Gardening

A gardener maintaining topiary in Tulcán, Ecuador

Gardening is the process of growing plants for their vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and appearances within a designated space.[1] Gardens fulfill a wide assortment of purposes, notably the production of aesthetically pleasing areas, medicines, cosmetics, dyes, foods, poisons, wildlife habitats, and saleable goods (see market gardening). People often partake in gardening for its therapeutic, health, educational, cultural, philosophical, environmental, and religious benefits.[2]

Berms of fava beans have been planted at Hayes Valley Farm, a community-built farm on the former Central freeway ramps of San Francisco

Gardening varies in scale from the 800 hectare Versailles gardens[3] down to container gardens grown inside. Gardens take many forms, some only contain one type of plant while others involve a complex assortment of plants with no particular order.

Gardening can be difficult to differentiate from farming. They are most easily differentiated based on their primary objectives. Farming prioritizes saleable goods and may include livestock production whereas gardening often prioritizes aesthetics and leisure. As it pertains to food production, gardening generally happens on a much smaller scale with the intent of personal or community consumption.[4] It is important to note that there are cultures which do not differentiate between farming and gardening.[5] This is primarily because subsistence agriculture has been the main method of farming throughout its 12,000 year history and is virtually indistinguishable from gardening.[6][7]

  1. ^ "Gardening | Definition, Types, Tools, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ Lovell, Rebecca; Husk, Kerryn; Bethel, Alison; Garside, Ruth (7 October 2014). "What are the health and well-being impacts of community gardening for adults and children: a mixed method systematic review protocol". Environmental Evidence. 3 (1): 20. Bibcode:2014EnvEv...3...20L. doi:10.1186/2047-2382-3-20. hdl:10871/19910. ISSN 2047-2382.
  3. ^ "The Gardens". Palace of Versailles. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ Bailey, Mark (3 December 2021). "The Difference Between Farming & Gardening". UF/IFAS Extension Marion County. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  5. ^ "gitigaan (ni) | | the Ojibwe People's Dictionary". ojibwe.lib.umn.edu. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Origins of agriculture - Neolithic Revolution, Domestication, Irrigation | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Subsistence farming | Definition, Characteristics, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.