Home gardening in the U.S.

[Katee]

I found this graphic on the trend of gardening interesting.

Home gardening in the U.S. (http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/infographic-home-gardening-in-the-us)

As more and more Americans grow their own fruits and vegetables, MNN digs up some dirt on this DIY food revolution.

[Reesacat]

I usually have herbs, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers-otherwise the Farmer's Market!

[mellowsong]

About the ONLY thing I miss from my trailer is my container veggie garden. There is nowhere here I can even try due to lack of enough light and no hose to water. I would so love to have just one tomato and one cucumber plant again :(

[Islander]

I expected to see a rise in home gardening and I'm sure if more recent years were included, we would be seeing an even more upward trend, driven by escalating food prices as well as an increased interest in local & organic foods. Like Broke-Ass Grouch, I grow my own nearly everything, but unlike her I do it not only out of necessity but because I love growing things. It gives me joy. Two of my kids also got what my Brooklyn-apartment-dwelling daughter calls "the horticulture gene."

My veggie garden is 3000 square feet, in wide rows. This year's garden includes garlic, snap peas, 4 kinds of tomatoes, lots and lots of onions (I use a great many and they store so well), 3 kinds of peppers (capsicum for you Aussies & NZs), cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards, two kinds of broccoli, a very wide row of dry beans, swiss chard, beets, carrots, radishes, melons, 3 kinds of summer squash, 4 kinds of winter squash, celery, potatoes and asparagus. I juice all summer long, which is why so many greens, and of course I can what's cannable and freeze what isn't, as well as making pickles, relishes, jams & jellies. The raspberries, rhubarb and orchard are separate, of course. I keep most of the herbs in pots on the deck so they can be brought inside during the winter months.

Some of those things store well in cellar or woodshed (apples, potatoes, garlic, carrots, onions, winter squash). I trade some of my apples for cider, and barter jams & jellies for homemade wine, maple syrup or other things that are nice to have but that I no longer produce myself. This year I'm raising a different breed of chicken, dark & nicely camouflaged to protect them from predators as they free-range. I'll let you know how that works!

[Maurya]

My husband brought back a tiny plant of mint, of chives, and of oregano from his trip to visit his cousins in western Massachusetts. So other than the day lilies, the roses, and the tomatoes, that is our garden.