ABSTRACT
JAIME C. PAWELEK, GORDON W. FRANKIE, ROBBIN W. THORP, and MAGGIE PRZYBYLSKI
10.1 INTRODUCTION
In recent years the popularity of gardening has increased. More people are growing their own food as a means of increasing personal access to more affordable, better-tasting, and healthier produce (Marsh 1998; Ferris et al. 2001; Lawson 2005; NGA 2009; MacVean 2009). In 2008, 36 million households grew vegetables, fruits, and herbs in residential gardens; this number is expected to grow 19% in 2009 (NGA 2009). Community gardens are an ever-increasing means of providing sustenance when lacking private access to land (Lawson 2005; MacVean 2009). An estimated one million households utilize community garden plots; an additional five million households have expressed interest in constructing local community plots (NGA 2009).
