Hello everyone, I am writing an article for backwoods home on the benefits of gardening physically and mentally. Part of the article will be on why people like to garden, being the mental and or physical benefits. So tell me, why do you garden besides the obvious produce if vegetable gardening?:cheers2:
Because I am happiest when I am outside working with dirt and plants. Healthier too. Something about having the sun shine on you and the wind blow through your hair. Theres a lot of satisfaction from planting seeds and watching the plants grow and fruit. And it tends to put all the little meddlesome problems in your day to day life into perspective in the big scheme and cycle of life.
I find that gardening is totally immune too all my moods/motivation problems and always makes me feel better. I'm not capable of dragging myself to a 9-5 office job, yet I'd have no problem digging in a rainstorm for several hours, in my own garden, for free. The rewards for the effort you put in are so real and tangible too.
My mother has gardened all my life. I used to hate having to help her weed, but now I can't help myself - I've just GOT to get out there & get my hands in the dirt! I enjoy the planning, the waiting, the watering, the weeding, (now that it's small-scale & low-key) and finally seeing the literal fruits of my labor... but I LOVE watching my kids in the garden most. Every spring it's the glee in choosing the oddest seed varieties we can find & then waiting to see which plants will win the "sprout race." In the summer, it's the patience they show in watering & weeding, and the gentleness to which they talk to the plants in the heat of the day. And in the fall, it's the pride they take in the harvest that THEY helped to care for & grow. It's an ongoing "project" for them that they LOVE to get into each year. love, mom
when im sad (ie, when my depression hits) i go and play in the greenhouse, and it makes me slightly happier.. maybe not loads, but its better than sitting inside crying
Gardening is centering for me, good for the mind, body and soul. I also use most of the herbs and flowers I grow in my crafting and cooking. The non obvious reasons are a little harder to put into words. There is something so nurturing about caring for plant life, getting your hands deep in the moist soil, tending it. Perhaps it is a nurturing thing. I think it hit an almost maternal instinct and I so enjoy watching my plants grow and thrive. I also garden for the health of my cats. Many indoor kitties do not reap the benefit of eating fresh greens. The two I am owned by who cannot romp outdoors, get to nibble on fresh greens and cat grass daily. It lifts their spirits and aids digestion.
Gardening can pay benefits similar to meditation. It takes us out of our hurried lives and gives us a chance to nurture something other than ourselves. x
why do i garden? to eat .... most important .. to clean up abandoned lots that are full of debris, to run off crack dealers, pimps , hookers and Johns... to make my neighborhood safer, to make the World a better place..
You can't scam mother nature. The rich and powerful try, but she has a way of putting them in their place. Gardening is both predictable and full of surprises. When you think you have it figured out you get hit with an oh whoa moment where something happens you hadn't even considered, but she had it up her sleeve the whole time. And when you leave yourself open to the happy little accidents you are truly more in tune with your environment than the scientists that try to predict and forecast.
I garden because it helps me be calm. I have a lot of anxiety sometimes. I don't think of anything when I garden. I am at my most peaceful when gardening. Mentally I am relaxed. Physically gardening helps with my muscles, and toning. Especially my legs. I squat when I garden sometimes. Gardening makes me feel happy after I am done planting the flowers, and pulled all of the weeds, it looks really nice. I have pride in myself that I actually made a piece of land beautiful to look at.
It gives me that time to be with my thoughts After a teaching degree, I decided that I gave up on trying to help people, and help something that can't help themselves. Plants!
Insurance policy against starvation and so I don't have to ingest the toxic food produced by big AG. All it would take is one major crop failure or one bad year for Monsanto's seed production to cripple the United State's ag industry. The midwestern cornbelt would become essentially a desert and dust bowl on a scale that would dwarf the one during the depression (I've seen amazing dust clouds and soul erosion in the height of summer in Illinois after only two weeks of drought.) So I'm trying to minimize my consumption of carcinogens and I'm conditioning myself (gaining knowledge) and my own soil for complete self food reliance. I'm also creating my own rotating, self sustaining heirloom, seed bank. Also, there's something extremely satisfying and comforting about producing your own food.
I love being around growing plants, watching them develop over time, seeing them beautiful and green. Indoors or out, plants make me feel better. Getting my kids to come help me gives great opportunities to just talk about the day in a non-stressful setting, and they love helping to pick dinner out from the garden. We're going to start growing indoors, hopefully that gives the same enjoyment we've always had in our outdoor space.
Working 8 hours in a cubicle is nowhere as satisfying as working 8 hours in the field. Given you are paid money for a job, you are paid in life skills and nutrition gardening.
I enjoy seeing plants develop over time and see them change through the seasons, I also like to populate the garden with more plants by propagating stuff especially some of the less common ones.
