Benefits of Home Gardening

Much can be said about growing your own fresh herbs and vegetables. After your initial investment in seeds, plants and soil even a small garden can produce the equivalent of a few hundred dollars spent at the local grocery store over the period of a growing season. But aside from the monetary benefits of growing your own produce, there are other advantages.

You can reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating trips to the store, save money on the gas it takes to go back and forth and save time as well.

Spending a warm evening in the garden, weeding and watering, composting and digging soil and pick the harvest offers a great low impact workout. This simple physical activity, as little as 30 minutes a day, can lead to weight loss, lower blood pressure, diabetes and better skin due to the increased vitamin E from the sun. The fresh air and aromas can also be very soothing and calming, promoting better sleep.

Other mental benefits of being out in the garden include creativity. Building your beds, laying out the plantings and the landscaping of the garden can add visual appeal to your home. This process can stimulate your mental process and keep your mind active and thinking sharp! Your garden can also attract wildlife and birds for your viewing as well as providing them shelter. The fragrences of the plants can also stimulate the olfactory senses, providing an experience for “adults” of all ages.

Of course there are the nutritional benefits of nurturing your own herbs and vegetables as well. Fresh garden vegetables are just that, fresh. Pick them and use them directly from the land when their nutrient value is at their peak. Fresh also helps in lowering diabetes, promotes a balanced diet and can improve a Families health overall as well as create good eating habits in children.

Oh yeh, your food will taste better too!