Top Five Reasons You Should Be Gardening

I love to garden (I mean obviously)- like a lot. I talk about gardening- but I’m not sure I’ve ever told you all why I love gardening so much. Gardening has saved my life. I do not say that casually- I say that earnestly. Today I am sharing the top 5 reasons you should be gardening (that have nothing to do with gardening). 

Every day I go outside and see my garden, and it just makes such a difference. When I first started gardening, I did not know how much I would enjoy it. I observe the bees going from bud to bud pollinating and loving the sweet nectar. When I began gardening, I could not believe I grew something from scratch- I looked at those vegetables, and I was in shock. I did it. 

 The more I gardened, the more I realized that gardening is about a lot more than just vegetables. Spoiler alert: no one gardens to save money on groceries. The money you save today will be the money spent tomorrow on some garden goods. LOL Don’t get me wrong- gardening is incredibly rewarding- just not so much financially satisfying. Anyway- enough of that. Here are the five reasons you should have a garden!  

• You grow nothing into something. Seeing a garden at its very beginnings is underwhelming. You put in all of this hard work, and often (especially if you start with seeds)- it looks like a pile of dirt. To the untrained eye, they will see all of the work you’ve done and wonder if you did anything at all. Oh, but they wait and see- coming in 3-4 weeks, they will see all of the greatness that was coming underneath the soil. 

• It does wonder for your mental health. I have a gardening sign that says – my garden is my therapy. And while I am a HUGE advocate for mental health and treatment, I will say gardening is A PART of my therapy. Digging my hands in the soil, becoming one with nature- makes me feel good. That sounds simplistic, but I meet so many people who have found that gardening and plant love has helped them with depression and anxiety. 
• Bonding with other gardeners. There is quite nothing like the gardening community. We all have mutual love and respect for one another. I cannot tell you how often I have frequented a greenhouse and struck up random conversations with the person beside me. By the time we leave, we are best friends discussing our gardening lessons. I have joined groups and met other like-minded gardeners who are in need of assistance, and we come together to assist them. When I first started gardening, I noticed that a lot of the gardeners were not- quite my age and demographic. That is a part of the reason why I started gardening and sharing it. It was important to me to show that, yes, black girls DO garden too. WE out here! 

• Gardening is beautiful!: One of my greatest joys is looking out my window and seeing my tall sunflower. They are such show-offs! And I love it. You see them stretch high, taller than every other flower. Besides sunflowers, each vegetable has its personality. The vibrant green of the tomatoes (as they grow). The beautiful green peppers. The herbs have a fragrance stronger than the best perfume. All of it is beautiful to see and witness. 

• Legacy: Gardening is a legacy like none other. My great grandmother was a gardener- my mother gardens, and I garden. That is three generations of gardeners. I love the way gardening connects us all. I get seeds from my garden from my friend’s father, who has been gardening for years. All of it comes together like a quilt of vegetables, and I am honored to be a part of it. 

Have I convinced you yet? If you already have your garden- why do you garden? What is your favorite part? 

Check out this video below!