Benefits of Having a Vegetable Garden

Welcome to my first blog post!

I can share numerous reasons why I enjoy vegetable gardening. If you aren’t a gardener, please read on as I explain a few reasons why I encourage you to consider this for your own home! 

Satisfaction

There is something miraculous and satisfying about observing as an ordinary seed grows into a plant that bears fruit or flowers. I am always fascinated by seeds and their potential. If you grind them up, they become a dry, lifeless powder. However, when you plant them, then add sunlight and water, you’ll soon see something green begin to push its way up through the soil. This will become a plant, which, in turn, can produce hundreds of seeds for future plants! The seed planting process heightens your self-esteem, because you had something to do with its growth! 

Exercise

While working in the garden, you are often weeding, moving things around, transplanting, and doing other activities that require you to bend, stretch, and lift, especially if you’re building various structures. I recently built a compost bin, and it took me 30 minutes of focus and hard work. I was surprised at how tired I was afterward, but it was a good tired!

Reduces Stress

There is something special about being in the garden and observing how much your flowers have grown since your last visit. It is a natural de-stressor. Numerous studies indicate that 30 minutes of gardening results in lower cortisol levels. Stress is a big health risk, so this is a big plus for gardening – and, yes, a few potted plants on your porch or balcony count!

Challenge

Gardening can be a mental challenge if you are trying to get a plant to flower and aren’t having much success. So maybe you change the conditions and try some soil amendments such as compost. This would improve the soil by adding nutrients. My mother and I both have a rare variety of primrose, and I have been trying to grow it in my yard for years. I finally got it to multiply, but it rarely flowers. Once every other year, I might get a single bright yellow flower to bloom, but I am going to keep at it. I enjoy the challenge, so I will try again next season. It stimulates my brain, and I am making incremental progress.

Sleep

Some say that light activities such as gardening help you sleep better.

Health

Gardening and growing some ingredients to incorporate into your meals is a healthy step to take toward reducing your carbon footprint. Gardening with your family or friends creates opportunities for bonding as well!

Financial health

Gardening can definitely save you a lot of money, especially with particular herbs. A few stems of herbs range between $2 and $4 at the store and often are not fresh. Gardening can become expensive if you allow it to – BUT, it is easy to have a small garden on a budget. For example, you can buy an herb plant for a few dollars and harvest from it all summer long. Tomatoes and lettuce are other plants that can be very cost efficient, too. How many times can you recall herbs going bad in the fridge before you use them? Exactly. Having them in the yard gives you a chance to pick them fresh right when you need them. 

* Please note that this blog is based on information that I have read and on my own personal experience. It is not meant to offer medical or financial advice. Please seek the advice of a professional in those fields, if that is what you’re looking for.
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