Gen Z Takes Up Urban Gardening

BROOKLYN

Betty Lui, wakes up everyday at 6 a.m. to water her plants before leaving for her job in finance in a Manhattan public relations agency.  She started gardening in her small apartment window, in Williamsburg, to add something special to her life. 

“I was living in a 380 sq ft apartment during the pandemic and plants were my one joy to escape during that terrible time.” she said.

In a city known for crowded apartments and concrete landscapes, New Yorkers  increasingly turn balconies, rooftops, and indoor spaces into gardens not only as hobbies, but as tools for stress relief, sustainability, and personal fulfillment.

According to a large urban agriculture survey by Frontiers, about 35% of New York City residents reported participating in some form of gardening, including indoor, outdoor, or community gardening. 

For Lui, gardening has effectively helped improve her mental health. “I am in a constant state of potting, repotting, fertilizing, starting seeds, harvesting, planting seedlings, pruning, organizing.” 

She explained how her apartment and rooftop deck are filled with plants that have shifted the feeling of living in a city. She comes home to disconnect and enjoy fresh air while being outside focusing on her gardening.

Betty Liu’s Williamsburg roof terrace. Photo by Betty Liu.

 GardenPals, an online site for nature lovers, reported that millennials make up 29% of gardener demographics while millions more began to garden during the pandemic. 

For many, gardening has become an accessible way to be more sustainable as conscious living. This activity has changed how people think about waste, food, and consumption. Lui has noticed new habits and sustainable choices she added to her daily life since gardening.

 “I’m composting much more considering where bagged soil comes from and I think about all of the packaging we throw away when we buy groceries,” she said.

But there is another reality behind gardening. Lui shares the challenges she faces when the summer heat comes in and she finds herself watering hundreds of plants. She tries to track each plant’s needs and still maintenance can be difficult.“Things falling over and plants dying is also a bummer but it’s all part of life,” she said. 

Sophia Mirb, who lives in Manhattan explained taking care of a garden requires time and planning to ensure healthy plants. “Indoors usually need once a week watering and the outdoors more like daily or every other day,” she said.

But she explained gardening also requires money for essentials like fertilizers, seeds, compost and tools. Mirb said “I think people underestimate just how complex it is and how much goes into it like time, money, care and thought”

Social media and gardening apps have also played a major role in making gardening more accessible for GenZ.  Instead of gardening books with hundreds of pages, many now download apps for information, tips, and tutorials. 

In a survey SimpleSpring found that 56% of respondents indicated that they use mobile apps to aid their gardening efforts.

Lui said social media has helped connect gardeners across cities while also challenging stereotypes that gardening is only a hobby for older generations.

“The community on TikTok is amazing and the fact that all of these strangers are supportive of your hobby, even more than our real life friends and family. It’s a great place for gardeners,” she said.