by Lacie Martin
raisethemwell.org
While a well-groomed yard may impress the neighbors, the true benefits of gardening are best found within. If you’ve never mowed the lawn, planted a tree, or struggled to keep a cactus alive, then fear not. Getting started is easy, and you’ll soon find there are plenty of health benefits.
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Benefits of Gardening
Physical Benefits
Gardening tasks like shoveling, raking, and weeding offer great physical benefits by burning calories and toning muscles. Just 30 minutes spent in the garden contributes to your workout quota for the week, allowing you to kill two birds with one stone. To add to this, gardening is a lot less repetitive than an average session at the gym, which can make it far more rewarding.
Mental Benefits
Spending some time away from the stress of everyday life in the serenity of your garden can do wonders for your mental health. It gives you the opportunity to unwind, without relying on a vice or a screen to do so. Using the time for introspection or meditation can also help you to work through your stressors in a healthy and constructive way.
Dietary Benefits
Eating well is a critical part of revitalizing your physical health, but buying organically grown food can be expensive. Planting fruit and vegetables that you enjoy means that you have total control over the methods used to grow the produce and you can cook healthy and delicious meals from the harvest affordably — often you may not even need to pay for seeds since there are a number of herbs and plants that can be propagated from food scraps.
Property Value
A home’s curb appeal is a major contributor to its overall worth. As such, by landscaping and cultivating a luscious garden, you’ll be adding to the property value at your next appraisal. If you’re planning on selling in the near future, be sure to track the changes you’ve made by taking pictures and keeping a record of all receipts and invoices.
Gardening for Beginners
Tools
When starting a new hobby, it’s easy to get carried away by the initial excitement and make unnecessary purchases. Consider the space you have and the extent of the work that will need to be done to transform it. This makes it easier to choose basic tools to begin landscaping with. Once you’re certain that gardening is the right hobby for you, you can begin to consider more advanced tooling.
Seeds
Some plants require a lot more finesse and expertise to grow successfully, so if you haven’t had much luck in this department in the past, it may be best to choose simple and low-effort options. Spend time learning about the climate and soil types at your location so that you’re not setting yourself up for failure. Employees at gardening depots will often give great advice on which seeds and saplings work best for the season.
Layout
The layout of your garden is imperative in preventing threats like pets, weeds, and overcrowding from ruining your hard work. Identify areas with loose soil and loads of sunshine to start your first bed. If you’re concerned that your dogs will interfere with your plants, consider raised beds or fencing to work around this. Doing this work yourself can help you to develop your landscaping skills and adds a personal touch to the space.
Gardening is a hobby that has the potential to transform your mind, body, and soul, but without the proper effort and planning, it can also lead to frustration. Spend time researching the best methods for your garden and you’ll soon have a slice of paradise right in your backyard.
The Windsor/ Essex County Community Garden Collective aims to support members of the community in starting, maintaining, and transforming their gardens. We believe that each garden is unique, and provide the right resources and information to help homeowners make the most of the space they have. Find out more at www.wegarden.ca