Benefits of Gardening

Home garden has become a popular pastime for people around the world. Some gardens are small, just used for weekend getaways. But more, home gardeners are building permanent backyard “houses” to grow a variety of crops, flowers, herbs and vegetables. This is a great way to save money and save the environment. These are just a few ideas for creating a backyard garden that will be beneficial to you and your family.

Most people build or buy a small home garden that consists of annuals, perennials, seasonal plants and flowers. However, forest gardening, also known as agricultural organic gardening, is a low-impact, sustainable, crop and food production system based on natural woodland ecosystems, adding shrubs, fruits and even some edible vegetables to the mix. Vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, beets, carrots, squash, yams, sweet potatoes and cabbage attract beneficial insects and birds to your garden, increasing the quality of your vegetables. Bush beans, chickpeas, pearl beans, kidney beans, okra, peas, sweet peas, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, turnips and other legumes will provide you with protein, fiber, calcium, iron, zinc and many other nutrients that are important to human health.

Many families garden because it is relaxing, beautiful and satisfying to grow their own food. It is rewarding to know that you are creating meals that you can eat. By growing your own fresh foods, you can enjoy the flavors in the produce and know that they were not exposed to harmful additives. Creating home gardens is becoming more popular in America, as more people want healthy, delicious foods. Eating healthy creates many positive long-term effects, including a stronger immune system, better concentration and more energy, better posture and healthier skin.

Another benefit for home gardeners is that eating healthy foods makes you feel better on a daily basis, reduces stress and improves your mood. Stress can contribute to weight gain and a number of other health problems. Stress can also cause fatigue and can weaken your immune system. The bottom line is that by creating a thriving home gardening community, gardeners are contributing to the well-being of their families, friends and entire households.

Home gardening provides an opportunity to taste delicious foods that you would never have been able to taste otherwise. There are so many great varieties of vegetables and fruits to choose from that a gardener can easily rotate crops, plant shade tolerant plants and grow vegetables that can tolerate some not so perfect conditions. Gardening is also a wonderful way to save money. Instead of purchasing expensive grocery items, which are usually frozen or canned, you can save money by preparing and cooking your own meals, which include vegetables, fruits, meats and other food products.

Many home gardeners were once told that they would never be able to have the “berry” they are accustomed to finding in their favorite berry bushes. Today, with new hybrid varieties being introduced every year, more varieties of berries and other fruits are now available. Home gardeners can now enjoy the sweet taste of the berry they love without having to make any sacrifices to their garden. This has resulted in many gardeners deciding that they actually like to eat what they grow instead of just giving it to their loved ones.