With the health improvements it brings to both your body and mind, it’s not surprising if starting a garden has blipped onto your wellness radar. Here’s what you need to know about the positive impact of planting a produce plot, along with tips for getting your first garden growing.
Nourish Your Body
Gardening is not a passive endeavor, but an active hobby with lots of body benefits. The unique motions involved in shoveling, planting, weeding and watering challenge muscle groups that otherwise might go unused, and you’ll burn calories in the process. Vigorous grading provides cardiovascular exercise while improving your strength, dexterity and flexibility. It’s also a wonderful way to spend time breathing fresh air and soaking up vitamin D from the sun.
When you plant an edible garden, you gain back-end health benefits, as well. By eating food fresh from your own plot, you’re consuming them at their peak nutritional value. You’re also avoiding ingesting the harmful chemicals that are often used in the commercial production and packaging of produce.
Ripe fruits and veggies straight from your garden taste much better than grocery store options, making them more enticing to munch on than chips or sugary snacks. Eating from your own harvest curbs your hunger while giving you the energy boost that comes from natures best carbohydrate resources.
Nurture Your Mind
While growing your own produce is clearly beneficial for your body, it also works wonders for your mental health. Studies demonstrate a clear link between greater emotional well-being and household gardening, with positive effects ranging from boosted self-esteem to stress reduction counted among the activity’s perks.
Caring for your garden requires you to practice mindfulness. You must tune out the noise of the world to properly nurture your plantings, for any unnecessary distraction could cause you to overlook a strangling weed or cut back a promising bud in its prime. When you cores your mind of clutter, you live in the moment and let go of lingering tension.
Gardening also instills a sense of pride and productivity, demonstrating that hard effort brings great rewards. Coaxing life from a few seeds and a plot of dirt is an excellent reminder of the amazing things you can accomplish if you put in the work!
Get Growing!
All of this sounds terrific, but if you’ve never picked up a spade or trowel, you’re probably wondering where to start. It’s best to begin with a small patch of land so you don’t feel overwhelmed, and choose low-maintenance produce like tomatoes, leafy greens and peppers to improve your odds of success. Plant according to your climate and the growing season of your region to avoid a disappointing outcome.
Remember that weeds grow and crops fail, so never let small setbacks spoil your fun. Follow creative bloggers to stay inspired and motivated when things aren’t going as you’d like and celebrate your vegetable victories by sharing pictures, and your harvest, with friends. Recognize that learning both what works and what doesn’t makes you a better gardener int he long run!
From better fitness and nutrition to boost well-being, there are plenty of perks to planting a garden. Even if you’ve never had a row of seedlings in your life, don’t let that stop you from growing your way to better health with a produce patch of your own!
This is a guest article from Derek Cannon
