I have had a garden for years, even when I was little. I would help my mother and grandmother in their gardens weeding and picking fresh, organic vegetables. Turns out gardening is good for your health.
It gets you outside where you get free Vitamin D from the sun.
It helps reduce stress by giving you something to focus on. It’s pretty calming to just go out to the garden and plant a few seeds, pull a few weeds, harvest some food or pick some flowers while listening to the birds and getting some sun.
You get exercise. Some types of gardens give more exercise than others. For years, I planted the garden directly in the ground in a row garden. That involved a lot of work hoeing and pulling weeds. A few years ago, I switched over to raised beds. The installation was a lot of work, but there is a lot less hoeing and weed pulling now. Container gardening, where you plant the garden in pots, probably involves the least amount of work. All forms still involve some form of activity though.
If you have a vegetable garden, you get the benefit of eating fresh vegetables. You can’t get them any fresher than straight from your own yard. The fresher the vegetables, the more nutrients they contain. If you have an organic garden, you also aren’t exposed to the chemicals store bought vegetables have.
Growing your own vegetables is also better for the environment since there is not any transportation involved other than you walking to the garden.
Growing your own vegetables is cheaper than buying vegetables in the store. A packet of seeds costs averages around $3. One seed like tomato, pepper, cucumber or zucchini produces a plant full of vegetables, so one packet of seeds at $3 that is capable of producing multiple plants full of fresh, organic vegetables is much cheaper than spending $3 at the grocery store for 1 or 2 pesticide covered zucchini or cucumbers that have been picked for who knows how long.
Herbs are full of health benefits and also make a nice addition to a garden. They can be a bit challenging as some are easier to grow than others. Mint is super easy to grow, but can get out of control pretty quick, so grow it in a pot or someplace it can spread without taking over everything else. Parsley and basil are also pretty easy to grow.
Flowers are a nice addition to any garden. Some people even prefer growing only flowers instead of vegetables, so grow whatever you enjoy.
Challenge:
If you don’t currently have a garden, get 1 package of seeds to grow. Find a small area in a sunny location in your yard. Dig up the grass and plant the seeds.
Even simpler, fill a container with potting soil and drop in the seed. Water, cover with a piece of plastic wrap and set it in the window or outside. Greens and herbs are good choices for an indoor garden. Flowering vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and zucchini need to be grown outdoors in order for pollination to occur.
I like to order seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. They offer heirloom seeds, free shipping and once a year they send out a really nice, thick and colorful seed catalog. They are located in Mansfield, Missouri.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5153451/
https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/health-benefits-of-gardening/