Findings from the National Gardening Association’s new survey, “The Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America,” indicate that food gardening in the United States is on the rise.
Seven million more households grew their own fruits, vegetables or herbs in 2009 than in 2008, constituting a 19-percent increase, according to the survey. The reasons range from increasing recognition that homegrown produce is often higher quality and therefore tastes better, to cost savings. On average, the survey reports, a well-maintained food garden yields a $500 return, when considering a typical gardener’s …