For Better Or Worse: How 2020 Changed The Garden

Written by - Kaitlynn from MIgardener

It's safe to say; the pandemic has not made anything easier in 2020. Everything from grocery shopping to engagement ring production has been affected by the repercussions of COVID. The homestead is no exception. Millions of people have found peace in the garden this year, but even gardening has been met with a few changes and challenges. Here are a few ways the world of gardening has changed in 2020.

Let's get started.

Online Shopping Prevails

Due to the nature of the virus, most people feel more comfortable buying online. For some, that means absolutely everything they would normally buy in a store. There was a surge in online shopping this year. The increase of online shopping caused shipping rates to go up for small businesses, and order fulfillment takes much longer than usual. Not to mention, fewer workers than usual could be present (even in full PPE) to work in their offices in 2020. On the plus side, people are getting to know their delivery people well this year!

Natural Disaster = Crop Failures

Sadly, the wildfires that hit the western United States this year caused significant crop failures. Approximately a quarter of the world's food supply is grown on the west coast of the US. A large portion of this crop is used for supplying seed to various retailers. Most seed has to be harvested and processed by hand. Seed processing became increasingly difficult in light of covid and the wildfires combined. This year's wildfires and droughts caused crop failures and forced workers to re-locate, making it much more difficult to harvest seeds than ever before. The recovery process from the California wildfires has only just begun and will be a long road for those involved.

Seed Packet Supply

Even seed packet production has been changed in 2020 by COVID sweeping the world. Paper cost was already at an all time increase in 2019 because of online commerce growth, but 2020 surpassed all expectations. The majority of ink and ink cartridges are produced overseas in countries like China, which have enforced travel bans that limit shipping to and from other countries or significantly slow the process down.

The Silver Lining: More Gardeners Than Ever Before

Yes, this year has been a hard one for the gardening industry. However, the high demand for seeds is a very encouraging thing to see for one reason: it means more people want to be in the garden. Every gardening company and seed supplier saw record increases in sales in 2020. Gardening youtube channels skyrocketed their subscriber count as people searched for information on growing their first garden.

While the world turned absolutely upside down in 2020, people all over the world grew snap peas for the very first time. Families were able to grow food to share with their neighbors. Communities came together at farmers' markets, plant stands, and food giveaways in these hard and strange times. As the gardening industry worked hard to bring you the supplies you needed in 2020, you pulled through right alongside us to create a home in the garden.

Did you enjoy this post? MIgardener is passionate about sharing free gardening tips and information! If you are looking for inspiration in the garden, make sure to check out our Pinterest page. New ideas and inspiration can be found there at any time. Check us out at MIgardener.com or on youtube, Instagram, and Facebook.