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Building a thriving garden will take a lot of work. You’ll need to find the right plants for your soil type. Then, you’ll need to put them in the right place and give them plenty of nutrients. Most importantly, though, you’ll need to leave some time for them to grow. So, why is it worth it?
Though gardens might be hard work, there are plenty of benefits that they will provide. You’ll be able to improve both your mental and physical health. Growing fresh fruit and vegetables will be able to save you money. Plus, you will get a lot of enjoyment and pride from watching the garden grow.
It’s undeniable that gardening is hard work. But, if you stick with it, you will literally reap the rewards. Keep reading to learn more about why it will be worth the effort.
Is Gardening Hard to Learn?
Let’s start by getting a better idea of how difficult gardening is. Often, people can underestimate how hard it will be for you to learn this skill. After all, there are plenty of elements that will affect how your plants will grow. These things can include:
- The pH level of the soil
- Amount of rainfall
- Amount of sunlight
- Weather conditions
- Nutrients in the soil
This can seem like an overwhelming list of things for you to consider. Because of this, some people might not take up gardening at all. The good news is that you don’t need to know about these variables to get started in the world of gardening.
All you need to focus on is finding plants that will suit your soil conditions. The people at your local plant nursery should be able to help you do this. Once you have the right plants, all you need is to put them into the garden.
Of course, choosing the right plant isn’t the only thing you need to consider. You’ll also need to make sure that you are maintaining them properly. This means giving them the right amount of water. You’ll also need to provide nutrients through mulch and compost. You’ll need to weed the garden and protect them against the winter cold. This usually means dedicating at least an hour each week to your garden.
A Reliable Supply of Food
While gardening might be hard work, it does come with tremendous rewards. One of the biggest is presenting a reliable supply of food. This will help save you money, as you won’t need to spend as much money at the shops.
Another huge benefit is the ability to get more control over the way that your food is grown. In this case, you will be able to make sure that you aren’t using harsh chemicals. It can also be a good way of protecting your family from genetically modified foods.
Connecting With Children
If you are a parent, you know how valuable a good connection with your children can be. But in this day and age, it can be challenging to achieve. Some many distractions get in the way. It is easy for them to focus on their phones rather than having a conversation with you.
Gardening might be an excellent way to get around this problem. It can be a fun way to spend a little time in nature. Plus, by undertaking an activity together, you’ll have a place to start the conversation. From there, you can steer it into other areas.
As any parent will tell you, being able to have these kinds of conversations with children is priceless. It’s certainly worth putting in a little hard work in the garden for.
Boosting Your Physical and Mental Health
Putting in a bit of sweat in the garden is one of the best ways to boost your health. There are dozens of benefits
that gardening can provide. These can include:
- Lower blood pressure
- Getting plenty of Vitamin D
- Improving grip strength
- Boosting your immune system, so you have a lower risk of getting sick
- Improved aerobic fitness
The benefits of spending time don’t end with your physical health. You will also find that your mental health is improving. It can be a good way of releasing stress. This lowers the risk that you will get diseases like anxiety and depression. Plus, gardening has been shown to improve your mood.
Gardening might be a good way of dealing with more significant issues as well. For example, it can be a good way of helping people recover from addiction or helping them deal with substantial amounts of trauma. If you have a community garden in your area, it can be a great way to meet new people. This can reduce loneliness, which has been linked to several other mental and physical health issues.
Financial Rewards
If you are going to be doing hard work, it is reasonable for you to expect some reward. This isn’t just limited to physical and mental health. You should make some money from your effort. As we mentioned, you will be able to save some money by growing your food.
You can also turn this into a profitable venture. You will be able to take all your excess fruit to the markets. From there, you will be able to sell them. While this won’t make you a fortune, it is a good way to make a little extra cash.
Connecting With Your Community
For some people, gardening isn’t really about growing plants. It’s more valuable as a kind of social activity. It is their way of staying in contact with the community. This can be an excellent activity to meet other people through. It will give you a shared passion to discuss, making it easier to break the ice.
There are plenty of ways that gardening will be able to bring the community together. These can include:
- Community garden. This is a collective garden, which anyone in the community is welcome to participate.
- Flower shows/ open gardens. Since you are putting so much hard work into your garden you want to find a way of showing it off. These events are a great way of meeting people who appreciate your passion.
- Suitable for the elderly and the disabled. Gardening is a low-impact activity, which can be done by people of all activity levels. This is a good way to get all types of people engaged with the community.
Enjoyment and Pride
Often, though, the reasons why so many people have taken up gardening isn’t driven by logic. It is an emotional choice. People spend so much time in the garden because they are enjoying themselves. While it might look like a lot of hard work, it doesn’t seem that way for those who have a passion for gardening.
People also get a sense of pride through their garden. There is something intrinsically meaningful in watching a sapling grow into a huge tree. Many people feel accomplished when they can eat fruit and vegetables that they grew themselves. Part of this comes from knowing the amount of hard work that went into producing that item.
Final Thoughts
It’s undeniable that gardening is hard work. You’ll need to dedicate at least an hour a week to caring for your plants. If you have a larger plot, taking care of it can easily become a daily task. Despite this, it is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. It will allow you to save money, growing your own food. For other people, it’s one of the best ways to stay physically fit. But, most importantly of all, it is a rewarding activity, which has given countless people joy. As a result, the benefits far outweigh the downsides, making gardening worth the effort.