Growth factor: A few good reasons to plant a garden
Gardening is good for the soul, it’s good for your health, and it’s good for your home. It’s not too late to plant a garden now. Sure you may have missed out on the early crops, but there’s still lots of summer left. Not to mention getting ready for next spring.
More and more people across the country are starting to realize the importance of sustainability. Gardens, food farms, and community plots are all becoming increasingly common. And it’s about time!
Gone are the days of imported produce and food from afar. Locally grown and produced is becoming the new norm in high quality and sustainable eating. It’s not just about food either, today we’ll share three reasons why gardening is great!
Gardening is good for your body
And we mean that in more ways than one. Digging in the dirt is good for numerous reasons. First of all, it gets you outside. The sunshine and fresh air alone are a something most of us don’t get enough of. Not to mention all the healthy microbes in the soil you’re digging through.
It’s also good for your body to do low stress work. Shoveling, weeding, carrying, planting, and caring for a garden all give your muscles little exercises to help keep them strong and healthy.
Gardening doesn’t just benefit your body, it also calms the mind. After all, it’s hard to find a peaceful moment to relax and think about the important things sometimes. However, an hour in the garden allows your mind to slow down and reflect.
Gardening teaches young people sustainable living
If you have kids, a garden is a great way to teach them about the world around them. Not only does it give them a chance to grow food, it also teaches them about tending to a project over time. Then, when it’s time to harvest, they can enjoy the fruits of their labors, so to speak.
There’s really no better way to get kids to eat their veggies than for them to grow them themselves. If you don’t believe us, try it.
Or, maybe you’re still younger and don’t have kids. That’s fine, gardening can teach you a lot about the world and yourself as well. It’s not just plant’s you’ll learn about, the systems and cycles involved in a healthy garden teach us about global phenomenon.
You might even learn something important about yourself while you’re digging in the dirt. True insight comes at the simplest of times.
A garden produces healthy food for free
And last but not least, of course, gardening is a great way to grow healthy food. Food that hasn’t been contaminated by pesticides and hormones. We can’t always control what goes into the food we buy, but at home we can take control.
So many chemicals get sprayed onto produce these days that it’s a miracle we can still eat it. This fact alone is enough to drive many people to planting their own gardens.
However, growing your own produce won’t only ensure healthier veggies, it will also inspire you to eat more of them. There’s something about growing food yourself that just makes it taste better. It must be something about the love and care that goes into it.
So go get in the garden!
Whatever the secrets to a healthy garden are, they lead to a healthy life. Even if you start small, get growing today. Build a windowsill box, or dig a plot in your front yard. Find a creative way to build gardening into your life, whatever that means for you.
Soon, you’ll be smiling at the dirt under your nails and eating the product of your hard work. Food will never taste so good as when you’ve grown it yourself.
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We live in a beautiful world, get out there and enjoy it.
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