Grow your health…literally
When mid-March hits in the Northeast U.S., I start itching to get outside. This year it’s been unseasonably chilly and I’m so excited (now that it’s MAY!) to finally get my gardens up and running. I’m not an avid gardener, I just love the thrill of watching things grow. Plus, getting to eat some of them is an extra bonus. Even if you think you have a black thumb, read on for some wonderful ways gardening improves our health on a variety of levels and a few different ways that gardening is available to everyone.
Gardening is good for you!
One of my favorite tools that I use in my coaching practice is an activity called the Circle of Life. In this activity, clients asses their satisfaction with each of the 12 areas shown above. These areas are referred to as Primary Food - everything that nourishes us OFF our plates. It can be easy to forget these aspects of our health, but all of them are important! Gardening, whether indoors or out, in a small pot or a large backyard garden, has a positive impact on many of these areas of primary food.
Let’s start with perhaps the most obvious one: Physical Activity. Even if all you are doing is watering a few indoor house plants, that’s a few more steps added to your day. For outdoor gardening, if you’ve ever trimmed bushes or weeded a vegetable garden, you know it’s not hard to work up a sweat. Physical activity doesn’t have to be at the gym or on a yoga mat. Our bodies need movement, be it steps around the house or the bending, pulling, shoveling, pruning, harvesting work of gardening.
How about Home Environment and Home Cooking? Indoor gardening certainly improves your living space. I’d held off on buying houseplants for years (because of low light and small children), but when we discovered that our house has unusually high levels of carbon dioxide, I went on a plant buying spree. Seeing green plants around my home brings me so much joy (side note: I only chose plants that are very hard to kill. It’s rare that I remember to water indoor plants that aren’t right above the kitchen sink!) From an outdoor perspective, nothing makes me happier than looking out my kitchen window at the herbs growing by the garage or the tomatoes in my veggie garden. And the Tower Garden! (More on that below.) The occasional sound when the water turns on transforms our patio into a spa-like retreat. As for Home Cooking, indoors and out, when you grow herbs, fruits or veggies, you get to eat them, too. I love growing my own food because I know exactly what’s been sprayed on it (or not) and I can pick it right when I want it. I’m also encouraged to find new recipes. This year, I have tons of chive blossoms. Last year I learned they were edible and now I can’t wait to experiment with using them in our meals. I’m far more likely to cook with fresh herbs (which are loaded with nutrients) or other veggies when I can take a few steps and harvest what I need.
Joy, Creativity and Spirituality are also supported by gardening. Deciding what to grow, watching it grow, and caring for a plant touches deeper parts of us that get lost in our hectic “get more done, faster” society. We know that simply being in nature is beneficial for our health. In fact, gardening has been shown to support mental health, and reduce stress. We don’t have space for it in our current yard, but I have a running list on my phone for a future “relaxing/healing garden”. Dreaming about this future space taps into my creativity and brings me lots of joy, even though I know it’s probably years away. There is also certainly a spiritual component to connecting with nature. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Isaiah 6:3
When looking at Finances, I know without a doubt that growing our own food saves us money. (For plants you can’t eat, Facebook marketplace or plant swaps are a great way to save money.) Each year it costs me about $7 dollars for 2 sungold cherry tomato seedlings. By the end of the season, I’ve easily picked upwards of 8-10 pints and that’s just a rough guess because the kids tend to snack on them when they’re playing outside. At a bare minimum, that saves me almost $40 a summer in cherry tomatoes! Herbs especially are worth growing because they can be so dang expensive at the store. I spent about $15 on various herb seedlings last year, and because they all grew back this year I’ll get to (literally) reap the rewards.
Are you feeling inspired to start a small pot of parsley on a windowsill or pick an outdoor container in which to plant a couple of lettuces? You’ll love these next few ideas!
A few of my past Tower Gardens
A gardening option for everyone
Let’s start small. You’ve never gardened before or can’t seem to keep plants alive? If you have a windowsill that gets plentiful sunshine, pick a favorite herb to grow. The more visible it is, the better - that way you remember to water it. If it’s something you love to eat, you’ll likely be checking on it frequently to see what’s ready to be picked. Mint is a wonderful herb to start with. It’s practically a weed and is incredibly hard to kill. It’s amazing on salad (watermelon, arugula and feta with mint is one of my favorites), and it jazzes up a glass of water or iced tea (or a mojito)!
Ready to go a bit bigger? Container gardening makes growing food or flowers possible for people who don’t have the space or inclination for a larger garden. Herbs again are great, but you can do tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, lettuces - pretty much anything in a container.
Feeling more determined or motivated to grow more of your own food? You can start raised beds or pick a spot in the yard to create a garden. Honestly, if we hadn’t inherited a 10x10 fenced-in garden when we bought our house, I’m not so sure I’d grow as much as I do. The bigger the garden, the more work and time it needs, but wow are the rewards amazing!
Want even more rewards with less work? My favorite way to garden all year round, indoors and out, is with my Tower Garden. This amazing aeroponic growing system eliminates the need for watering or weeding; it pretty much takes care of itself! I’ve grown everything from parsley and chives to watermelon and cucumbers. This simple garden makes growing plants user-friendly for any age or ability because there is such minimal set up and maintenance. I love my Tower Garden because it grows plants three times faster, produces 30% greater yields on average, and it uses 10% of the water of traditional soil gardening. Because it’s so low maintenance I can spend that time on relaxing, or, let’s be honest, on my other, more demanding, plants.
Are you excited?
Does the Circle of Life have you wondering what areas of your life might need some attention? Could gardening help with one of those areas?
If you could grow anything, what would it be? Flowers? Herbs? Your favorite fruit?
What would you grow on a Tower Garden if you could have it just outside your back door, in your living room, or even in your basement?
What is one small step you can take this week to incorporate gardening into your life?
I’d love to hear your responses!
