This is by no means a researched backed blog post, just a personal opinion from someone who has gardened for years. I personally have come to believe that gardening is good for the soul and here is why.
Gardening is Practical
First, learning to grow things is practical. In a world of automation and instant gratification, growing plants is a good lesson in basic life skills. As humans, we have to breathe and we have to eat.
Growing plants aides in the production of more growth to produce oxygen for us to breathe. In addition, growing plants that are pollinator friendly helps to keep our pollinators happy and healthy. There has been a concern in the last several years that the pesticides used to grow large crops has weakened the health and stability of our pollinators.
Humans also have to eat. Learning to grow food that can be eaten is a good life skill to have.
Delayed Gratification
When growing plants that are small or from seeds, gardening can be one of the ways to experience delayed gratification in a world of constant and instant gratification. When I plant seasonal vegetable gardens or seasonal flowers, it can be it be 1-3 months before a harvest can be made. Personally, there is much gratification to see the fruit of my hard labor weeks after the majority of the work has occurred
Vitamin D
We had a dark, cold and wet winter in our home state. It was no surprise that personal lab work revealed low Vitamin D levels. Although supplements can be taken, the most natural way to increase Vitamin D is to be in natural sunlight. Gardening and harvesting usually require daily maintenance and plenty of time to produce much needed Vitamin D. Adequate levels of Vitamin D and sunlight are natural mood lifters for myself.
Colors and Sharing
Learning to grow vegetables, flowers and other plants can introduce color into our lives. Seeing bright beautiful colors in my yard elicit feelings of joy.
Gardening is a skill learned over time, and eventually, it may result in excess plants, vegetables and flowers. Last season, I grew an abundance of cucumbers, tomatoes and zinnias that we shared with neighbors and friends. It brought myself and my kids significant joy to share the fruits of our labor with others. We especially enjoyed the abundant bouquets of bright zinnias weekly in our home and shared with neighbors.
Click these links to read how to start a garden and how to keep gardening affordable.
