Are tariff gardens the new victory gardens?
Tariffs took effect in early April … and were lowered a few weeks later. With all this uncertainty, are Americans once again taking up gardening? If our experience with the COVID pandemic told us anything — when more than 15 million people turned to gardening for the first time, many of them under 35 years old — my money is on yes.
Garden Media Group’s (GMG) new “Garden Pulse: Spring 2025 Analysis” study agrees; it reported that, while other industries report slowing traffic and declining sales, gardening is not only holding strong, but growing, despite setbacks including cold weather, consumer caution and tariff-fueled economic anxiety. At the time of publication, even with poor early spring weather, garden center sales this year were only 3.9% behind 2024 and still far ahead of the same period in 2020.
“Gardening has always been recession-resistant,” said Katie Dubow, GMG president. “In 2008, 2020 and now again in 2025, we’re seeing a familiar pattern. When people face financial or emotional uncertainty, they return to their roots — literally.”
She said consumers are choosing gardening as a way to regain control, save money, connect with family, and care for their mental health.
So what can you as garden retailers do to appeal to this need? The GMG team has a few suggestions:
- Experiences drive traffic and increasing cart sizes; schedule events, classes and hands-on workshops now to bring in customers and make gardening accessible.
- Stock edibles and convenience gardening products that sell, and emphasize time-saving, success-boosting solutions at every price point.
- Be the local, sustainable alternative to the bog boxes. Promote growing healthy food without chemicals or heavy shipping costs and reinforce the message that gardening offers not just food, but wellness, resilience, and self-reliance.
Are you seeing an increase in gardeners due to tariff concerns? Drop me a line at tmcpherson@greatamericanpublish.com to let me know!
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