Yahoo Finance The isolation habit that can save you hundreds each year
As the pandemic forces people around the world to stay home as much as possible, the popularity of home gardening has skyrocketed.
And the green thumbs we’ve developed during isolation will bear fruits long after the pandemic subsides, new research from the University of South Australia shows.
Overlooking garden setup costs, 79 per cent of people who established vegetable gardens were estimated to have saved over $250 on their annual grocery bill, the research found.
“This is the first time that the economic value of sustainable home vegetable gardens has been quantified to this level of detail in Australia,” researcher Georgia Csortan said.
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Demand for seeds ‘unprecedented’
A major US seed company sold more seed in March than during any time in its 144-year history, while seed demand in Russia rose by 30 per cent year-on-year during the peak of the pandemic.
Canada-based seed company received 1,000 online orders during the weekend of 21 March – four times more than normal – and it was no different on home soil (pun intended).
In fact, seed suppliers in Australia and New Zealand paused trading, after being overwhelmed with orders 10 times higher than normal, The Guardian reported.
Australia’s The Diggers Club paused new product orders due to “unprecedented demand”, despite having extensive supplies on hand, and New Zealand’s King Seeds was forced to suspend online ordering in April.
And the rapid popularity of home gardening is not surprising, given supermarkets battling panic buying were forced to hike prices in a bid to manage demand.
Fresh fruit hit $4.90 per kilo, while iceberg lettuce at Woolworths hit as high as $10 a head.
Aldi, the supermarket known for offering the best prices, has truss tomatoes priced at $8.99 a kilogram, while eagle-eyed shoppers spotted broccoli for $11.50 per kilo at a Brisbane Woolworths.
Mental health benefits of home gardening
Home gardening isn’t just financially beneficial. In fact, maintaining a home garden is also good for our mental health too, Csortan said.
“If done well, home gardens are an excellent way for people to remain productive, get in touch with nature, connect with the community and educate children in tangible, fun ways about where our food comes from.”
It’s also an effective mechanism for dealing with stress, Plant Life Balance ambassador and researcher, Dominique Hes, told Better Homes and Gardens.
“Being able to see plants or be surrounded by them can be an effective mechanism of dealing with stress,” Hes said.
“Experts say tending to plants can be one of the most accessible and simplest ways to engage in mindfulness.
Research by Plant Life Balance found around 66 per cent of people feel a sense of satisfaction when gardening, and 61 per cent feel a sense of accomplishment.
Over half of people (58 per cent) experience improved mood when gardening, and some even experience improved concentration.
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