What’s the hottest 2021 gardening trend?
Growing food. Lots of it. And who better to look to for trends than SPIN farmers who are out there doing it every day and selling it to their local communities. We’ve sifted through last year’s training sessions with aspiring and practicing SPIN farmers throughout the US, Canada and yes, even Dominica, to come up with an alphabet list of 2021 trends. See which ones you want to be in step with this year…
Aggregate – increased demand spurred SPIN farmers to aggregate products from other backyard farmers to serve as a one-stop shop and led to informal neighborhood-based food collectives
Bankruptcy sales – is a good source for cheap equipment, especially reach-in coolers
Contactless payment – added expense, but expanded customer base and provides easy recordkeeping
Distribution – facilitated by tech and investment money, the options will continue to proliferate so keep on the lookout for new sales channels beyond the local farmers market
Essential business – farming will continue to top the list, and backyard farmers will have an increasingly important role to play
Full-time – more part-timers are going full-time due to job loss or more flexible work-at-home schedules
Ghost kitchens – a rapidly developing new market, as restaurants re-group rather than go out of business
Health – government, insurers and corporations are now promoting a food-first approach to preventing illness and disease which means the value of the type of food we produce will keep going up
Islands – looking for more food self-reliance; 2 of our startup stories were set there this year, in BC and the Caribbean
Joy of cooking – people started using their kitchens and discovered they really liked home cooked meals
Kitchens – launching pads for food businesses in states with cottage food laws like CA
Logistics – convenient pickup or delivery will continue to be an important value-add
Medicinals – plants with health restoring qualities will be in demand as consumers become even more health-conscious
New normal – buying convenience (there’s a new customer segment that will buy local, but don’t have time to go to a farmers market)
Over-equipped – experienced farmers realize they need to be
Pre-order – more precisely matches demand with supply; convenient for customers and reduces waste for farmers
Questions – there’s just 6 you need to answer to launch a business if you’re in SPIN’s fast track farming program
Revenue – startup plans we reviewed ranged widely this year, from $1k to $112k; expect more variation as people in all different circumstances see opportunity in local food production
Seed shortages – order early in 2021 as demand from gardeners is expected to continue to drain supply
Texting – will be used more than ever to keep customers informed and happy
Ugly produce – new niche opportunity; used to be called “seconds” but is now marketed as “food rescue” to attract upscale customers who can feel virtuous instead of cheap
Veterans – those looking for new missions are launching backyard-scale farms to avoid the debt trap
WFH – work-from-home affords the time and flexibility to launch part-time farms that serve their local communities
Xeriscaping – dry land farming is an alternative to investing in expensive irrigation, especially for bartered plots; of crops can still be grown this way. Examples: beans, beets, carrots, onions from sets, peas, potatoes, winter squash
YamChops – leading the way on plant-based butcher shops, a new market for farmers
Zones – dividing your space into different production zones organizes your planting plan
The biggest 2020 trend we supported here at SPIN-Farming was gardeners becoming farmers. If starting a backyard farm, or learning the business of growing food is on your 2021 to-do list, get started HERE.