COVID-19 pandemic fueled massive growth in green industry – UGA Today

Research suggests sales likely to revert back to normal levels, but some buyers will be hooked Most people would say the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been a great couple of years. But for the green industry, like plant nurseries and greenhouses, it’s been a boon. But will the uptick in gardening last once the last coronavirus restrictions are lifted? Probably not to the same extreme levels, according to new research from the University of Georgia. But for some, the introduction to gardening may have been just what they needed to dive into a new hobby. Of its more than 4,200 participants, the study found about one out of every three people began gardening in 2020 because they were home more. Many also put in new grass lawns and did outdoor renovations, such as installing new plant beds and other landscaping. Gardening not only gave people something to do, but it also gave them a little bit more happiness.” —Benjamin Campbell, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences “You had low interest rates, so you had a lot of people refinancing, which gave them money to invest in their homes,” said Benjamin Campbell, lead author of the study and an associate professor in…
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