Top gardening searches last week

Yahoo! just released a list of the top 20 fruits and vegetables that were searched for on its site last week:

Growing Tomatoes
Growing Cucumbers
Growing Strawberries
Growing Herbs
Growing Grapes
Growing Cilantro
Growing Rhubarb
Growing Potatoes
Growing Tomatoes Upside Down
Growing Garlic
Growing Asparagus
Growing Pumpkins
Growing Basil
Growing Broccoli
Growing Blueberries
Growing Green Beans
Growing Onions
Growing Watermelons
Growing Sweet Potatoes
Growing Peppers

That tomatoes and cukes top the list doesn't surprise me, but having strawberries, rhubarb, grapes, and sweet potatoes on it does – if these inquiries are coming from inexperienced gardeners.

I don't want to discourage anyone, but folks, strawberries, grapes, and asparagus take time and effort. Not that everyone can't do it (I'm a rah-rah gardener; I believe anyone can succeed) , but I've seen so many gardeners who were filled with enthusiasm early in the season and then gave up because of heat, humidity, weeds, and bugs.

And I wonder what prompted all the searches for growing tomatoes upside down. I'll concede that the method is different -- no doubt it prompts many neighborhood discussions – but I've never quite figured why I'd want to do it.

Yahoo also reports that queries for the terms “vegetable gardening,” “organic gardening,” and “container gardening" have more than doubled since last year, which is good news for the gardening world (including those of us who write about it).

Maybe those searchers will get so excited about growing tomatoes upside down in buckets that they'll enjoy more conventional crops, too. Or maybe they'll join those folks who strive for the biggest tomato or a record-breaking pumpkin in the world.

There's room in gardening for all of us.