Top Reasons to Consider Starting Your Own Garden
Has the hard work required to start a home garden got you second-guessing the idea? Though it’s true that gardening does require a significant investment, it also has a great return. More than just aesthetic appeal, there are health, environmental, and financial advantages to having your own garden. Whether you opt for a few simple planters, flowers, or organic fruits and veggies, here’s a look at some of the benefits you could receive.
Convenience
Ever get ready to start a recipe and realize you’re missing some key ingredients? Does the idea of shopping at local Farmer’s markets on a busy weekend drain your energy? Starting a home garden allows you to avoid these issues. If you start a fruit, veggie, and/or herb garden, you have easy access to fresh ingredients you might need. Not to mention, there’s no need to spend your Saturday at the market.
Healthier
Though you can very well eat fruits and veggies from the supermarket, not all produce is created equally these days. From genetically modified foods to harsh chemicals and toxins, there’s no telling how much nutrition you’re actually getting any more. With a home garden, however, you can eat healthier. You have full control over the chemicals used to grow your crops and with sites like naturesseed.com, you can get the best resources necessary to produce safer, healthier foods.
Eco-Friendly
Starting your own garden can also have a positive impact on the environment. When using methods like recycling food and other forms of waste like egg shells and coffee grounds to create compost, for example, it reduces your carbon footprint. For those who also prefer not to use chemicals at all, this also reduces the risk of water contamination. In the grand scheme of things, if everyone were to start a produce garden, essentially it would reduce the amount of product being shipped from around the world.
Stress Relieving
Gardening is also beneficial to your emotional well-being. Being in direct sunlight, becoming one with nature, and the satisfaction of producing something on your own boosts your self-esteem and mood, therefore relieving stress. The continual maintenance of gardening allows you an opportunity to take your mind off of other things that may be going on and focusing on something with a more positive outcome.
Great for Exercise
Working up a sweat will always help to burn calories and release toxins from the body. Though it may seem effortless, gardening takes a lot of work. From digging holes and pulling weeds to harvesting there are a lot of things to be done. Spending at least an hour each day in your garden can help you burn hundreds of calories and lower your body mass index.
Saves Money
Here’s a benefit to gardening that everyone can surely get behind - more cash in your pocket. As stated previously, when you grow your own produce eventually, you’ll have enough that you won’t need to buy these things in the grocery store. For those who are vegetarians or vegans, gardening essentially eliminates the need to grocery shop almost altogether.
Improved Heart Health
As if the above-mentioned benefits of gardening weren’t enough, you can also improve your blood pressure and decrease your risk for heart disease or stroke. The combination of exercising regularly coupled with lowered stress and improved mood essentially lowers your blood pressure.
Enhances the Immune System
Who knew that gardening could reduce the chances of you developing the common cold, flu, or other illnesses? Believe it or not, there are good bacteria present in dirt which, when exposed to it can help strengthen your immune system. There’s also the fact that the more you garden, the more your body develops a familiarity with certain allergens reducing your chances of allergic reactions.
Lots of Fun
To the novice or curious gardener, the task may look more like a chore than a good time. However, the exact opposite is quite true. The more you learn about gardening the easier it becomes to turn it into a hobby as opposed to a job. There’s nothing like using your own hands to produce items of beauty you can benefit from.
If you’ve pondered the idea of starting your own home garden, perhaps now you’ll understand why it’s worth the investment. Gardens are beautiful parts of nature that also improves various aspects of your life. Starting a garden can improve your physical and mental health while also saving money and the planet. So, why not give it a try and begin your own garden today.
