10 Benefits of Gardening

From the beginning of man’s existence, humans have been involved in some form of gardening. The benefits of gardening have helped to sustain humans from the beginning. In the beginning, gardening was mainly to provide food for consumption. Today, gardening not only provides food but is also a leisure and a hobby for many. In this article, we discuss the benefits of gardening.

Benefits of Gardening

1. Organic Produce

One of the main reasons for gardening is the production of fresh and organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and plants. Gardening can produce a lot of produce from a very small plot of land. Many gardeners use garden beds in their yards to grow a good amount of fruits and vegetables.

Additionally, you can control what fertilizers are used to grow the produce. This helps to ensure that what you grow is mainly organic and will help you and your family eat healthily. You experience a sense of satisfaction and pride when you can provide organic produce from your garden for your family.

2. Reduce Stress

Gardening also helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Gardening is another way of escaping the regular stress of modern living and connecting with nature. It allows you to unplug from your regular day responsibilities and destress yourself.

There is a good feeling when you work the soil, tend to your plants, and just nurture them. It lightens the mood and helps to relieve you of stress and anxiety from your demanding job and other responsibilities as an adult.

3. Supports The Economy

The sale of gardening tools, equipment, and other gardening products amounts to billions of dollars in the United States and worldwide. Statista noted that the global gardening market value is approximately 104 billion U. S. dollars.

Furthermore, it is predicted that there will be steady growth in the global market for garden equipment and supplies with a sales value of nearly 130 billion U. S. dollars in 2024.

4. Improves Health

Gardening also helps to improve your health, physically and mentally. Spending time outside not only lowers your stress levels, but also allows you to take in oxygen which increases the oxygen levels in the blood, fills the lungs with clean air, improves digestion, and improves your immune response.

Additionally, you get more vitamin D as your body uses the sunlight to provide vitamin D. Vitamin D also helps your body absorb calcium which is essential for bone formation.

5. Exercise

Gardening is a moderate-intensity exercise. You can burn a good amount of calories from a good number of hours of gardening. It may allow you to exercise the muscles in your hands, legs, back, and feet.

You might do some walking, lifting up pots of plants, soil fertilizers, and other gardening tools as you work to plants, tend to others, clear out weeds, and water the garden. This can be a moderate workout for your body which is also good for your health.

Advantages vs Disadvantages of Gardening

6. Social Interaction

Gardening can also help with social interaction and the building of stronger bonds. If you have kids or a spouse, you can spend some time away from the television and gadgets by gardening. This can strengthen relationships with kids and family members.

Gardening is a great way to introduce your kids to nature and teach them to appreciate what nature provides us and how to care for it and be responsible stewards. Additionally, gardening can allow you to interact with your neighbors and other gardeners in your community.

7. Help With Climate Change

Climate change? Really? Yes. Gardens help reduce greenhouse gasses. Imagine if we all had a little garden in our yards. it will all help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and help with climate change. So when you see someone gardening, just remember even if the gardener doesn’t realize it, that is a very important help with helping planet earth and making it better for future generations.

8. Lower Risk of Dementia

Gardening is not only helpful for younger adults and children, but it can also help seniors. In a study with a sample size of 3,000 people over the age of 60 years, it was revealed that gardening can lower the risk of dementia by about 36%. Gardening helps to stimulate the mind and keeps us focused on the present moment.

Additionally, gardening is also a sensory exercise with colors to see, insects to see and hear, and many other things that improve the sensory nerves.

9. Builds Self-Esteem

Gardening can also help to improve your self-esteem. You may not be confident that you can succeed at gardening but decide to give it a try anyway. After reading the instructions and preparing the beds, adding the soil, planting the seeds, watering, and waiting, you finally see the little green shoots.

After months of watering and tending to your garden, you harvest the produce and have baskets of them in your kitchen. Your confidence just went up a few levels and your self-esteem benefited. Gardening can help boost your self-esteem and let you have a stronger belief in yourself.

10. Improves Your Personality

Gardening also helps to improve your personality. It helps you improve life skills like focus, attention to detail, patience, discipline, nurturing, resilience, and more. It allows you to develop your personality from a completely different angle.

The Bottom Line

Gardening has been an occupation of humans from the beginning. Today, it still provides food but is also used for many other purposes. In this article, we discussed the benefits of gardening.

If you would like to read more about gardening tips to improve your gardening skills, then read this article. Additionally, you can also learn organic gardening tips from this article.