If you are looking for a new hobby, one of the most rewarding and beneficial ones that you can do is gardening. Why? Well, as mentioned by a study posted on ScienceDirect, it has been found out that a wide range of health benefits can be observed here.
Not convinced but are curious as to what these advantages are? Below are some of the benefits of gardening and why you should start making a garden shed today.
Why Choose Gardening?
Having a hobby is great as this allows us to relax, especially now that we’re in a very fast-paced society. When it comes to choosing gardening as a hobby, while it’s not always the first one to be chosen by people, it’s actually a good idea to do so.
This is because no matter what your situation is or where you’re located, you can always do gardening. In fact, with just a little bit of space, you can already make a small garden patch to start. Plus, learning it is engaging, making it a fun activity that you and your family can enjoy.
Gardening certainly has its disadvantages, and, sometimes, it can even frustrate us too. However, when you have a garden, and it starts growing, it’ll feel gratifying.
So, give it a try and just start small. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up making gardening as your way of living.
Benefits of Gardening
We can never go wrong with gardening as its benefits are greater than its inconveniences. If you’re now convinced why starting a garden is great, below are some of its benefits that will all the more inspire you to start one today:
Boosts Your Overall Health
If you’re not a fan of the gym, then gardening is a great way to do light to moderate exercise. As you’re burning calories more, you are actually boosting your overall health and strengthening your heart.
In addition, you’re more likely to be happier as it also helps reduce anxiety and depression. The more active you become, the more enhanced your emotional wellbeing will be.
When gardening is done every day, you’ll see results. Besides, a garden is something that you should tend to consistently, so with this hobby, you’ll always find yourself becoming much more active and healthier.
Reduces Your Stress
Another benefit of gardening is that it reduces stress. In a study, it was found out that gardening can actually lower your cortisol levels. So, people who are always stressed can find gardening soothing.
As stress can affect our health as well, reducing this is crucial when it comes to maintaining a good wellbeing. A small garden patch is already enough. Besides, if you’re a newbie, starting small is a better idea as a large patch might stress you out –this is the last thing we’d like to happen!
Enhances Sleep
This goes hand in hand with exercise. It has been known that exercise can help enhance your sleep quality. Because it helps reduce anxiety and depression, you’re much calmer, thus sleeping becomes easier for you.
Also, as light exercise has a positive effect on your circadian rhythm, your body clock is more attuned to your sleeping and exercise pattern, especially when you follow a consistent routine every day.
Teaches Responsibility and Discipline
If you want to practice responsibility and discipline, then gardening is for you. As this is a hobby that requires time, effort, and care, you’ll need to be disciplined and responsible.
Tending the plants is not an easy task, and there may be days wherein you’ll not want to deal with it anymore. However, this is where character growth happens. Just take it as a challenge, and if you think you can’t handle a huge garden, start with a few pots and just increase them once you get the hang of it.
Gives Confidence
Once you’ve established a consistent routine and find a balance between work and your hobby, you’ll start seeing results. A garden that’s properly taken care of will grow and give you a bountiful harvest, giving you that boost in confidence.
Who wouldn’t feel proud of such progress? A garden, especially one that gave you praise from people, will surely boost your confidence.
Saves Money
The last thing on our list is that gardening actually saves money. One might think that this is an expensive hobby, and while this is true, it’s only at the beginning.
When you properly take care of your garden, especially if you have vegetables, you can actually save money by growing your own food. How cool is that? What’s more, you’re also eating natural foods, so it’s totally safe and healthier.
Ways to be an Effective Gardener
Do Your Research
Don’t stop learning as there are a lot of articles when it comes to gardening. Research is an important aspect of any hobby, especially when you’re new.
Start by identifying what your goals are. Do you want to focus on flowering plants or vegetables? Identify what your needs are so that you’ll know what to research about.
Also, consistently doing your research will lead you to new gardening tips and fresh ideas, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on this one, right?
Plant Seeds that are in Season
It’s a must that you plant seeds that are in season. In this way, you can benefit from them. Again, you can do this by researching.
If you want to plant certain vegetables, know when they’re abundant. This is because some vegetables thrive on certain atmosphere. You’ll want to only plant seeds that are in season so that you’ll not end up wasting your resources and actually benefit from it.
Don’t Use Low-Quality Potting Mix and Gardening Products
One that thing your plants would hate is a low-quality potting mix. Now that you’re already planting, might as well use quality products, right?
Use a potting mix with great reviews. Remember, your plants do not only need water for nourishment, but they also get their nutrients from the potting mix that you’re providing them.
Also, this goes for your other gardening products too. If you want to use fertilizer and insecticides, make sure that they are all organic. If you opt to use items at home, this is also an excellent move as they are much more natural.
Whatever route you’re going to take when it comes to your gardening products, always check the materials and ingredients being used in the products. You’d want what’s best for your plants, so give them quality products, and they’ll surely give you high yields.
Be Positive, Consistent, and Determined
Gardening takes time, so before you see great results, you’ll need to adopt a positive mindset in order to remain consistent and determined. Especially if you’re still a beginner, it’s only normal to feel frustrated. However, you’ll not gain anything when you stop right away.
Just don’t expect too much and do what you can. Even if you have little to no experience, with determination, you’ll learn as you go, so it’s always a win-win situation with gardening.
Differentiate Shade and Sun-Loving Plants
Plants are unique as well, just like us humans. So, get to know them. In this way, you can provide the right living conditions for them.
There are certain plants that thrive more when they are under the shade. On the other hand, there are also plants that need more sun than shade.
As stated above, research is needed. Once you’ve already picked what you’re going to plant, learn as much as you can about them. You’ll be surprised how much information each plant has.
Provide Adequate Water and Proper Drainage System
Lastly, it’s important that you give your plants enough water to grow and the right drainage system for them to thrive and not end up wilting.
If you have a consistent supply of water, your plants will be able to grow well. However, do note that some plants differ when it comes to how much their need for water is. Again, know what each plant’s preferences are.
Lastly, it’s important that you install a drainage system for each pot or patch. Note that some plants only need a little bit of water, so you can just opt for a watering spray. But for those that need one, you can put holes under the pots or make a canal for your patch.
FAQ’s
Why does gardening make you happy?
It keeps my mind busy and my body active. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride. It makes me feel good about myself and my environment. I find gardening therapeutic.
It gives us something to do when we’re not doing much else. Gardening is a way to be productive in a passive way. We’re putting our time and energy into growing something that we can eat or drink, or use for fuel.
What does gardening do for your body?
Gardening is a great way to relax. When you get outside, you are exposed to the sun and fresh air, which helps you feel better and have a more positive attitude towards life. Plus, you can grow things that are delicious and nutritious. Gardening can be relaxing because it is a creative process. Gardening requires focus and attention. You have to put some time and effort into it.
It reduces your blood pressure. You can find many studies about the benefits of gardening on the internet. It has been proven to help reduce coronary disease and colon cancer, just not name a few.
Conclusion
Gardening is definitely a great hobby to take. This is because it has quite a lot of benefits. If you’re contemplating about whether you’re going to start one soon or not, just give it a go.
After all, gardening is not that overwhelming as you can start small. Plus, once you get the hang of it, you’ll not want to stop it, making it one of the most rewarding activities that you can do during your free time.
Did you enjoy reading the article? Comment what your thoughts and questions are. And if you have some gardening tips in mind, don’t hesitate to share them so that we’ll have a much greener and more abundant environment.
Josephine is an enthusiastic gardener who loves to spend her spare time tending to her garden. She is passionate about growing her own food, and aspires to one day have her own vegetable garden. Josephine is also an animal lover and often takes in stray cats and dogs. She enjoys spending time with her pets in the garden, and is often seen playing with them or watering her plants. Josephine is an avid reader and enjoys learning about new gardening techniques and plants. She is always looking for ways to improve her garden and make it more beautiful. She is a great friend, always willing to lend a helping hand when needed. Josephine‘s passion for gardening and love of animals make her a wonderful addition to any garden.
