No one knows more about effectively and efficiently producing fruit and vegetables than growers who do it for a living.

And with the right approach, that could make you rock stars to a new wave of Canadians – a group being labelled “pandemic gardeners,” motivated by fears of food security, affordability and safety.

It’s a pretty accurate label. A study by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University called Home Food Gardening in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic released in early October shows that nearly one in five Canadians started growing food at home during the pandemic. More than two-thirds of them say the pandemic influenced their decision. 

Calling them pandemic gardeners fits.

They join a growing cadre of Canadians – more than half, in fact – who say they grow at least one variety of fruit or vegetable in a garden. 

Traditionally, gardeners were motivated by drivers such as the personal satisfaction they get from growing something themselves. But to many Canadians today, that satisfaction doesn’t depend on having a patch of ground in their backyards. Indeed, it may come from getting their hands dirty in a community garden or on an apartment balcony. And it may have started back in elementary school, thanks to a lesson provided to teachers by their province’s Agriculture in the Classroom. The ripple effect of that program can be lifelong. 

I’ve heard rumblings that growers are concerned about the surge of home gardeners, that they might affect profitability.

That’s understandable. Competition is already fierce enough.

But how about looking at it as an opportunity to promote yourselves as the professionals you are?

New gardeners need advice. One source is other, more experienced amateur gardeners, and depending on the source, it could be pretty good.

The other source is advice from professionals…not professional advice, because new gardeners likely won’t pay for it, or at least not more than a nominal sum which may be more of a pain to administer than it’s worth. 

Rather, offer advice that’s linked back to your own products. A blog, video or podcast entitled something like “Here’s how I grow a successful crop” promotes trust, familiarity and confidence in your own produce. The touch of benevolence is a bonus.  

It’s also a good opportunity to educate readers, listeners or viewers about the fruit and vegetable industry. An alarming statistic from the Dalhousie study showed that nearly 43 per cent of those who started growing food during the pandemic said food safety was a factor in their decision to be a home gardener. 

Worse, about half of the long-time home gardeners in the study said the food they grow at home is safer than store-bought food.

However, more than 95 per cent of the respondents also said they buy at least some fruits and vegetables at a grocery store (less than two per cent grow all of their own food). 

So while they’re concerned about food safety, the numbers suggest they’re far from hysterical. They haven’t abandoned conventional food sources. They can still be moved by reason, the kind growers can present by telling their story as professionals…in fact, the Dalhousie survey found most home gardeners have a higher-education certificate, diploma or degree. They’re a demographic that can be motivated by logic and science. 

One part of the story that needs to be told is to explain production costs. Affordable food is a huge concern, especially now. The Dalhousie study confirmed it: 85 per cent are concerned that food prices will rise because of the pandemic. If and when they do, there will be a lot of explanations floating around to try making sense of prices, but I suspect growers will not be quoted much. 

Again, there’s an opportunity to fill an information niche, build a following…and be a rock star among those who respect and admire what you do, and need help trying to do a bit of it themselves.