It is such a fun time of the year! It might sound strange, but I love going out to my garden and seeing what has grown overnight, it’s like Christmas morning! If you are thinking about gardening, but don’t have a green thumb, no worries. I was a hot mess in the beginning but I am getting a little better at it each year. Farm to table gardening has so many benefits and it’s worth exploring.
Here are some benefits:
1.) Gardening can relieve stress. The action itself is healthy and healing. It is stress reducing to go outside and garden after a long day of work. If you haven’t heard of the biophilia hypothesis check into it. “It suggests that humans posses an innate tendency to such connections with nature and other forms of life.” I personally find this to be true in my life. I love being in nature and find it peaceful. Harvesting my own food brings that same sense of calm.
2.) It can also help with depression and mental health. If given the chance, you can sit back and rest from your labors and feel good about making something from nature. Starting with a seed and then harvesting and cooking your meal is very rewarding and can boost your mental health.
3.) Gardening is good for your physical health. It is a great way to exercise and you can burn up to 400 calories an hour. On top of that, the food you are growing has less pesticides and other chemicals that can adversely affect your physical health.
4.) Long term studies indicate that it reduces risk for dementia. You receive more natural vitamin D being outside and in the sun than taking a pill. I am a big advocate for sunscreen but a balance of vitamin D is a positive thing.
5.) Gardening saves you money! Buying organic can be expensive. I personally do not use any chemicals on my garden and I love knowing we are eating organic!
Urban gardening can help you build your community neighborhood. Our garden is quite large and we share our herbs and vegetables with other families. It’s fun and the kids really enjoy seeing the fruit of each plant. If you haven’t considered it this season, check out my Gardening 101 blog post from earlier this spring to find out how to prepare for your own farm to table garden in 2018!
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” Alfred Austin
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