2009 Gardening Trends
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Planted by: Jennifer Tidwell
Date: Tuesday March 3, 2009
Planted in: Community Gardens,Gardening News,Green Living,Organic Gardening,Vegetables
Gardening is more popular than ever, thanks to a flagging economy and the sudden rush to “green” living. People have become more conscious about how their decisions affect the world around them, and have become more centered at home as travel and leisure has gotten more expensive.
Edible Landscapes and Community Gardens
Perhaps my favorite swelling trend is an increase in vegetable and food gardening. It’s not just hip to grow your own food anymore, it’s become a necessity for many people. Rising food prices, a demand for organic produce and the desire for a more healthful lifestyle have driven many people to try their hand at vegetable gardens.
Native and Habitat Gardening
As resources get tighter, and municipalities put more restrictions on water usage, I believe we will see a move toward more native landscapes, and fewer expanses of water hungry lawns. Over the long term, lawns are more costly to maintain, both environmentally and financially. Not only are native plantings more adapted to their surroundings, they also provide food and shelter for wildlife that a chemically enhanced lawn does not. I can’t say I would be overly sad to see the demise of toxic, sterile, generic landscaping. A flat expanse of lawn with an abundance of evergreens, and evenly spaced non-descript gallon size shrubs is not appealing to any of the senses or the sensibilities. It’s high time we send that trend packing.
Heirloom Seeds
As more information about genetically modified food comes to light, a push toward heirloom varieties has become apparent. People are scared of “frankenfoods” and have become more aware of what is available to them. Heirloom varieties of food and ornamental crops have been around for generations and have proven themselves over and over again. Check out Heirloom Seeds for a great selection.
Container Gardening
Always popular with the apartment-dwelling crowd, container gardening has really entered the spotlight in the past couple of years. Vegetables, herbs and ornamentals can all be successfully grown in containers. For folks without garden space, or access to a community garden, containers may be the only way they are able to grow anything. See Potted on the Patio for more information about container gardening.
Overall, gardeners are moving toward sustainability, reducing waste, and improving the quality of life. I think that’s one trend I can get behind.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Box O’ Salad
- Lettuce Experiment, Part II, and Greenhouse Pics
- Square Foot Gardening, In the Greenhouse, In a Plastic Storage Container
- No tilling. EVER!
- Green Weddings
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