Herb your enthusiasm

Warmer weather is on the way, and for many Canadian households, that means the beginning of the growing season. As our latest data from the Households and the Environment Survey show, a growing number of Canadians are keen on cultivating.

When surveyed in 2021, about 6 in 10 households (61%) in the provinces grew fruit, herbs, vegetables or flowers for personal use in the past 12 months, up from 56% a decade earlier.

Of those households, 3 in 4 (75%) grew their plants in their yards, while 3 in 10 did so on their balconies. Relatively smaller proportions of households grew them in a community garden (2%) or elsewhere (2%).

Conversely, one in five of those households (21%) grew their crops indoors, an indication of how brief the outdoor growing season is in Canada.

Rates were higher among households living in all dwelling types in which one household member was an owner, compared with households in which no member owned the home. Some households reported growing in more than one location on their property.

Households in single-detached homes most likely to grow

More than 7 in 10 households (72%) living in single-detached dwellings grew fruit, herbs, vegetables or flowers for personal use in 2021, the highest rate among all the types of dwellings.

Rates were slightly lower for households living in a double (64%), mobile home (63%), row or terrace (59%), duplex (59%), low-rise apartment (fewer than 5 stories) (40%) or high-rise apartment (5 stories or more) (35%).

Outdoor plants more common than indoor plants

Households in single-detached dwellings were most likely to grow plants in their yards (90%), which is probably not surprising given that they are likely to have more space around their home compared with some other types of dwellings. Households living in a double (83%), mobile home (81%) or a duplex (71%) were slightly less likely to do so.

Bountiful balconies

Among households that grew fruit, herbs, vegetables or flowers, nearly two-thirds (64%) of those in high-rise apartments grew them on their balconies, followed by those in a low-rise apartment (61%), row or terrace (37%), duplex (36%) or a mobile home (24%).

Of all households, those in high-rise (46%) and low-rise (33%) apartments were also likeliest to grow their crops indoors.

Greener growing

In the provinces, more than 8 in 10 households (81%) that had a yard or garden and did not live in an apartment composted yard waste in 2021, up from 68% in 2011. As  well, nearly two-thirds (65%) of all households composted kitchen waste in 2021, up from 45% a decade earlier.

More Canadians growing their own food or flowers, and doing it in an environmentally friendly way? We think that’s pretty, pretty good.