Hello, National Gardening Association, my name is Joaquin Rivas, and for my health advocacy project, it was suggested of me to reach out and ask a few questions from credible professionals to use as data. If you wouldn't mind responding and to some of mine, that would be great.

1. What do you think is the number 1 reason more people aren't gardening today?
2. How could more people be inspired to garden?
3. Given that the average age of a gardener is between 35 and 44, how would efforts to start a garden reach a younger generation?
4. How much does having a home garden impact your life?
5. On a scale of 1-10, how difficult would you say gardening is?

Your help and valuable data would be greatly appreciated, and thank you for your time.

"credible professionals"... I don't think you will find anyone credible or professional here. This site is full of enthusiastic home gardeners sharing our sometimes limited, sometimes very odd opinions.

Well hey.... we might not be professionals by textbook standards but we're all very credible and enthusiastic gardeners. I think our advice could be very helpful and enlightening. And we all advocate for better health so why not share our opinions and let Joaquin decide. Besides, I've been planting seedlings since dawn and my back is killing me. I need a break. I'll give it a go.

1 More people don't garden because it's very difficult manual labor in all kinds of weather and they might break a nail or miss their favorite Tiktok show.
2 More people can be inspired to garden by not telling them but showing them how their fruits and vegies taste so much better then the junk you buy at the store and the flowers are so much prettier when you've gone through heck and back to grow them yourself. Satisfaction guaranteed.
3 You could reach younger gardeners by showing them how it's done on Tiktok.
4 A garden can impact every single cell and drop of blood, sweat and tears we have and then some.
The thread "Greetings from my Food Forest # 7... Sustainability. The Future is Upon Us." in Permaculture forum
5 On a scale of difficulty of 1-10 I would give it a 25! But I would also add that every little difficulty you learn from and misfortune you suffer through and master and every challenge you face and overcome will bring you an abundance of satisfaction and confidence and self worth that is priceless!

Now I've got to put on my boots and find my pitchfork to turn some compost before my neighbors complain that I'm stinking up the hood!

1. No time (or interest).
2. Why? I am not inspired to inspire others to garden. Why do we need more gardeners?
3. Where did you get the average age of gardeners? Gardening is best left to seniors. Most garden club newsletters have an obit column:)
4. Gardening provides a physical, mental and peaceful activity for the so called "golden" years.
5. Gardening is as easy or as hard as you want to make it, one thru ten.

Welcome to the site!
1) Not sure there are more or less people gardening then before.
2) Believe people are inspired to garden by others, by their gardens, by their knowledge.
3) A younger generation can be reached to garden by observing gardens in their local school.
4) My garden impacts me with its beauty, the renewal of life in the spring, the ability to grow my own food.
5) Gardening is only as difficult as a person make it.