71% of Americans Plan on Growing Food at Home in 2025

As grocery prices rise, more Americans are turning to home gardening to cut costs while also improving the quality of their food, according to a survey of nearly 1,000 by Frontdoor. 

Cost Factor 

Among the 71% who said they were planning on growing food at home this year, 54% said they were doing so to lower their grocery bills. On average, they reported trying to grow food to cover 23% of those costs. Expected tariff increases were also a concern, as 36% of respondents said they were planning to grow food to counteract them. 

In cities, where the cost of living is typically higher, 11% said they grow food because they can’t afford to eat otherwise. 

Quality Concerns 

Another reason many Americans are choosing homegrown foods is an increasing concern about food quality. 

According to the survey, 46% of respondents said they were worried about the safety of food from grocery stores, and 48% said they believed grocery store produce to be of low quality. 

Garden Plans 

How are Americans gardening this year? 

The average investment in a home garden for 2025 is $750. The average plot size is 350 square feet. And the most popular types of gardens among survey respondents were: 

1. Raised bed (47%) 
2. In-ground (45%) 
3. Container (43%) 
4. Indoor (27%) 
5. Greenhouse (13%) 

For those with a green thumb but lacking space, 1 in 10 reported using or planning to use a community garden plot. 

But what foods are they growing? Survey says: 

1. Vegetables (93%)
2. Herbs (60%) 
3. Fruit (47%) 
4. Tubers (potatoes, etc.) (35%) 

Additionally, 60% said they were planning on growing more this year than in 2024. 

Choosing Chickens 

Some respondents also reported keeping chickens to address cost and quality concerns. 

At the time of the survey, 1 in 5 said they were planning to, while 10% said they already owned chickens, and 10% said they planned to purchase them. 

Reasons given for keeping chickens included: 

1. Egg shortages (47%) 
2. Egg selling (38%) 
3. Concerns about the bird flu outbreak (30%) 

As always, homeowners should check their municipality’s rules and regulations for owning poultry or livestock before deciding to purchase them.