在大流行时代，人们对在自己的土地或城市阳台上种植、照料和收获水果和蔬菜的兴趣重新抬头。
越来越多的人被困在家里——他们越关心自己的食物供应——园艺就越有吸引力。
有机园艺教育家、微园丁老板安妮·吉布森向《电子商务时报》解释说：“恐慌性购买和食品短缺导致许多人重新考虑对超市的依赖，希望变得更加自力更生。”。
“由于许多人失业，预算也是一个因素。在家里种植自己的食物可以省钱，这意味着没有食物里程或燃料去超市，没有食物浪费或包装成本。原料可以直接从菜园里摘下来放在桌子上，”她补充道。
事实上，在美国，大流行的留守令始于春季，这吸引了人们尝试种植作物，在某些情况下是第一次。
“如果说有什么东西能激励人们去园艺，那就是你手上的大量时间和春天的结合，”W.AtleeBurpee&Co.总裁兼首席执行官杰米·马蒂科（Jamie Mattikow）告诉《电子商务时报》。
“当人们休假，或者在某些情况下放假时，他们就回家了，突然之间，他们开始以一种从未有过的方式和院子一起生活。3月19日白天开始变长，时间再合适不过了。所以突然间，人们看到他们的院子变得生机盎然，这就促使人们去花园。”
安全园艺
家庭园艺也提供了一种安全感和独立性。即使世界被颠覆了，一个家庭花园也能提供一点食物保险。
吉布森说：“我注意到，新来的园丁们兴趣高涨，他们希望更具可持续性，并且觉得自己有能力学习如何在家里种植至少一些自己的食物。”。
“食品安全和通过在家里做一些积极的事情来避免人群聚集是这种兴趣激增的催化剂，但人们也发现园艺是灵魂的食物。把手伸进土壤里，呼吸新鲜空气，户外运动，播种和观看植物生长，以及与大自然的联系，都会为身心健康带来奇迹。”
许多人发现园艺提供了一种方法来控制有时会感到混乱和不可预测的局面。
有机种植者学校传播和项目主管阿加莎·汉纳告诉《电子商务时报》：“在流感大流行期间，人们转向园艺是有多种原因的。”。
“争夺种子对于抢夺厕纸来说是至关重要的，这是对稀缺这一现实威胁的一种反应。随着我们看到供应链受到限制和主食短缺，我们的工业农业模式的后果立即显现出来。
“与此同时，园艺突然变得有形起来。它可以在任何规模上进行，而且有了留在家里的订单，人们就有时间来探索这项他们可能一直想尝试的活动，”她解释说。
园艺疗法
除了它的实际好处，园艺提供了各种精神和情感上的好处，在混乱和不确定的时间。
Gardener's Supply公司人力资源和信息技术副总裁克里斯蒂凯恩（Christie Kane）对《电子商务时报》说：“我们相信园艺对精神、健康和环境都有很多好处。”。
“在COVID-19危机期间保持心理健康是必要的。园艺给了人们希望和爱好。保持身体健康也很重要。疾病预防控制中心鼓励户外运动，[和]园艺让你的身体移动时，健身房可能不是一个选择
园艺对家庭活动来说也是一种很好的“生活质量”，这在流感大流行期间也变得很重要。
汉娜解释说：“园艺本身就是一种有益和快乐的方式，可以活跃起来，与你的孩子玩耍和教育他们——这是一个面对学校关闭的绝佳机会——通过交换知识、技能和丰收的作物来与社区打交道。”。
家庭与花园复兴
由于花园是人们花费大量时间的家庭空间的一部分，人们对园艺的兴趣日益高涨，这也是人们越来越普遍地关注家庭相关活动的一部分。
Qubit负责客户成功的副总裁Julia Fearn在接受《电子商务时报》采访时说：“在这场大流行期间，家居和花园品牌的在线销售出现了巨大的激增，这不仅仅是因为购物者一直在家里寻找他们能做出的所有改进。”。
“此外，在禁止外出、探亲访友甚至度假的情况下，改善居住环境一直是保持人们心情的重要组成部分。”
近几个月来，很多家庭和花园用品的采购都是在网上完成的，这既得益于许多人一直在避开实体零售店，也得益于他们在家里接受电子商务送货上门和花园。
费尔恩说：“另一个因素可能也在起作用，这也归因于购物者在家的事实，那就是每个人都可以提货，但要保证商品到达时他们会在那里。”这对家居和花园品牌来说永远是一个挑战，大多数东西都放不进邮箱。一个总是在家的购物者更容易买到更大的商品。”
即使是其他的园艺方法，比如水培法，也重新引起了人们的兴趣。水培法将在鱼缸里养鱼和在水中种植植物结合起来。
aquaponics公司Nelson and Pade的首席执行官兼联合创始人丽贝卡•L•纳尔逊（Rebecca L.Nelson）说：“大流行给了很多人时间去园艺，如果他们不工作的话，也给了他们一个机会去更多地思考我们的食物系统，以及一个人想要的食物和食物的质量是否在杂货店可以买到。”，向电子商务时报解释。
“看到刚刚开始的食物短缺，人们意识到他们可以通过种植自己喜欢吃的东西来更好地控制自己的食物。传统园艺有很多挑战，而水生生物没有。”
水产养殖是一种非常适合大流行的园艺技术，允许人们饲养蔬菜和鱼类供食用。
Nelson说：“水培是一种可持续的园艺方法，允许个人或企业全年种植新鲜的鱼和蔬菜。”这是在没有杀虫剂、除草剂或化肥的情况下完成的。它正变得越来越受园丁们的欢迎，他们正在寻找不仅仅是蔬菜的供应。一个水培园丁可以种植和收获鲜鱼以及丰富的沙拉作物。”
未来的园艺
也许最重要的是，园艺是一种既能提供食物又能带来幸福感的方式。
汉娜说：“对许多美国人来说，这是他们第一次看到一个一些基本需求没有自动得到满足的世界，这引起了人们对自给自足兴趣的上升。”。
“也许你不能自己生产卫生纸，但几乎每个人都可以自己种至少一部分食物。全国各地的人们都意识到，园艺可以按任何规模进行——从窗户里的一盆盆草药到院子里的容器园艺，一直到把草坪翻成一片，然后在草坪上种上一盆盆蔬菜和鲜花。”
虽然这是在大流行期间开始的，但在大流行结束后，人们对园艺的兴趣可能不会减弱，因为许多人已经发现他们热爱植物和生长的世界。
“我认为这一趋势将持续下去，”汉娜说种下一粒种子并收获果实的快感是非常有益的。在土壤中挖掘是非常有疗效的，与充满生命的土壤微观世界相联系是令人敬畏和兴奋的。对大多数人来说，它曾经是园丁，永远是园丁。”
原文题：Victory Gardens 2.0: Gardening in the Pandemic Era
原文：The pandemic era has seen a resurgence of interest in growing, tending, and harvesting fruits and vegetables from one's own patch of land or city balcony.
The more people are stuck at home -- and the more concerned they become about their food supply -- the more appealing gardening has become.
"Panic buying and food shortages caused many people to rethink their reliance on supermarkets, with a desire to become more self-reliant," Anne Gibson, organic gardening educator and owner of The Micro Gardener, explained to the E-Commerce Times.
"With many out of work, budget is also a factor. Being able to save money by growing your own food at home means there are no food miles or fuel to get to the supermarket, no food waste or packaging costs. Ingredients can be picked fresh straight from the garden and onto the table," she added.
The fact that in the U.S. the pandemic stay-at-home orders began during the spring enticed people to experiment with growing things, in some cases for the first time.
"If there was ever something that motivates people to garden, it's the combination of a lot of time on your hands and springtime," Jamie Mattikow, president and chief executive officer for W. Atlee Burpee & Co., told the E-Commerce Times.
"When people were furloughed, or in some cases let go, they went home, and suddenly they're living with their yard in a way they've never lived with it before. The days started getting longer on the 19th of March, and it couldn't have been better timing. So suddenly people are seeing their yard come to life, and that motivates people to garden."
Gardening for Security
Home gardening also offers a sense of security and independence. Even when the world has been upended, a home garden can provide a bit of food insurance.
"I've noticed a surge in interest from new gardeners wanting to be more sustainable and feel empowered to learn how to grow at least some of their own food at home," said Gibson.
"Food security and avoiding crowds by doing something positive at home have been catalysts for this surge in interest, but people are also discovering that gardening is food for the soul. Getting your hands in the soil, breathing fresh air, outdoor exercise, sowing seeds and watching plants grow, as well as connecting with nature do wonders for mental and physical health, too."
Many people are finding that gardening offers a way to take control of a situation that can sometimes feel chaotic and unpredictable.
"People have turned to gardening during the pandemic for a multitude of reasons," Agatha Hannah, director of communications and programs for the Organic Growers School, told the E-Commerce Times.
"The run for seeds was paramount to the grab for toilet paper, and it was a reaction to the very real threat of scarcity. The consequences of our industrial agriculture model became immediately apparent, as we saw a restriction in the supply chain and shortages in staple foods.
"At the same time, gardening suddenly became tangible. It can be done on any scale, and with stay-at-home orders, people are finding the time to explore this activity that they've likely always wanted to try," she explained.
Green Thumb Therapy
In addition to its practical benefits, gardening offers a variety of mental and emotional benefits during a time of chaos and uncertainty.
"We believe that gardening has many mental, health and environmental benefits," Christie Kane, vice president of human resources & information technology for Gardener's Supply Company, told the E-Commerce Times.
"Maintaining mental health during the COVID-19 crisis is imperative. Gardening gives people hope and hobby. Maintaining physical health is also important. The CDC is encouraging outdoor exercise, [and] gardening gets your body moving when the gym may not be an option."
Gardening can also be a good 'quality of life' for the family activity, which has become important during the pandemic, as well.
"Gardening itself is a rewarding and joyful way to be active, to play with and to teach your children -- a keen opportunity in the face of school closures -- and to engage with the community by swapping knowledge, skills, and bountiful crops," explained Hannah.
Home and Garden Renaissance
Since the garden is part of the home space in which people have been spending so much time, the rising interest in gardening has also been part of an increased focus on home-related activities more generally.
"Home and garden brands have seen huge surges in online sales during the pandemic, not least because shoppers have been at home looking at all the improvements they could be making," Julia Fearn, vice president of customer success for Qubit, told the E-Commerce Times.
"Additionally, making your living space nicer has been an essential part of keeping people's moods up while the ability to go out, see friends and family or even go on vacation has been prohibited."
Much of the shopping for home and garden supplies has been done online in recent months, facilitated by both the fact that many people have been avoiding physical retail stores and also that they're at home to take their e-commerce home and garden deliveries.
"The other factor perhaps at play, again attributed to the fact that shoppers are at home, is that everyone can take delivery of larger items with guarantees that they will be there when the item arrives," said Fearn. "This has forever been a challenge for home and garden brands, and most things don't fit in the mailbox. A shopper that is always at home is more at ease buying bigger items."
Even alternative methods of gardening, such as aquaponics -- which combines raising fish in tanks with growing plants in water -- have seen a resurgence of interest.
"The pandemic has given a lot of people time to garden, if they aren't working, and a chance to think more about our food system and whether or not the food and the quality of the food that a person wants is or will be available in the grocery store," Rebecca L. Nelson, CEO and co-founder of aquaponics company Nelson and Pade, explained to the E-Commerce Times.
"Seeing just the beginning of food shortages made people realize that they can have more control of their own food by growing the things they like to eat. Traditional gardening has a lot of challenges that aquaponics does not."
Aquaponics is a gardening technique that is well-suited to a pandemic, allowing people to raise both vegetables and fish for consumption.
"Aquaponics is a sustainable method of gardening that allows a person or business to grow fresh fish and vegetables, year-round," said Nelson. "This is done without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. It is becoming more and more popular with gardeners who are looking for a supply of more than just vegetables. An aquaponic gardener can grow and harvest fresh fish as well an abundance of salad crops."
Gardening for the Future
Perhaps most of all, gardening is a way to provide both sustenance and a sense of well-being.
"For many Americans, this was their first glimpse into a world where some basic needs aren't automatically met, and it struck a chord that sparked a rise in interest in self-sufficiency," said Hannah.
"Maybe you can't produce your own toilet paper, but nearly anyone can grow at least a portion of their own food. Folks all over the country are realizing that gardening can be done at any scale -- from pots of herbs in your window to container gardening on your patio, all the way to ripping up your lawn and filling it with productive beds or pots of vegetables and flowers."
Though it started during the pandemic, the resurgence of interest in gardening might not wane after it's over, since many people have discovered that they love the world of plants and growing.
"I think this trend is here to stay," Hannah remarked. "The thrill of planting a seed and harvesting its fruit is deeply rewarding. Digging in the earth is tremendously therapeutic, and connecting with the soil microcosm that's teeming with life is awe-inspiring and exciting. For most folks, it's once a gardener, always a gardener."
作者：Vivian Wagner
