Everyone who has ever grown and eaten a vine-ripe tomato knows that there is nothing better than when your teeth go through the tight red skin, and your mouth explodes with flavor and juiciness. Getting this reward for the hard work that you have put in is an excellent perk of gardening, but it is not the only reason why gardening can be enjoyable.
Know Where Your Food Comes From
For many, the thought of having a garden is enjoyable because you get to know where you food comes from, and you don’t have to go to the store to buy it. I am all for keeping things local, and eating your own foods from the garden is as local as you can get.
When you garden, you get to know exactly what is going on with your foods and you don’t have to worry about them being sprayed by some nasty chemicals like are found on foods that are commercially grown. If you stop and think about it, no one wants to be putting all of those chemicals in their bodies. Those chemicals are designed specifically to kill things whether they are insects or weeds. Why would you want to put something in your body that has been specifically designed to kill something if you are trying to get the nutrients that you need for your body. It just doesn’t make sense.
Also, there is lots of talk of buying local. When you buy from large stores, you don’t know where the food came from or how far it had to go in a truck so it could get to you. For those who are lucky enough to have a garden, all you have to do is go out your door and you will have food.
It Can Cost Less
Many gardeners will laugh at this one because they think about the amount of time, money, and energy that they have put into their garden. They think of the numerous trips to the store to get the tools and the soil supplements and the things to build the raised beds and the watering. However, if you grow enough in you garden, then you can end up with more than you would ever use and you can sell it to others who need some tomatoes or an extra box of green beans.
I would be lying if I said that our garden has come out to where it has been less expensive, but that doesn’t mean that we haven’t enjoyed the things that have come from our garden.
Someday in the future, we would like to have a farm that is profitable enough that we can make a full time living, but we might need to just try to get a semi-profitable garden. We have a lot to learn, but every year, we learn more about what to do and what not to do.
It’s Fascinating
My wife will likely laugh at me for this one because I do enjoy taking the time to look at things in nature and marvel at how they grow. Whenever we go for a walk, she often thinks that I am going much too slow and wishes that I would just hurry up. I am perfectly content taking my time and studying intently the birds and the plants.
It is truly amazing to watch how a garden grows, and it helps to remind you of how great God is that he can design something so small as a seed that after being buried in the ground, grows up to be a bigger plant which can then be eaten and it can make more seeds which can then in turn grow into more plants. It is hard for someone like me to understand how he can put everything that a plant needs to grow inside one seed.
When I am in the garden, I get to see the beauty of His creation and I can’t help but be thankful. From the many bright colors of the birds to the intricate patterns in the leaves, his power of creation is incredibly visible. If you have never taken the time to sit out side and study nature, then I highly recommend that you do so. I think you will be amazed at how much you can learn from God just by taking the time to look at his creation.
It’s Cheaper Than Therapy
These days, most of us have something on our minds that weighs us down. Many people turn to going to therapy, which I highly recommend. I have seen the benefits of going to therapy first hand, so I am a huge proponent of using it if you need it.
For me though, I prefer the feeling of sunshine on my skin and dirt between my fingers as I work to try to get my garden to be as good as I can. I know there are many things that are not in my control when it comes to the garden, but there are still enough things that are in my control that I can still be excited knowing that I get to have a creative hand in helping to make something beautiful that is full of food.
Gardening is a great way to be able to get the thoughts out of your head because it gives you the time to slow down and fully appreciate everything around you. Especially if you are gardening as a hobby, you don’t have anyone telling you what you can or can’t do. It’s just you, your mind, and your body, working together to create something. Gardening also helps teach patience because you can’t expect that your garden will grow up in one day, but rather you expect it to take weeks and months for it to grow to where it is fully producing.
If you are angry, this is a great place to take out your anger in a productive way. You can angrily pick weeds or chop with a hoe. The act of physically doing something plus the heat of the sun helps to release your anger quickly and in a way that doesn’t hurt others.
It’s Fun
This is probably the best reason as to why we love gardening. It is fun. It is so much fun to look out at the garden in the mornings and see how much it has grown since the previous night.
It is fun to watch the dragonflies and the butterflies as they make their way through the garden. It is fun to see the worms that come up from their tunnels as they work their way across the soil.
You can get started for a relatively cheap price as well. While you may not be able to get the most fabulous garden in the world for a cheap price, you can get your feet wet by getting a small plant often for less than $10. If you want to go even cheaper than that, you can buy a pack of seeds for only a couple of dollars, and some foods you can even regrow from what you buy at the grocery store or the farmer’s market.
It’s Good For You
Gardening is great exercise as well. Any gardener knows of the number of things that you have to carry and lift and how you have moves that take a wide range of motion as well as working several different muscle groups.
In addition to this, it can be great cardio pushing a wheelbarrow up a hill or even raking up a pile of leaves. Not to mention the health benefits of getting some vitamin D from the sun. Why wouldn’t you want to do gardening? You can build stronger muscles, get an all over tan depending on what you wear (farmer’s tan for most of us), and you get tomatoes, yes please!
Conclusion
These are just a few of the reasons why we love gardening, and hopefully you can see our excitement for the hobby. What about you? What are some of your favorite benefits and reasons behind why you love gardening? Please let us know below in the comments, or even show us some of the things that you have grown in your garden.