2021’s Best Cities for Urban Gardening

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

1. Reconnecting with nature and with yourself
2. Contributing to the preservation of the environment
3. Contributing to your own health

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

1. Observe and learn.
2. Educate yourself, asking who knows more.
3. Experiment/try and exchange seeds/plant material/tips.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

Use an indoor space or a balcony/patio, and produce microgreens, even on a windowsill.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I think that the pandemic increased people’s awareness and attention to what is essential and more important. Food and nutrition security is clearly very important for everyone, and discovering that the availability of food is not something to take for granted changed the mindset and way of thinking/living for a lot of people.

Moreover, being more isolated at home, more people discovered the pleasure and multiple benefits of gardening. I think this trend will continue even post-pandemic because this pandemic is leaving a big mark on everyone, and people will continue to value the benefits of gardening. Gardening could be associated also with well-being, and it is difficult to ignore something after you benefit from it.

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

Gardening is great physical exercise. Ornamental gardens provide spaces you can enjoy outdoors, and vegetable gardens provide great access to healthy food.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

1. Use plants in masses; don’t plant just one.
2. Pay attention to the soil; everything starts there. If your soil is not healthy (loose and rich, moist enough but not wet) your plants won’t do well.
3. Pick plants that flower or fruit over a period of time. Don’t go to the garden center and pick everything that is blooming now. You want to have extended interest in your garden and food to harvest throughout the year.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

You can garden in containers on balconies or on the roof (if it is flat).

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I believe the trend will continue. Of course, when people go back to traveling there will be less time or need to garden, but once you’ve caught the bug it is hard to give it up. Once you realize the benefits of having an active relationship with the outdoors, you won’t want to stop.

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

• For many years, gardening has been promoted as an activity that engages seniors and keeps their bodies and minds active. An elevated gardening surface, such as a raised bed, makes it easier for someone who might be older, or have mobility issues, to garden. Learn more about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s views on gardening and healthy aging.
• Parents, teachers, and others who interact with children use gardening as a way to help them learn “where their food comes from.” Young children may not understand that food in the grocery store or the flowers they see in a shop have to be sown/propagated and nurtured to reach a certain size and maturity level before being harvested and/or eaten.
• Specific plants are shown to help build pollinator populations, such as bees, butterflies, other beneficial insects, and hummingbirds. Several plants are available that are visually appealing and provide shelter and nectar/pollen for these and other valuable pollinators. The U.S. Forest Service provides an overview of gardening for pollinators.
• Home gardeners also tend to enjoy the benefit of harvesting their food. Satisfaction can range from growing something from seed to having access to specific vegetables, fruits, and herbs that are not available in their local area.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

1. Start small. As with any hobby, it is easy to invest a fair amount of money to buy seeds, plants, supplies, etc. It may not be until someone goes through an entire growing season to decide whether they enjoy grown plants and gardening. While a flower garden certainly can increase the visual appeal of an outdoor space, there is a bit of work involved before, during, and even after the season ends.
2. Talk to neighbors and gardeners in your area, and ask them what grows well for them. Ask where they get seeds and plants and if there are any groups or clubs in the area that allow gardeners to get together, in person or online, and learn from each other.
3. Contact the local Extension services, and learn about programs and educational opportunities for home gardeners. Gardeners can find a calendar of events for in-person and online classes ranging from one-time seminars to a series of sessions, some for free and some for a fee. Master Gardeners volunteers associated with each state’s Extension service are often the ones who provide educational programming to homeowners. The American Horticultural Society website includes contact information for the Master Gardener program in the U.S. and Canada.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

There are many options for city dwellers with a small patio or balcony or no exterior space to grow some flowering plants, vegetables, small fruits, and herbs.

Containers work for outdoor and indoor gardening, but there are many planters that will fit over outdoor balcony railings if there is a lack of floor space. There are lightweight containers that attach to glass for indoor gardening that can be used to grow microgreens, herbs, and small houseplants.

Hanging baskets will also work for areas with limited floor space.

Additionally, several small hydroponic systems are available that only require homeowners to plug the unit in to an electrical socket, fill it with water, add fertilizer every other week, insert seed pods, and wait for flowers to bloom or plants to be ready for harvest.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I expect those who have come to enjoy the hobby and who derive benefits from the activity, whether for the beauty, ability to harvest foods from their backyard, the therapeutic value, etc., will continue to do so post-pandemic.

For others whose demands on their time greatly increases, either due to resuming leisure activities or returning to work, it may be more challenging to find the time to garden — though with container gardening, limiting the space a garden occupies, low-maintenance plants, and even the technology available to alert a homeowner when a plant needs to be watered or fertilized, there are ways to continue gardening even when life returns to “normal.”

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

I think a big benefit of home gardening, both for produce gardening and landscaping, is that it of course offers a pleasurable hobby, but it improves our outdoor environment in a multitude of ways.

There is the improved economic value of gardens and landscaping from a real estate standpoint, but it also creates more outdoor living space for a home, where we all have spent more time recently.

An inviting garden or landscaped back porch can do a lot for our overall health and well-being as a place of refuge and relaxation.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

For first-time gardeners, I recommend to start small, and learn as you go. Start with a small garden or even container gardening to get an idea of what you like and how things grow. My other tip is just keep learning — as long as we’re learning, we’re growing.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

For small spaces, container gardening is a great option with lots of possibilities and flexibility. There are endless options for size, material, style, and function, depending on the space and what the goals of the gardening are. A small back porch or deck can be transformed with container gardening.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

We are seeing a massive boomerang effect in the horticulture field because people are ready to get out and get going on projects that have been postponed. I think there is a ton of new interest in home gardening not only because people want to grow their own food, but they want to spend more time in their home landscapes.

I expect it to be a growing trend for years to come, which is really a great thing for gardeners and for the landscapes in our cities and neighborhoods. I hope the trend continues!

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

There are physical, mental, emotional, and social benefits to gardening. To reduce it to one sentence is certainly an oversimplification, but there is growing research evidence for each of these areas in youth, adults, and older adults.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

My top three tips for new gardeners:

1. Ask your garden center for a plant that is easy to grow and/or forgiving of water stress. New gardeners tend to over- or under-water, having a plant that can handle this will give them more success and confidence for future plants.

2. Read the labels, and look up the plants for mature size. Put the plant in the environment it needs, and give it the space that it needs. Water, sunlight, nutrition, and mature size should be considered. (If you have children or pets that like to put things in their mouth, check for toxicity also.)

3. Be kind to yourself. If you don’t succeed with your first plant/crop, don’t give up; try again. Try to determine what might have gone wrong and do things differently next time, or maybe pick a different plant. Don’t beat yourself up over a plant that didn’t make it. Learn and move forward.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

There are some great small-scale hydroponic systems that can go on the floor in a corner or smaller for your countertop. Interior plants in pots around your home are great for air quality and connecting to nature. Vertical gardening on a balcony adds life to a space also.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I hope the gardening boom of the pandemic does continue and that people have a new appreciation for plants and confidence in their growing skills. I do not think it will be quite as big as last year, although growers are having a great sales year this year, as well. A lot of people are back on site with their work and children are back in schools, so our time is being pulled away from our homes again.

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

1. Unlike humans, plants use carbon dioxide from the air and produce oxygen. Growing new plants and maintaining our landscape’s health improve our environment and reduce pollution.
2. Exposure to sunlight while protecting our skin improves vitamin D in our body and increases calcium level to benefit our bones and immune system.
3. It is a free exercise and reduces stress.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

1. Take time to get the correct information; many resources are out there, including the UCANR Master Gardener Program website.
2. Do it right, and do not be shy to ask for help.
3. Be sure to get the plant materials from reliable, safe, certified sources.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

Gardening is very beneficial even when using small potted plants; some plant species grow indoors, and also, I would recommend the succulents for people who do not have time, as they do not need too much care.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I believe that is one of the positive things that happened during the pandemic; I believe we rediscovered gardening benefits on clearing our mind and reducing stress. I think most people will continue gardening since they have already seen the benefits of gardening.

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

1. Health (mental and physical)
2. Beauty
3. Fun

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

1. Start small.
2. Walk around the neighborhood, look at what is doing well, begin with things that thrive.
3. If possible, plant in the fall so roots have time to develop before hot weather.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

1. Garden on your balcony.
2. Grow shade-loving plants indoors.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

I hope it will! Many people found themselves home with time and developed a new or renewed interest in gardening and in growing food. Some people were initially inspired by a fear of a food shortage and wanted to be more self-reliant.

I think one of the ways we will feed the world is by continuing to grow some of our own food. Many people learned a lot this year and have done the hard work of preparing the soil for vegetable gardening. Keeping it going will be much easier than starting was.

There are lots of reasons people grow food: some want more control over what pesticides are applied; others like the wider selection of varieties available in a seed catalog than in a grocery store; others appreciate the health benefits; while others are inspiring their children to steward the earth while improving their nutrition.

Those people who became gardeners during the pandemic have lots of reasons to continue.

Besides sheer pleasure, what are the top three benefits of gardening?

Complex question, but studies have shown that connecting with nature helps restore the soul. There is also “pride” in your home/landscape. Some who mow their own lawn mention good exercise. Overall, personal DIY satisfaction.

What are your top three tips for first-time gardeners?

Don’t try and be too ambitious, know what you can/can’t do, and hire pros for certain things.

Most homeowners are highly capable of mowing their own lawns and even feeding and basic spot-spraying for pesky weeds like the dandelion. If you are thinking of core aerating your lawn, you might consider a professional.

Know where to find reliable, unbiased help like university websites. There are also a few apps out there to help ID pests like our Purdue Turf Doctor or TurfPath.

For those who live in big cities with few or no community gardens, what are the best alternatives?

Not an easy answer, but I have heard a number of stories about people gardening on their apartment balconies (container gardening). This is preferable to simply finding an area and planting veggies.

Many urban soils are not very good for growing much of anything due to poor soil structure and a lack of soil organic matter, which can affect plant growth.

Additionally, there are some small hydroponic systems for growing spices.

The pandemic spurred a gardening boom in the U.S. and around the world. Do you expect this trend to continue post-pandemic? Why or why not?

Like question 1, many people like to connect with nature, and I would expect this trend will continue for lots of reasons, including taking a mental pause in working and feeling the satisfaction of growing something.