When we think about the terms gardening and agriculture, one common theme comes to mind: growing plants.
Since they both involve growing and nurturing plants, they must be very similar, right?
That leaves us to wonder if gardening is considered to be agriculture.
While there are some characteristics that they share, gardening and agriculture have many differences that set them apart from each other.
Agriculture is much more in-depth as far as growing plants than gardening is, so they aren’t exactly the same thing.
In this article, we’ll look at gardening and agriculture specifically to learn what each consists of in order to better understand how the two differ.
What Is Considered Gardening?
Gardening is a term that is generally used to describe growing plants or vegetables either at home or as a career.
However, gardening is far more in-depth than just growing and harvesting things.
Gardening is a practice that can often be improved over time, as more skills and knowledge are gained during the process.
Sometimes gardening can even be an art form, as people use plants and other elements to create spaces that are visually appealing.
In most cases, gardening is considered to be more of a hobby.
But sometimes gardening is a part of other careers as well, such as landscaping or horticulture.
Either way, gardening doesn’t always require a “green thumb.” Gardening requires just as much learned skills as it does natural talent.
Are There Different Types Of Gardening?
There are different types of gardening. As with most hobbies, gardening isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Sometimes gardening is done for the purpose of growing your own food, while other people simply love to grow flowers to improve the look of their home.
Even though most types of gardening include growing something, some climates aren’t suitable for growing things.
If you’re interested in gardening but don’t feel like it’s feasible to grow things outdoors based on where you live, there are other types of gardening that you can explore.
Whether you’re gardening for the purpose of growing your own food or as a way to express yourself spiritually or creatively, there are many options out there to help you achieve your purpose.
7 Examples Of Gardening
1. Flower Gardens
Flower gardens are usually grown for ornamental and visual appeal.
They are one of the most versatile examples of gardening, because there are endless possibilities as to the type of plants you can grow and the garden you can create.
Some people choose to grow only plants that grow from bulbs, while others choose plants that grow from seeds.
Some people prefer to plant perennials that come back each year, while others like to grow annuals that they can easily replace and change up seasonally or yearly.
You can create flower gardens that provide year-round color by planting different plants that bloom at various times during the year.
Flower gardens can even have themes or serve a specific purpose.
Examples of this include planting only plants that are native to where you live or planting only flowers that attract pollinators.
Whatever option you choose, the overall goal of beautifying a space remains consistent across each type.
2. Vegetable Gardens
Vegetable gardens are created for the purpose of growing your own food.
The specific purpose could be to save money, have a more sustainable food source, or to have peace of mind about where your food is coming from.
Vegetable gardens don’t have to include only the traditional vegetables. They can also include herbs as well.
Herbs can be used as a food source or for natural medicinal purposes.
Vegetable gardens can be grown in the ground, in raised beds, and even indoors in some cases.
You can plant different types of vegetables year-round in order to have a continuous food supply.
Vegetable gardens can even be used for decorative purposes. The colorful vegetables can serve to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
3. Fruit Gardens
Like vegetable gardens, fruit gardens are usually grown in order to have a source of food.
Fruit gardening can consist of a single bush or fruit tree, or larger orchards depending on how much of the fruit you want to grow.
Fruits can be used for many purposes, such as cooking, baking, making jellies and jams, or eating fresh.
Many fruits can even be frozen so that you can use them later when your plants have stopped producing for the year.
Growing your own fruit is a great way to save money and create more sustainable food options for yourself as well.
4. Rock Gardens
Rock gardens can be created for ornamental or spiritual purposes.
For ornamental purposes, they are a great option for shaded areas or areas where other plants don’t grow very well.
You can leave the rock gardens as-is and let them gather moss and lichens over time, or you can complement them with plants that thrive around rocks.
Spiritual rock gardens, or zen gardens, originated in Japan. They invoke a sense of serenity and are often used for meditation and feeling more connected with nature.
Rocks gardens are becoming increasingly common as a low-maintenance gardening option.
5. Water Gardens
Water gardens are exactly like they sound. These types of gardens are used for growing aquatic plants such as water lilies.
The plants help keep the water clean and can provide a safe habitat for many aquatic creatures in your own backyard.
Water gardens are a great complement to rock gardens. Some people even choose to put fish or turtles in their water garden and let the plants and animals sustain each other.
6. Fairy Gardens
Fairy gardens are created by children and adults alike for the purpose of attracting fairies.
Inviting fairies into your garden is said to bring good luck.
Most fairy gardens include small homes and structures built out of rocks and twigs. They may or may not have plants included.
Fairy gardens are a great type of hobby gardening for those that believe in the magic of fairies.
7. Indoor Gardens
Indoor gardens are a great option for people who want to garden but don’t have a lot of outdoor space or live in colder climates.
Most people create indoor gardens for the purpose of growing a few vegetables or herbs that they can use later.
Indoor gardening can also consist of growing and maintaining houseplants, which can purify the air and add natural decor to your home.
What Is Considered Agriculture?
Agriculture involves growing crops and raising livestock, as well as the science behind it, in order to distribute them with the intention of making a profit.
Crops can consist of those that are edible, such as fruits and vegetables. But they can also consist of plants that are grown for other uses, such as textiles or tobacco.
Livestock are raised either as a food source or because they produce a food source. Examples include chickens and cows that give us meat, eggs, and milk.
Agriculture can be done on a small-scale or large-scale basis, but the overall goal is the same: to grow and market goods for sale and consumption by the public.
What Are Similarities Between Gardening And Agriculture?
The main similarity between gardening and agriculture is that they can both involve growing plants. The plants can be used as a food source or for other purposes.
In both instances, examples of plants that can be grown for food include vegetables and fruit.
But there are plants that aren’t used for food as well. In gardening, that could be flowers. In agriculture, it could be flowers, cotton, or tobacco, among others.
Depending on the purpose of gardening, it can sometimes fall under horticulture.
Horticulture is similar to agriculture, but focuses mainly on growing and commercializing garden crops like fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
Horticulture and agriculture are actually a part of the same industry, meaning that gardening can sometimes be part of agriculture as well.
Gardening involves growing and sometimes modifying plants in order to help them grow better.
This is a key aspect of agriculture as well. If plants aren’t grown successfully, there is nothing to sell in order to make money.
However, gardening is only one aspect of agriculture. Agriculture is way more in-depth than simply the act of growing plants.
What Are The Differences Between Gardening And Agriculture?
One of the biggest differences between gardening and agriculture is that gardening is mostly done as a hobby, except in some cases when it is done as part of horticulture.
Agriculture, on the other hand, is done as a business with the goal of turning a profit.
That business can be small, such as selling your crops at a farmer’s market.
But it can also be large, such as selling your crops and livestock to grocery stores, food distribution companies, or textile mills.
Another major difference between the two is that gardening focuses on growing plants or creating visually appealing spaces.
While agriculture sometimes involves plants, it isn’t always about growing plants.
If plants aren’t a viable option, you can raise animals instead. But agriculture also involves more than just growing crops and raising livestock.
It is a science, so it also involves research regarding best practices and using new technology in order to increase the quality of your product, thus increasing your profits.
It’s also important to remember that agriculture is its own industry.
Gardening doesn’t have it’s own industry, rather it is a smaller part of agriculture and horticulture.
Are Plants Part Of Agriculture?
Plants are a large part of agriculture, but they aren’t the only part of agriculture.
In terms of business, growing and selling plants isn’t feasible for everyone who is involved in agriculture.
Many people can’t grow and market plants due to financial or environmental reasons, so they turn to raising livestock instead.
Also, some people can turn a larger profit raising livestock instead of growing crops. A lot of people have success in both.
The bottom line is that you don’t have to grow plants in order to make money and be successful in agriculture.
Is Agriculture And Farming The Same?
Agriculture and farming are very similar, but agriculture is much broader.
For example, farming is the actual act of cultivating the fields, growing the crops, and harvesting them.
Agriculture goes far more in depth than just growing things.
It involves keeping up with the latest trends and technology, as well as doing research on new crops and ways to improve them.
To be successful in agriculture, you also need to have knowledge of business practices and how to market products in order to make money from them.
Sometimes farmers simply produce the product and receive some of the profits.
They may or not be involved in actually marketing and commercializing the product.
To sum up, gardening and agriculture definitely have similarities, but they have major differences that distinguish them from each other.
Gardening can sometimes be considered to be part of agriculture, but agriculture is more broad than what gardening is.
One main goal of agriculture is to grow plants to make a profit, but agriculture involves more than that.
Gardening is usually done as a hobby, and even if plants are grown as a food source, it is on a much smaller scale than what would be involved in agriculture.
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