Stereotypes: Millennials spend more time interacting with the digital world than the natural world around them. The reality: Five million of the 6 million people who gardened in 2015 were millennials, according to the 2016 National Gardening Survey.
More millennials (people between the ages of 21 and 34) than any other age group are in love with gardening. As a hobby, gardening is ideal for the millennial mindset and lifestyle that promotes individuality, independence and values. However, the benefits of gardening that appeal to millennials are also relevant to all ages group, and anyone looking to start growing a nutritious and healthy food garden.
Here are seven reasons why more millennials are taking up food gardening, and why you should too:
Gardening promotes better nutrition.
Millennials care about good nutrition and knowing where their food comes from. Various studies show members of this generation are health conscious, and understand the relationship between the food they eat, good nutrition, and good health. Millennials know fresh vegetables provide good nutrition, and millennial gardeners know that growing their own vegetables and herbs also means they can put more nutritious food on the table. With transplant suppliers like Bonnie Plants offering over 250 varieties of popular, heirloom, hybrid, new and tested vegetables and herbs, it is easy to grow a garden full of healthy, nutritious, economical vegetables and herbs.
You can save money at the grocery store.
Millennials love to save. Eighty percent have a budget, 72 percent are saving for retirement and 51 percent have an emergency fund, according to the TD Ameritrade survey. Gardening can let you spend less in the produce aisle of the grocery store – and this sort of smart savings appeals to millennials and other age groups!
Gardening is nice for the environment.
Awareness of environmental issues and desire for healthy products that contribute to ecological balance are hallmarks of the millennial generation. A Nielsen study found that millennials care about environmental issues and find ways to personally support a healthy environment. When you grow your own vegetables and herbs, the “food distance,” the distance the food is transported from producer to consumer, shrinks considerably and includes only the distance from your kitchen to your own backyard. Choose plants in biodegradable containers, such as those from Bonnie Plants, and gardening is even greener.
You can plant a garden anywhere.
While many millennials are city dwellers, others live in the suburbs. The indisputable fact that they can garden anywhere – on their city balcony, urban patio, or suburban backyard – makes gardening the perfect hobby for them. Using transplants from Bonnie Plants, any gardener can create a backyard garden plot, a vertical garden in the alleys between city buildings, or a container garden on a balcony or deck.
The garden is an awesome place to gather together as a family.
It’s true that millennials are making the most of digital devices of any generation; they also value deep family relationships. Planting a garden with their kids, loved ones or friends allows everybody to spend time enriching together, working towards a joyful shared goal.
Gardening can be a challenge that anyone can achieve.
Working towards goals, and having a vision, are very important qualities for millennials. Gardening takes effort and time but with the right resources and data, it is something nearly anyone can succeed at. Millennials are turning to online resources, such as Bonnie Plants vegetable and herb growing guides, how-to gardens, videos and recipes to help them achieve and ensure success.
Gardening can be an adventure.
Sixty-four percent of millennials say they love to cook, and 75 percent enjoy eating the cuisine of other cultures, according to a survey by Barkley. For generations of adventurous eaters and cooks, gardening can be a chance to grow and try new things, from edible flowers and exotic herbs, to new types of vegetables, while saving money by growing your own.
With millennials now dominating the workforce, and plenty of families starting and reaching their peak earning years, it is likely that their interest in gardening will continue to grow.
