Benefits of Home Gardening
Benefits of Home Gardening
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to creating the perfect garden.
Gardening as a hobby has been gaining in popularity in recent years, even amongst millennials and younger generations. Its appeal is not even lost on those without ample outdoor garden space thanks to things such as large house plants, small indoor herb and vegetable gardens, and of course hydroponics. The community of gardening and hydroponics has developed considerably in recent years, which means there’s never been a better time to get started! Growing and keeping plants comes with obvious advantages, including the aesthetic, and improved air quality but in this article, we’ll touch on some of the lesser-known benefits of gardening you might not be aware of.
Great for Mental Health
Spending time on any hobby that you enjoy is great for creating satisfaction and improving mood, but gardening and mental health benefits especially go hand in hand.
Being able to use your hands to create a garden of your own is a great stress reliever. Multiple studies have shown that the combination of physical activity, time spent outdoors, and enjoying the results of your own labor create endorphins that help reduce stress long-term! Being able to turn off your devices temporarily and work within nature also helps exercise your mental focus and mindfulness, which aids in reducing anxiety and contributes overall to improved mental health.
Your annual cleanup of garden space to turn it into something new and beautiful for spring can help spark creativity, which also lowers cortisol levels and improves mood. Once you see your vision come together, and your plants start thriving, garden therapy leads to a sense of accomplishment and reward that can improve confidence and self-esteem. Being able to enjoy the fruits of your labor with a flourishing garden is a fantastic benefit that is great for mental health!
Satisfying Exercise for Physical Health
It may or may not surprise you to learn that gardening is considered a valuable form of exercise, and only a few hours a week is needed to experience the benefits to your physical well-being. It’s no secret that exercise, along with a good diet and ample sleep, is needed to keep our bodies functioning and avoid disease. The amount of physical exertion required to set up and maintain a garden is thought to be equivalent to some forms of vigorous exercise, which may be good news if hitting the gym isn’t your ideal pastime. Regular exercise can lead to lower blood pressure and improved heart health, reducing your risk for stroke or heart attack.
Gardening is not only a great way to increase your heart rate, but it’s also beneficial for improving hand strength and dexterity. Using your hands to do things such as dig, plant, weed, and carry tools builds up strength in hands, that otherwise could lead to conditions such as arthritis. Another great benefit to getting outside and working in the garden while it’s sunny is the exposure to Vitamin D. Absorption of this crucial vitamin from the sun has physical benefits such as stronger bones, as well as increased serotonin which is a proven depression-buster. Exposure to sunlight is crucial to getting a dose of vitamin D, just don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses!
Definitive Rewards
Along with these intangible benefits come a few concrete assets that make gardening a constructive hobby. If you can sustain some type of edible plants within your garden, harvesting those gives you the opportunity to eat a fresh, healthy diet at a minimal cost to you. Whether its fresh herbs for your favorite dishes or an abundance of vegetables, having access to produce from your garden is a huge benefit! Try Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds for an easy to grow nutrient-dense product!
Even cultivating your own cannabis, it’s rewarding to know that you grew it yourself, and ensures you have a ready supply available. The best part is having control over what you feed the plants and whether they are all organic, so you know exactly how the plants are handled.
Keeping up with the upkeep of your plants is also a great activity to keep you busy while social distancing. It’s a way to get up and moving around, enjoy time outdoors (if possible), and feel less confined and restricted. Spending time on an indoor garden or outdoors is a great hobby that doesn’t require having to leave the house unnecessarily. In fact, we even offer shipping on almost all of our products to keep your garden in pristine condition, from the comfort of your own home! Check out some of our favorite nutrients and trimming tools!
Gardening builds communities
Finally, even though we are spending more time inside and away from those around us you can still be surrounded by great people in the communities that are inspired by gardening. Discussing your favorite plants can be a great way to connect with likeminded people and even discover some great places local to you. Many cities even have established community gardens to help inspire people and share the benefits that the hobby provides. In the meantime, there are lots of virtual communities with advice on growing, or to share photos and tips you can join on Facebook, Reddit, or by following hashtags or accounts on Instagram. For this reason, you definitely invite you to follow our Instagram page where there’s always great discussions!
Don’t forget that more plants are beneficial to our environment as well, helping to reduce pollution by withdrawing carbon dioxide and leaving us with cleaner air. They also help contribute to more developed ecosystems with things such as pollination and sustainable homes for friendly creatures (just not on our cannabis plants! Avoid those by reading this post)
Ultimately, any hobby that you can pursue and enjoy in this current climate is beneficial to your overall well-being. We highly recommend considering starting up gardening if you haven’t already or spending some time to develop the interest for all the benefits named above. Just remember it doesn’t have to be overly complicated or difficult, you can start with a few plants or a small setup and work your way up as you get more comfortable.
We are available by phone or email to help make sure all your gardening supply needs are met! Or consider shopping our online store and having your order delivered.
Happy Growing!