No Green Thumb? No problem! Here are five reasons to start gardening today, anyway…
When gardening comes up in conversation, it usually yields one of two responses: I love gardening—it’s one of my favorite hobbies! or I can’t keep a plant alive to save my life. Even if you fall into the latter camp, there are a number of healthy reasons to consider giving gardening a shot.
Read on for 5 reasons to start gardening today, plus strategies that will guarantee your success even if you don’t have a green thumb.
Less Stress
Multiple studies have shown that gardening, even basic gardening, can be a potent stress reliever.
Working outside in the garden helps you feel more in touch with nature and more focused on a task that isn’t an everyday responsibility or chore.
What’s more, since gardening yields something natural and beautiful that you can spend time appreciating and cultivating, it can help relieve anxiety, stress, and worry.
More Confidence
It feels good to keep something alive so nurturing a plant and watching it grow can provide an instant confidence boost.
Something as small as watering a plant every other day and seeing the literal fruits of your labor may even give you the confidence to take on more responsibilities in your professional or personal life.
Stronger Immunity
In recent years, research shows that children who spend their time playing in the dirt have fewer allergies and stronger immune systems than children who spend more time indoors.
Getting dirt under your fingernails exposes you to the millions of healthy bacteria living in the soil that will help boost your body’s ability to fight off germs and infections.
Keeping plants inside can help increase immunity as well. As plants undergo photosynthesis, they take in the carbon dioxide you breathe out and release oxygen, making the air you breathe more oxygen-rich.
Plus, many plants like palms and philodendrons have been shown to absorb other airborne gases, toxins and allergens, making the air inside your house cleaner.
Weight Loss
One of the biggest reasons that people don’t stick with an exercise regimen is because it’s boring and unpleasant, but gardening provides exercise with a purpose that yields immediate results.
Pushing a wheelbarrow, toting bags of mulch and seeds, squatting down to dig and plant, and moving pots and planters can be a great total body workout that you enjoy and one that may even help you lose weight.
Plenty of easy options
Taking a trip to the garden center to choose plants can be overwhelming, especially if you’re a beginner gardener. Fortunately, succulents have had a meteoric rise in popularity over the past couple of years as the perfect choice for the yard-less, would-be gardener.
Native to hostile environments like deserts, these plants require very little water and upkeep, yet deliver all the same health benefits as more delicate, needier flowers, making them the perfect starter plant for someone with a black thumb.
