Gardening is a great hobby, but many people don’t realize how beneficial gardening can be for their health. In fact, gardening has been proven to help with depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
Gardening is a fun way to spend your free time, but it also helps you live longer. It’s not just a hobby; it’s a lifestyle change that will make you healthier and happier.
This article will share the top benefits of gardening that you may not have known before.
Reasons Why Gardening is a Great Hobby
Gardening is one of those hobbies that everyone should do. There are so many benefits to gardening.
Studies have shown that gardening improves mental health and reduces stress levels. It can also improve sleep quality, reduce blood pressure, and increase physical activity.
Here are many of the top benefits of gardening that you may not know about.
1. Gardeners Get Nutrition
Gardens can be full of nutritious plants like herbs, vegetables and fruits. They provide us with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. And since they’re close to our homes, gardens allow us to enjoy fresh produce year-round.
But did you know that gardening has health benefits beyond just being delicious?
2. Gardening Helps Reduce Stress Levels
When you garden, you’re working outside, getting dirty, and doing something active. This helps you relax and de-stress. Plus, it gives you time to think and reflect on life.
Studies have shown that gardening can lower stress levels and anxiety. Those who gardened had significantly lower cortisol levels (a hormone associated with stress) compared to those who didn’t garden.
Another study found that those who gardened were less stressed than those who didn’t garden, and those who gardened experienced fewer negative emotions than those who didn’t.
3. Gardening Can Help Improve Your Mood
Gardening is a great hobby because it’s both relaxing and mentally stimulating. When you work outdoors, you’re exposed to nature and its beauty. You’re also surrounded by plants and flowers, which give you a sense of calmness and peace.
Studies show that those who gardened reported feeling happier and calmer than those who didn’t plant anything. Other studies have shown that gardening can help reduce depression and anxiety.
4. Gardening Can Help You Live Longer
Did you know that gardening can actually help you live longer? A study published in the journal Horticulture Science found that people who gardened lived longer than those who didn’t grow anything.
One of the top reasons why gardening can help you live longer is because it increases your physical activity level. Exercise is known to boost your immune system, prevent heart disease, and fight cancer.
5. Gardening Makes You More Creative
One of the best things about gardening is that it makes you creative. Gardening is a creative outlet. You can use your imagination when you plant flowers, vegetables, trees, and bushes. You can design a garden that no one else has ever seen before.
Gardening requires you to think up new ways to use space creatively. You can create beautiful flower beds, planter boxes, and vegetable gardens.
And when you garden, you’re forced to come up with different ideas for using outdoor and indoor spaces. This leads to creativity and problem-solving skills.
Learn about Starting a Vegetable Garden.
6. Gardening Gives You Something To Do During Winter Months
Winter months can be difficult for some people. Many people find themselves bored during these cold months. Indoor gardening provides a fun alternative to watching TV or playing video games.
Plus, gardening is a great way to stay physically fit during winter months. Gardening involves lots of walking, bending, lifting, and stretching. These activities keep your muscles toned and ready for spring.
Learn about the Health Benefits of Indoor Plants.
7. Gardening Can Be a Community Activity
Gardening increases community involvement. You’ll meet new people when you start growing plants. People love talking about their gardens, and they always have advice to give.
If you want to get involved in community projects, consider starting an urban farm. Urban farms are becoming more popular all over the world. They’re a great way to bring communities together while providing fresh food for everyone.
8. Gardening is Educational
Gardening is educational. It teaches you about botany, horticulture, science, math, and much more. There are so many things you can learn from gardening.
For example, if you’re interested in learning about science, there are tons of experiments you can do. From planting seeds to making compost, you can learn a lot. You learn how to care for living things, such as plants.
9. Gardening is Fun
Gardening is fun. You can play games while you work, such as digging holes, planting seeds, and watering plants. You can also make your own toys, such as birdhouses and wind chimes.
You can even take pictures of your garden and post them on social media. When friends see your photos, they’ll be impressed by what you’ve accomplished.
10. Gardening Boosts Immunity
If you’ve ever had a cold, then you know how much easier it is to recover if you’re able to stay inside and rest. But if you’re constantly exposed to germs, you’re putting yourself at greater risk for illness.
The good news is that gardening can actually boost your immune system. According to research, people who grow their own vegetables and herbs are more resistant to infections than those who don’t.
11. Gardening Helps With Brain Health
Studies show that people who spend time outside tend to perform better mentally. The reason why this happens is that exposure to sunlight improves brain health.
Sunlight helps improve blood flow to your brain, which increases oxygen levels. Oxygenated blood flows through your brain cells, helping them function properly.
Sunlight also helps increase serotonin production. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that’s responsible for happiness and feelings of well-being.
12. Gardening Is Good For Your Skin
Gardening has been proven to help with skin health. Research shows that spending time outdoors boosts vitamin D levels in your body. Vitamin D is essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Vitamin D also speeds up cell growth, which means that your skin will look younger. If you live somewhere with little sun, try taking supplements.
13. Gardening Gives You Something To Look Forward To
If you’re looking for an activity that will give you a reason to look forward to regularly, gardening may be just the thing.
You can plan ahead to see what kind of plants you want to grow, and you can start planning a garden now for what you’ll eat once they’re ready.
When you plant flowers or trees, you’ll enjoy seeing them bloom every year. This gives you something to look forward to.
14. Gardening Provides A Sense Of Purpose
Many people feel like they have no purpose in life. They think they’re wasting their lives doing nothing.
But when you’re working in your yard, you’re doing something useful. You’re growing food, beautifying your home, and providing shelter
Growing your own food doesn’t require any special skills or equipment. Anyone can do it. And it’s a lot cheaper than buying groceries every month. So if you’re struggling to figure out what to do with your free time, gardening is a great option.
You can use it as a form of therapy, or simply enjoy the process of watching your plants grow. Either way, you’ll feel fulfilled knowing that you helped provide for yourself.
15. Gardening Helps You Connect With Nature
One of the best things about growing a green thumb is being connected to nature. We all need to connect with nature from time to time.
It makes you appreciate all the beauty around you. It inspires you to create beautiful gardens, and it makes you aware of the natural world.
Spending time in the garden helps you get closer to Mother Earth. Plus, you’ll appreciate the beauty of greenery more after you’ve spent time in the dirt.
16. Gardening Provides You Exercise
Gardening requires a lot of physical exertion, but it’s not hard work. In fact, most people find it enjoyable.
Your muscles are used constantly while you’re tending to your plants. That’s one of the reasons why gardening is so good for you. You be burning calories as you water, weed, fertilize, and harvest your crops.
17. Gardening is a Brain Workout
Your brain is working when you garden. Studies show that gardening improves your memory. When you spend time outside, you exercise your mind by thinking about how to make your garden thrive.
You’re thinking about what plants you want, how you’ll grow them, and how much time you need to spend doing this.
This mental workout keeps your brain sharp. Studies show that regular exercise improves your memory. The same goes for gardening.
18. Gardening Increases Your Home’s Value
Gardening is a great hobby because it increases the beauty and value of your house. Curb appeal is important. If you don’t have a nice-looking yard with a beautiful garden, then potential buyers will be impressed when they drive past your home.
Houses with a well-maintained, beautiful garden is valued higher than houses without one. People who live in these homes also tend to sell faster.
19. Gardening is Great for Meditation Time
Meditation is used to clear your mind of distractions and gardening offers a way to get some meditative time. You don’t need to just sit and meditate.
You can ‘meditate’ while you’re weeding, watering, pruning, or harvesting. This gives you an opportunity to relax and focus on your breathing to clear your mind.
20. Gardening Teaches You Patience
When you plant seeds, you have to wait until they sprout before you see results. But once they start to grow, you can reap the rewards of your labor.
The same thing happens when you garden. You wait for your plants to mature, and then you harvest your crop.
Patience is something you learn through gardening. You have to wait for your plants to grow, and then you take care of them until they’re ready to harvest.
21. Gardens Offers Endless Gifts
A gift basket filled with fresh produce, a bottle of wine or champagne, a favorite dessert, candles, and other items make a thoughtful gift. Flowers, fruit, and vegetables are easy to grow yourself. You can also make an apple pie using your own apples!
Learn whether Apples are Fruits or Vegetables.
22. Gardening Can Be a Side Business
If you love gardening and you enjoy being outdoors, consider starting a side business selling your products. There are plenty of ways to earn money from your garden.
You could sell your excess produce at local farmers markets, or you could sell your plants to nurseries and garden centers.
Learn more about Profitable Fruit Trees to Grow.
23. Gardening is a Family Activity
If you have kids, gardening is a great family activity. It teaches children responsibility and teamwork. They help you out by picking weeds, pulling up weeds, planting seeds, and watering.
Gardening is a Good Hobby Final Thoughts
Gardening is a great hobby to have with many benefits. Not only does it teach you patience, but it also helps you become more self-reliant.
It’s a great way to connect with nature, improve your health, and increase the value of your home.
Check out these other articles to get started with gardening if you haven’t already:
