Home gardening is a large household activity in the United States. The 2024 National Gardening Survey reported that 84.1% of U.S. households gardened, while 51.8 million households grew vegetables. Spending, time, crop choices, and wildlife-friendly practices show how varied home gardening has become.
Contents
- Participation and household spending
- Vegetable gardening and garden expansion
- What home gardeners grow
- When and why people garden
- Gardening retailers and sources of inspiration
- Wildlife-friendly home landscapes
- Food production and international comparisons
Participation and household spending
The latest national participation figures describe gardening as a mainstream household activity rather than a niche pastime. Garden Research’s 2024 National Gardening Survey reported that 84.1% of U.S. households gardened in 2024. The same survey counted 122.3 million U.S. households participating in lawn and garden activities, and reported $52.3 billion in spending by U.S. home and lawn-garden households.
Lawn care accounts for a substantial share of that activity. In 2024, 81.4 million U.S. households did lawn care, equal to 56.0% of households, according to the [Garden Research 2024 National Gardening Survey]. Vegetable gardening reached 51.8 million households, or 35.6% of U.S. households, in the same survey.
Earlier figures show that participation and spending were already high. Garden Research’s 2023 National Gardening Survey reported that 80% of U.S. households took part in lawn and gardening activities in 2022. Average household spending was $616 in 2022, an increase of $74 from 2021. Nearly two in five households reported spending more in 2022 than in 2021, and more than one-third expected to increase lawn and gardening spending in 2023 compared with 2022.
| Measure | Result | Measurement period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. households that gardened | 84.1% | 2024 | Garden Research 2024 National Gardening Survey |
| Households in lawn and garden activities | 122.3 million | 2024 | Garden Research 2024 National Gardening Survey |
| Home and lawn-garden household spending | $52.3 billion | 2024 | Garden Research 2024 National Gardening Survey |
| Average household lawn and garden spending | $616 | 2022 | Garden Research 2023 National Gardening Survey |
The 2024 survey covers 15 gardening activities and tracks 12 demographic dimensions, according to Garden Research About Us. Those details matter when interpreting the headline participation figure: gardening includes multiple activities, from vegetables and lawn care to other household plant-related pursuits.
Vegetable gardening and garden expansion
Vegetable gardening is one of the clearest indicators of food-growing interest at home. The 35.6% participation rate in 2024 represents 51.8 million U.S. households. Other studies show that edible gardening is also present outside the United States, although the measures and populations differ.
In a Canadian home food gardening study, 51% of respondents grew at least one type of fruit or vegetable in a home garden. Among Canadian home gardeners in that study, 96% ate their harvest fresh from the garden. A separate home gardening and BMI study found that 30% of survey respondents reported growing edible plants in a home garden, while a home garden ownership study found that 40.4% of participants reported owning a home garden.
Intentions to expand were prominent in the Axiom 2024 Gardening Outlook Survey. Half of home-gardening respondents said they spent more money in 2023 than in 2022. Another 43% said they spent 50% to 100% more time gardening in 2023 than in 2022. Looking ahead from that survey, 50.5% expected to spend more time gardening in 2024 than in 2023, and 65% planned to plant more and expand their gardens in 2024.
Generational responses were higher for some measures. In the Axiom survey, 52.7% of Gen Z respondents and 53.5% of Gen Y respondents spent more money in 2023 than in 2022. The shares reporting 50% to 100% more gardening time were 59% for Gen Z and 54% for Gen Y. For 2024, 54.3% of Gen Z and 56.4% of Gen Y expected to spend more time gardening. Plans to plant more and expand gardens were reported by 71.2% of Gen Z respondents and 76.2% of Gen Y respondents.
What home gardeners grow
YouGov’s home gardeners article measured planned crops among gardeners. Tomatoes led the listed fruits and vegetables: 67% of gardeners said they would grow tomatoes that year. Cucumbers followed at 35%, bell peppers at 34%, lettuce at 27%, green beans at 25%, and zucchini at 23%. Thirteen percent said they did not intend to plant any fruit or vegetable in their garden.
Herbs were also common. Basil was selected by 41% of gardeners, rosemary by 29%, mint by 28%, cilantro by 25%, and thyme and parsley by 21% each, according to the same YouGov source.
Flower plans showed a different mix. Roses were reported by 35% of gardeners, lilies by 25%, tulips by 23%, hydrangeas by 21%, and daffodils by 18%. These figures describe what gardeners said they would grow in the measured year; they are not a complete inventory of all plants grown.
| Planned plant | Share of gardeners |
|---|---|
| Tomatoes | 67% |
| Basil | 41% |
| Cucumbers | 35% |
| Roses | 35% |
| Bell peppers | 34% |
| Rosemary | 29% |
| Mint | 28% |
| Lettuce | 27% |
| Green beans, lilies | 25% each |
| Zucchini, tulips | 23% each |
When and why people garden
Seasonal timing is concentrated in spring. YouGov found that 29% of gardeners said April was the month when they began planting or tending their gardens. March and May each accounted for 23%. Only 9% of Americans with a garden said they tended it year-round.
The same YouGov article found that 84% of gardeners started before the COVID-19 pandemic, while 15% began during the pandemic. The pandemic share was higher among younger gardeners: 34% of gardeners ages 18 to 29 said they began during the COVID-19 pandemic. By age group, 40% of Americans under 30 said they had a garden they maintained at home, compared with 55% of Americans ages 45 to 64 and 54% of Americans age 65 and older.
Cost pressures also shaped decisions. In the Garden Research 2023 National Gardening Survey, inflation was a major factor for more than half of respondents when planning whether to increase or decrease lawn and gardening participation in 2023. Watering wisely, buying plants on sale, and growing plants from seeds were among the most commonly used household cost-control practices.
Younger respondents were more likely to be first-time participants in lawn and gardening activities in 2022, and they were also more likely to try a new lawn or gardening activity that year, according to the same Garden Research survey. Indoor houseplant gardening recorded the biggest participation jump among activities in 2022.
Gardening retailers and sources of inspiration
Independent garden centers remained a recurring source of information in the Axiom 2024 Gardening Outlook Survey. Nearly six in ten respondents reported making the same number of visits to independent garden centers in 2023. Also, 28.3% said independent garden centers were their number one place for learning about new plants and gardening supplies.
YouGov measured several other sources of inspiration. Seeing other gardens nearby was cited by 31% of gardeners. Social media sites such as Instagram and Pinterest were cited by 26%, while magazines and websites were cited by 21%. Another 27% said they did not draw inspiration from any particular source.
These figures point to a mix of local and digital discovery. A nearby garden can influence planting decisions, while a garden center, social platform, magazine, or website can help a gardener compare plants and supplies. The survey results do not establish that any one source causes a purchase or planting decision.
Wildlife-friendly home landscapes
Home gardens also serve as a setting for wildlife-supporting choices. The National Wildlife Federation’s 2024 National Gardening Survey reported that 28% of U.S. adults were purchasing plants beneficial for native bees, butterflies, and birds. Twelve percent were converting parts of their lawn to a natural or wildflower landscape.
Earlier National Wildlife Federation research reported that 34% of U.S. adults purchased plants to help wildlife in 2022, compared with 26% in 2020. A 2023 Garden for Wildlife article reported that 35% of respondents in 2022 invested in plants beneficial to bees, butterflies, and birds. The measures and survey years differ, so these figures should be read as separate results rather than a single trend line.
Leaves are another part of wildlife-friendly yard management. In the National Wildlife Federation’s 2023 Leave the Leaves survey, 49% said they used collected leaves for mulch, compost, or both, while 21% said leaves smothering or ruining the lawn was a concern. The 2024 Leave the Leaves survey reported that 53% kept leaves out of landfills by repurposing them for compost or garden mulch. It also reported that 52% were required to remove autumn leaves by an HOA, city ordinance, or both.
Native plants have a specific role in the wildlife data. A National Wildlife Federation blog reported that 90% of Certified Wildlife Habitat owners grew native host plants for butterfly and moth caterpillars, compared with 8% of neighbors and 4% of owners at random locations. The same source reported that 15% to 60% of the 4,000 North American native bee species are pollen specialists, and that 40% of native plants are needed by those specialist bees as host plants.
The National Wildlife Federation also reported that 1.8 billion milkweed stems are needed in the United States to reestablish the imperiled monarch butterfly population. In a 2020 survey, 64.1 million U.S. adults had purchased a plant because it was beneficial to birds, bees, or butterflies over the prior three years, while 23.1 million U.S. adults had converted part of their lawn to a natural or wildflower landscape in 2019. That 2020 National Gardening Survey also reported that 10% of U.S. adults were already making such lawn conversions in 2019.
Food production and international comparisons
Small home gardens can produce measurable food and household value. A study titled Vegetable Output, Cost Savings, and Nutritional Value of Low-Income Families’ Home Gardens in San Jose, CA reported that the average low-income home garden produced 1.23 pounds of vegetables per square foot. Those gardeners saved an average of $339 by growing their own vegetables.
Research from other locations provides context, but the geographies and methods are not interchangeable with the U.S. national surveys. In cited urban domestic production research titled Home-grown: Gardens, practices and motivations in urban domestic vegetable production, 25% of households in Hobart, Australia, and 26% of households in Barcelona, Spain, grew vegetables.
The Detroit study Small-scale urban agriculture: Drivers of growing produce at home and in community gardens in Detroit reported that 50% of its study sample never grew fruit at home, while 34% never grew vegetables at home. In a Statistics Canada biennial survey cited by the Canadian home food gardening study, 57% of Canadians engaged in some form of gardening.
YouGov’s location figures further distinguish home gardening from other settings: 50% of Americans said they gardened at home, 3% said they gardened at a community garden, and 2% said they gardened somewhere besides their own home. These categories describe reported gardening locations and should not be added to the U.S. household participation figures, which use different survey definitions.