Benefits of Gardening

Sowing and Reaping the Good Things

A lot of people dislike gardening because they think of it as a chore--lifting shovels, pots and moving other gardening equipment, digging into dirt, weeding, watering and faithfully tending to your plants. Gardening requires time and attention. Moreover, for someone who do not like being under the sun's unfriendly rays, and being exposed to heat then gardening really seems like Still, there are those who think it's a pleasant pastime. They  indulge in it because they find it rewarding and stress-relieving. If you're the latter, you feel some sort of excitement seeing your flowers bloom around your house. If you're raising vegetables or fruits, you can enjoy a fresh harvest for your family or that you can share with some friends.

What are the advantages, aside from those already mentioned, can one derive from gardening?

1.  First, if you don't mind sweating and digging into dirt (there's a pair of gloves anyway), gardening can relieve stress and provide good cardio training that improves strength and flexibility. Health studies indicate that it is a good regular physical exercise which prevents heart disease, obesity, adult-onset diabetes and high blood pressure.
2. Second, it's also helpful to those who are recovering from illnesses. Being connected with nature reminds people of the beautiful things to enjoy and allows them time to slow down. This relieves stress. Meanwhile, the tasks involved in gardening develop eye-hand coordination and enhance both fine and gross motor skills.
   
3. Lastly, you always have flowers, fruits and vegetables that not only add vibrant and lovely colors to your surrounding. They also come in handy when you need flowers for certain occasions or a bunch for a friend's special day. In addition,you have a steady and reliable supply of fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables, which you can make into drinks and shakes or share with friends.

Starting a garden isn't that easy though...some plants require huge space, and you need to purchase the basic tools for gardening. Plus, it might mean an all-year round activity. But if you need something healthy to keep you busy, this might do. 

So it isn't too perfect all the time, but it can be pretty fun too!

(Here are photos of our not-so-secret garden--flowering plants for the front yard and vegetables for the backyard.)