:''For the
chosen plaintext attack used by the British during
World War II, see
gardening (cryptanalysis).''
:''For the
Wikibook Gardening click here''
Gardening is an activity—the art and craft of growing
plants—with a goal of creating a beautiful environment. Gardening most often takes place in or about one's residence, in a space referred to as the
garden. A garden that is in close proximity to one's residence is also known as a
residential garden. Although a garden typically is located on the land within, surrounding, or adjacent to a residence, it may also be located in less traditional locations such as on a
roof, in an atrium, on a
balcony, in a
windowbox, or on a patio.
Gardening also takes place in non-residential green areas, such as
parks, public or semi-public gardens (
botanical gardens or zoological gardens),
amusement and
theme parks, along transportation corridors, and around
tourist attractions and hotels. In these situations, a staff of
gardeners or grounds-keepers maintains the gardens.
Indoor gardening is concerned with the growing of essentially
houseplants within a residence or building, in a
conservatory, or in a
greenhouse. Plants grown in a conservatory or greenhouse may or may not require more exacting care and conditions than ordinary houseplants. Indoor gardens are sometimes incorporated as part of
air conditioning or heating systems.
Water gardening is concerned with growing plants adapted to pools and ponds. Bog gardens are also considered a type of water garden. These all require special conditions and considerations. A simple water garden may consist solely of a tub containing the water and plant(s).
Gardening vs. farming
In respect to its food producing purpose, gardening is distinguished from
farming chiefly by scale and intent. Farming occurs on a larger scale, and with the production of saleable goods as a major motivation. Gardening is done on a smaller scale, primarily for pleasure and to produce goods for the gardener's own family or community. There is some overlap between the terms, particularly in that some moderate sized vegetable growing concerns, often called
market gardening, can fit in either category.
The key distinction between fruit and vegetable gardening and farming is essentially one of scale: gardening can be a hobby or an income supplement, but farming is generally understood as a full-time or commercial activity, usually involving more land and quite different practices. One distinction is that gardening is labor-intensive and employs very little
infrastructural capital, typically no more than a few tools, e.g. a
spade,
hoe,
basket and
watering can. By contrast, larger-scale farming often involves irrigation systems, chemical
fertilizers and
harvesters or at least
ladders, e.g. to reach up into
fruit trees. However, this distinction is becoming blurred with the increasing use of power tools in even small gardens.
In part because of labor intensity and aesthetic motivations, gardening is very often much more productive per unit of land than farming. In the
Soviet Union, half the food supply came from small peasants' garden plots on the huge government-run collective farms, although they were tiny patches of land. Some argue this as evidence of superiority of
capitalism, since the peasants were generally able to sell their produce. Others consider it to be evidence of a
tragedy of the commons, since the large collective plots were often neglected, or fertilizers or water redirected to the private gardens.
The term
precision agriculture is sometimes used to describe such economically viable forms of gardening using
intermediate technology (more than tools, less than harvesters), especially of
organic varieties. Gardening is effectively scaled up to feed entire
villages of over 100 people from specialized plots. A variant is the
community garden which offers plots to urban dwellers; see further in
allotment (gardening).
Further definitions
In
China, for instance, farmers regularly set up
outhouses on the roads to attract tourists to use them, furnishing the farmers with "night soil" (
human manure) for use as a fertiliser. These methods make excellent use of calories and minerals and water, but of course violate the aesthetics of most Westerners, who would balk at using stranger's human wastes on their own gardens. There is thus some conflict between gardening for personal or aesthetic reasons, and for practical food-raising, even for one household.
The
living wall is an unusual variant of a living machine and is effectively a
vertical garden: water dripping down feeds a surface growing with
moss and
vines, other
plants, some
insects and
bacteria, and captured at the bottom in a pool or
pond to be recirculated to the top. These are sometimes built indoors to help cure
sick building syndrome or otherwise increase the
oxygen levels in recirculated air.
Gardening is art
Gardening is considered to be an absolutely essential art in most cultures.
In
Japan, for instance,
Samurai and Zen monks were often required to build decorative gardens or practice related skills like flower arrangement (''
Ikebana).
See also:
Landscape architecture
Social aspect
In modern
Europe and
North America, people often express their political or social views in gardens, intentionally or not. The Green parties and
Greenpeace often advise their campaigners to call first on homeowners who have lush chaotic wild gardens, as these are deemed to be more likely to respond to the
Greens' political message than those with
AstroTurf or bluegrass lawns. No reliable
statistics support such claims, but for many years, in the
United States, there was a widespread belief that there was such a thing as a
Republican lawn and
Democratic lawn.
The
lawn vs. garden issue is played out in
urban planning as the debate over the "
land ethic" that is to determine urban land use and whether
hyperhygienist bylaws (e.g.
weed control) should apply, or whether land should generally be allowed to exist in its natural wild state. In a famous
Canadian Charter of Rights case, "Sandra Bell vs. City of Toronto", 1997, the right to cultivate all native species, even most varieties deemed noxious or allergenic, was upheld as part of the right of free expression, at least in
Canada.
Gardening is thus not only a food source and art, but also a right. The
Slow Food movement has sought in some countries to add an edible schoolyard and garden classrooms to schools, e.g. in
Fergus, Ontario, where these were added to a public school to augment the kitchen classroom.
In
US and
British usage, the care, installation, and maintenance of ornamental plantings in and around commercial and institutional buildings is called
landscaping,
landscape maintenance or
groundskeeping, while international usage uses the term
gardening for these same activities.
History
Gardening for food extends far back into
prehistory. Ornamental gardens are known in ancient times (the
Hanging Gardens of Babylon), and
ancient Rome had dozens of gardens. See the
History of gardening article for more information, including a
List of historical garden types, as well as a
List of notable historical gardens.
Notable gardeners
See also
Category:Skills
bg:Градинарство
da:Havebrug
de:Gärtner
es:jardinerķa
eo:Gxardenado
fa:باغبانی
fr:Jardinage
it:Giardinaggio
nl:Tuinieren
ja:園芸
pl:Ogrodnictwo
simple:Gardening
vo:Gadam
th:การจัดสวน