Student Research into the Gardening Lifestyles Future

Hi,

I am part of a student group conducting research for a fertiliser, pesticide and herbicide manufacturer and supplier in the UK. This research is intended to help the new generation of gardeners understand the products available to them whilst improving the garden centre experience for all.

This research will be going to the suppliers, so we would like to have peoples honest opinions as your response will be an important part of our report.

If you could fill in this really short questionnaire it would be extremely helpful and we may be able to get your opinions heard.


Age (optional):

How often to visit Garden Centres in a month?

Do you consider encouraging young gardeners (aged 15-30 ) to be important?

What ways to you think young gardeners can be encouraged and educated into the hobby/lifestyle?

On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being terrible and 10 being excellent, how would you rate these companies?
Westlands -
Doff Portland -
Scotts -
Vitax -

Finally how would you improve garden centres specifically to make the horticultural industry improve and progress with the changes in society and thinking to date?



Any feedback and answers would be extremely helpful, all your answers will remain anonymous. We hope these questions can make some improvements to the gardening lifestyle for all.

Thank you for you time

 

Hi.
Hmm! Quite happy to fill in a questionaire but the requests don't make sense. You can't encourage teenagers to take up gardening, the interest comes from a long time before that age. They lose the interest once the hormones kick in. They might become interested/re-interested at a later stage.
All the companies you quote are very good but too expensive. That doesn't feature in your survey.

 

Matt - you really need to rethink your questions if you want to get any useable data. As it stands the questions are far too broad and open to a variety of interpretations.
The "Companies" question doesn't specify the criterea on which we have to rate companies.
Monthly visits to GCs is too narrow (times a year would produce better results).
And as has already been pointed out if you want to attract young gardeners you need to start very young.

I'm a bit confused as to how your survey will - "help the new generation of gardeners understand the products available to them whilst improving the garden centre experience for all"

 

Matt

Call me a cynical grump if you like, but I cannot see how your questions will help at all.

The big manufacturers are not really interested in getting new people interested in anything unless they can see a substantial and quick profit.

There are a great many big companies that use this kind of thing to try and make people think they really care about future generations that may buy thier products.

If these big companies really cared about getting young people interested in gardening or any other subject, they would put thier money up front and get into schools and colleges. Provide resources for youngsters to learn at a time when they are most likely to be able to absorb new knowledge, simply because they are in a situation and are familiar with taking on board new ideas.

It is a proven fact that as we age we gradually lose the ability to take on board many new things. Hence many of our older generation struggle with technology like computers and mobile phones.

I would dearly love to see youngsters working really hard on the land instead of loafing about getting drunk, stoned. causing trouble and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Lets see some of the big companies encouraging youngsters by way of rewarding them for making the effort to get involved.

How many big companies sponsor a youngster to go to horticultural college? How many of them offer schools a few tools and materials to get them started?

Chopper.