News Flash: GIY is Hot!
From the mouth of one gardening industry trendspotter, "Gardening is back!"
And I cheer this trend. I have been shouting it from the rooftops since I was a freshman in college: grow it yourself, be kind to the environment, learn about the creatures and plants in your own back yard. I would love to see a garden in every back yard, and every front yard, for that matter. I'd love to see balconies and patios loaded with containers growing tomatoes, eggplants, lettuces and herbs. For every person I know who is planting their first vegetable garden, I raise a triumphant fist in the air. Yes!
But I have to wonder if it is just that: a trend, a fad. One that will go the way of beehive hairdos and Britney Spears. Is this just "the thing to do" for now? And once our economy stabilizes, or we get used to paying ridiculous amounts for basic needs, will everyone just go back to settling for grocery store produce flown in from South America and beyond? Are we, as a nation, really that fickle?
I hope not. I hope that every person who harvests from his or her own garden this year becomes infected with a deep love of gardening. I hope that the joy that comes from watching something you planted bear fruit is enough to keep new gardeners going, and expanding, in the years ahead.
What do you think? Is GIY (I think I may hate that acronym. I don't know why...) here to stay, or will the hordes of new gardeners go on to the next fad that comes along? I'd love to hear your opinions on this one!
Comments
I must confess I’m jumping on the home gardening bandwagon. I haven’t planted yet as we are having an insanely wet and cold winter here in NZ, but I plan to have a thriving garden come August.
GIY shouldn’t be a fad, as people harvest their own produce and the see the monetary and emotional benefits they will realise that it’s a economically sound principle. It also makes ethical sense for the most part, as it reduces ‘food miles’ and thus their carbon footprint, wtih which more and more people are becoming concerned with. Furthermore it will hopefully lead to more sustainable trends in agriculture in places such as South America and Asia.
I think two next steps should be habitat gardening, Masanobu Fukuoka’s method fo producive gardening and the support of local initiatives to grow staples. Staples are currently are grown very far from market typically and in monoculture environments, with high levels of mechanisation.
Hope that ant wasn’t too long.
May everyone’s grow well!
Hi Michael,
Your rant was definitely NOT too long, and I couldn’t agree with you more. I certainly hope it’s more than a fad.
Thank you for commenting!
I suspect as with any fad, many will try it, and then move on to the next ‘big thing’, whatever that is, but some will try it, like it, and stay with it! We welcome all to the gardening world!