans to grow rosemary (29%), mint (28%), cilantro (25%), thyme (21%) or parsley (21%).
When it comes to flowers, the most popular choice for 2021 is roses, with 35% saying these blooms will be part of their garden this year. Trailing behind are lilies (25%), tulips (23%), hydrangeas (21%) and daffodils (18%).
When do people start tending to their gardens?
YouGov’s data finds that April (29%) is the most popular month for gardeners to begin planting or tending to their blooms. About a quarter (23%) have already gotten started in March, and the same percentage (23%) will be getting to it in May. About one in every 11 Americans with a garden (9%) says they tend to it year-round.
Many gardeners draw inspiration from their neighbors
When asked about where they get inspiration for their gardens, 31% of gardeners say it comes from seeing other gardens in their area. Slightly fewer draw inspiration from social media sites (26%) like Instagram and Pinterest, and 21% get their ideas from magazines and websites.
One in four gardeners (27%) say they don’t draw inspiration from any particular source.
See the full results from this YouGov Direct survey here and reach out to uspress@yougov.com for more information
Methodology: 1,874 US adults, including 1,062 who garden, were surveyed via YouGov Direct on April 23, 2021 between 4:00 and 4:18 EST. Data is weighted on age, gender, education level, political affiliation and ethnicity to be nationally representative of adults in the United States. The margin of error is approximately 4.4% for the sample of US adults who garden.
Image: Photo by Dương Nhân from Pexels