Discerning the underlying motivations people have for starting and maintaining a vegetable garden are probably worthy of a two-day session with a Freudian psychologist or at least a one-hour interview with a qualitative researcher proficient in using laddering techniques. For me, having a garden provides a sense of control: the work I do in early spring almost always bears results by mid-summer and the produce I get, especially the tomatoes are far better than anything I can get from a store.
Having food we grow ourselves is a popular American past-time. More than a third of all home-owners (single family or town house) have a fruit or vegetable garden, while another 47% would like to have one but don’t due to lack of time, knowledge or a good location.
Another benefit of having one’s own garden is the ability to manage what goes into the food we eat. Whether we grow our own veggies or buy them from the store or farmer’s market, the notion of buying organic food is popular among Americans…as long as it doesn’t hurt their wallets.
While an overwhelming majority of Americans (74%) like the idea of buying organic foods, fewer than one-in-ten (8%) are willing to pay “a lot more”, while another 25% are willing to pay “a little more”.
Let me know if you have your own garden and what you think Freud would say about your motivations.
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