Why more and more Americans are becoming active in the garden

Why more and more Americans are becoming active in the garden

Just two days after the election day, Maggie Mosher, a retired history teacher from San Jose, California, began to create raised beds in her garden to create a winter garden. She had never thought of a winter harvest because she was mainly growing food in spring and summer.

a garden in response to uncertainty

The impetus for the winter garden was partially to distract itself from the results of the presidential election, which she found “overwhelming and depressing”. On the other hand, she wanted to "be a little proactive". This is particularly important because the designated President Donald Trump announced illegally deported immigrants, many of them contribute significantly to bring food from the farms to business. In addition, he threatens with extensive tariffs, especially against Mexico, which is an important source of vegetable production in the USA. This could cause Americans to have to pay considerably more for fruit and vegetables.

The rise of self -sufficiency

To prevent this, more and more Americans have the desire to produce their own food, which leads to a trend in gardening. For Mosher, who lives from a fixed income, the rising food prices are very important. The cultivation of its own broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, potatoes and carrots is a small but meaningful way to reduce the financial load that it may have to bear. Nevertheless, she recognizes: "It is not that the cultivation of a cauliflower will save my budget."

community gardens in the upswing

In the Albany region, New York, Capital Roots, a non -profit organization that operates 55 community gardens, has 31 new registrations between election day and the beginning of the year. This corresponds to almost a tripling of applications compared to the previous year and 2022. Over 840 active members with assigned plots were in the past year, and new members can apply for any time if free space is available.

It is unusual that in the winter months in which hardly anything can be harvested, the membership increase is so strong, says Capital Roots-CEO Amy Klein. The first municipal gardens in the United States go back to more than 100 years. Often people convert unused areas in urban areas in gardens to gain access to food, especially in economically difficult times. In the 1970s, the movement increased as the cost of living, including food prices, climbed abruptly due to the oil crisis.

a way to control the food supply

"With increasing food prices and economic uncertainty, more and more people are turning to the community garden to regain control of their food supply," says Klein. Melany Bradshaw, 34, a licensed psychotherapist from Albany, was one of the new applicants at Capital Roots. The gardens not only offer a way to harvest fresh foods, but also a social connection within the community.

"If new tariffs continue to raise the already high food prices, we expect even more interest in our community gardens," added Klein. The products grown in the gardens vary strongly, depending on the community and cultural background of the gardeners.

preparations for the future harvest

Robert Hunter, a 68-year-old pensioner from Arkansas, began gardening five years ago after he had found the limited selection of fresh food in the nearby shops. Today he builds a variety of fruits and vegetables and even has more than he and his son, which is why he donates excess harvest to local tablets.

In order to advance possible new tariffs, Hunter invested in a professional wooden shredder because he feared that prices could increase if Trump implemented his customs threats. "I am in a very good position compared to many others who are just starting," he said to Cnn.

The tendency towards more self -sufficiency and community gardens shows how people try to proactively secure their food supply in uncertain times and to alleviate the effects of increasing prices. This is not only a practical solution, but also a way to strengthen the community.