Whether working on a small patch in your backyard or an acre of land, growing plants is an exciting and rewarding exercise. Gardening is a noble way to spend your free time and relax in nature. If you can follow the rules and do it right, you will reap a bountiful harvest of homegrown fruits and vegetables. Growing plants in your garden has numerous advantages. For the purpose of this article, we shall delve into the health benefits associated with gardening.
1. Better nutrition
Gardening calls for good farming practices such as using organic fertilisers to grow vegetables, as opposed to the genetically modified way of agriculture. With gardening, you get to consume a healthy serving of vegetables and fruits harvested at their peaks. If your kids tend to push around food on their plate, encourage them to partake in the growing exercise. Active participation right from planting through the harvesting stage is likely to change their perception of these foods for the better. Before long, your little ones will opt for a healthy vegetable sandwich to a greasy burger for Sunday lunch.
2. A moment to chill
The pressures of modern day living have led us to be accustomed to never-ending stress that threatens our overall well-being. If your job is very demanding, you often spend long hours chained to your desk with hardly a moment to breathe. You may want to squeeze in a few minutes at dusk or dawn to commune with nature. Plants have potent properties that relieve stress and even alleviate particular pains such as headaches. These soothing and healing properties qualify some plants for aromatherapy though their essential oils.
3. Vitamin D
Since tending the garden means spending a couple of hours in the sun, you get a healthy dose of vitamin D. This vitamin helps to fight certain cancers and stave off heart diseases. The result? People who do gardening on a regular basis enjoy better health and a prolonged lifespan.
4. Regular exercise
If you are not fond of signing up for expensive gym classes across town, do not fret. Gardening gives you a chance to flex those muscles while digging, lifting plants, pruning shrubs, etc. Spending a couple of hours in the week gardening is more feasible and fun than jogging for miles every other week. If you can combine gardening and other forms of exercise, perfect for you!
5. Save a pretty penny
Ardent gardeners provide fresh fruit and vegetables right at your doorstep without having to go for a grocery run. Compare the different prices of similar fruits and vegetables at your local supermarket; you will be amazed at how much you are saving. If you have a big family, consider expanding your gardening skills beyond aesthetically pleasing plants to subsistence farming of food crops.
6. Save the planet
Planting trees and vegetation is good for the environment in numerous ways. Trees hold the soil together thereby preventing soil erosion, they purify the air and keep it fresh. As countries become more and more industrialised, greed has led to massive deforestation of rainforests thus disrupting the ecosystem. We see the effects of these illegal activities in declining rainfall patterns, migration of wild animals from their natural habitat and the encroachment of modernity into natural reserves. These are costly mistakes driven by corporate and political greed, and future generations stand to pay a hefty price for them. If you choose to plant trees, you need a brush cutter to keep them well maintained. Visit your local garden store and ask for advice on how to choose the best brush cutter. Planting trees in the garden is a step in the right direction as we work towards righting a few wrongs.
7. Involve the kids
What sort of after school activities do your children follow? If your answer includes playing video games, surfing the internet or watching television, you may want to reconsider this plan. Instead of heading off to the garden alone, why not bring the kids along? Brace yourself for long faces and downright protest, but eventually, they will come around. Involving your children in gardening takes their focus away from the burden of technology and gets them playing with the dirt. A little lesson about the environment will go a long way in the classroom, and it may nurture an interest in nature from a young stage.
8. Sense of community
Gardening provides a chance to interact with fellow gardeners at community events such as the local trade fair. Spending time with people in the same field presents an excellent networking opportunity for gardeners to exchange information. These social interactions foster a sense of community which boosts our mental and emotional health.
Conclusion
Gardening comes with a myriad of benefits that boost our emotional, mental and physical health. Selecting the right farming equipment is a pre-requisite for great results. Gardening experts will advise on how to choose the best brush cutter and other tools that you will need.
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Amelia Robinson is a lover of plants and gardens, as well as an educator on this topic. It’s her goal to make sure that you get the chance to learn what you need to about gardening to succeed with your own home garden at the blog RobinsonLovePlants.com. You’re not going to find just a collection of basic articles about gardening here. Instead, she wants to answer the difficult questions for you.