Home Gardeners are Motivated But Still Need Guidance from Experts

Few industries have not been impacted by the Covid19 pandemic of 2020 in one way or another. For the horticultural industry, we’ve seen a resurgence of home gardeners.

With many still fairly isolated to their homes for work and even schooling, families are heading out for a reprieve to enjoy the natural world right outside their back door.

In turn, they’re using this time (and additional money) to make improvements based on the lack of curb appeal they now see in front of them more regularly.

Motivation of Home Gardeners

There are many reasons why people are heading outdoors to become home gardeners:

• The feeling of calm and comfort during times of uncertainty
• Being in nature provides a very freeing feeling
• Nurturing and cultivating tends to alleviate stress especially when things feel beyond your control
• It teaches children the importance of horticulture which often provides you with fulfillment and rewards
• And, if you’re growing vegetables or herbs, it provides a fresh food supply to your family.

But novice home gardeners often struggle with propagation practices, choosing the ideal growing containers for a variety of plants and vegetables and understanding the proper soil and nutrients needed for healthy growth.

Many new gardeners are young according to a 2019 Gardening Survey where Millennials comprised 30% of gardening households and continue to out-pace older age groups based on their interest in overall health and wellness.

But Millennials share of the U.S. housing market was just 4% in 2019 and the pandemic seems to be supporting a downward trend as many are strapped with student loans and fearful of taking on any additional debt during times of uncertainty.

With homeownership declining in this high gardening growth area, container and patio gardens are becoming a popular alternative for small space living. In fact, The Daily Green estimates that U.S. consumers now spend $1.3 billion dollars on container gardening. They’re less demanding on people’s schedules and are often viewed as a decorative element producing quick results without being permanent.

Tips for Helping Home Gardeners

So, how can you contribute to this new field of growers while capturing a piece of the market?

• Start by offering gardening starter kits as part of your greenhouse supplies at your location. Include propagation trays, finish pots, soil amendments and care instructions for optimal success.
• Make sure to stock your inventory with a variety of decorative containers to fit within any environment, but especially for use on balconies and window ledges.
• For garden centers – create pre-assembled finish pots which help take the guess work out of creating complimentary arrangements.

A new generation of home gardeners are entering the field and need your continued support in order to succeed and retain those customers. Make sure you’re ready to handle their needs throughout the process.