Gardeners' past gardening experience and its moderating effect on community garden participation

Studies on participation in community gardens have revealed that gardeners' participation is driven by functional and emotional motives. Most studies, however, have failed to recognize gardeners' diverse characteristics. To fill this research gap, this study examined the moderating effect that variations within gardeners has on their participation, particularly as in the case of past gardening experience. The data for this study were obtained through a survey administered in three plot-based community gardens in Austin, Texas. Results revealed that increased gardening experience bolsters the effect of emotional motivations on garden participation, while no effect was shown in the relationship between functional motivations and participation. The importance of gardeners' past gardening experience on emotional motivations is discussed as it relates to sustained participation in gardening.