Urban Growing - By The Numbers

  • 200% - the increase in households participating in community gardens from 2008 to 2013
  • 35% - the number of households growing food at home or in a community garden
  • 88% - the number of people that do not garden but still want to see gardens in their neighborhood

This data was excerpted from the excellent article "Urban Growing" by Christine Jordan Sexton, published on Realtor.org.  There are many other interesting numbers in the article such as $1.2 billion being the amount millennials spent on food gardening in 2013 if you happen to be looking for a business opportunity or 750 being the number of mostly poor families helped by Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI to grow their own food if you happen to be looking for a way to give a hand up to those in need.But for me, it was the 88% of people wanting to see gardens in their neighborhood that do not garden themselves number that was most interesting.  It's no surprise at all that gardeners like to see other gardens in their neighborhood, but it is news to me that people that do not garden also take pleasure in the sight of food growing in a neighborhood.  Kudos to you 88%!  C'mon over, I'll have some extra tomatoes in August :)