I personally love to garden as I'm in my own little world when I'm out planting or weeding are doing in the yard.
Our little working class neighborhood sprinkled with renters, young and old households has maintained much the same amount of gardening over the last 30 years we have lived here. The interest seems to have sparked more in the region and generally if you consider the sales of seeds. Seed companies here in the states had record sales last year. When things get tight financially (and I know lots of families/friends that have been hit hard by this recession)people seem to like to feel they have some influence on what happens in their lives by growing a vegie patch. A friend is even having a vegetable/flower exchange themed May Day get-to-gether. Where I live gardening seems to be an ever new/old experience. I'd say at least half of the people at work have gardens.
This is an interesting question. Before last year I would have said far fewer people in my little world were gardening. For the longest time, I seemed to be the only one in the neighborhood or that I knew, who did much more than a few petunias or impatiens or hanging baskets....In my own yard, I had been renovating some older flower beds and would grow just a few veggies, enough tomatoes, cukes and herbs for myself and a few to give away. But last year, a most exciting thing hapened. I decided to plant a larger variety of veggies. AND, five of my closest neighbors planted veggie gardens of various sizes for the first time as well. I loved it. Several of the gardens were quite large. I think their motivations were varied. I know at least one planted in order to reduce their food budget. I think the others did it partly for that reason plus the sheer enjoyment. I notice that among my friends, they keep their gardening endeavors small. With working and tending to families, time is a factor. Some of my friends have begun gardening when they moved from the City to a suburban plot, or when they bought homes with yards that they could plant. All of that to say that among the people in my life, gardening is definately more popular recently.
