It is a bright and sunny day on Maui and that makes it a beautiful day for gardening. Well, a little cloud coverage will make it a wee bit more pleasant so grab your sunscreen, your hat, and a bottle of water and let's start working.
Gardening is another love of mine and in my house we have two focuses: beautiful flowers and veggies/herbs to make food expenses less. In all reality, a few years ago I put down my foot and said we are only growing what we can eat. That lasted a nanosecond as darling daughter flashed her adorable dimples and asked for a flower garden of her own so now we have....
My Serenity Garden that I can see from my treadmill that has more "native" and "Hawaiian" themed plants. Imagine ginger, ti plants, and hibiscus and you got this covered. You then walk down a row of aloe with a wall of citronella on the opposite side to the beginning of Blooming Blossoms - darling daughter's oasis of love. Enjoy the stroll around the corner and enter Veggie Ville where we have containers and a four-tiered garden of love. Note: mint is highly invasive so be careful when planting. This "wonderful" idea of mine has resulted in regular mint-weeding endeavors where it just keeps coming back. Thank goodness it smells good and the bunnies like it...plus it is good to make minty-water but we really have more than enough to feed a village.
In this area we are focused on growing tomatoes and herbs and recently are trying bok choy, cauliflower, and broccoli. Move on up the stairs and we have more herb containers and carrots by darling daughter's playhouse (in the ground and in a container). Wrap around the fence to Bunny Land and we have citrus plants and more herbs, potatoes, and lettuce. Lots of containers, lots of work, lots of fun, and 10 amazing benefits all rolled up in one.
So what are those 10 benefits of gardening?
I am so glad you asked!
- Gardening is great stress relief because digging in the dirt, taking care of precious plants, and getting dirty is just plain fun.
- Gardening can help boost your self esteem as you see the rewards of your hard work.
- Gardening is a low-moderate intensity activity that is good for your heart health. It beats sitting and doing nothing.
- Sunshine is your vitamin D source beyond the little that is found in foods. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption, is vital in cell growth, and reduces inflammation, plus so much more. Gotta love it!
- Gardening can make your hands stronger and hey, how often do we think of hand strength but use it every single day? Take care of those hands, okay.
- Gardening can ease the symptoms of depression and this momma needs that. It is hard to be gloomy working in nature especially when you spot a ladybug.
- Gardening can improve your limberness or flexibility as you do need to twist and bend.
- Gardening can sharpen your mind and decrease dementia chances. I guess all the thinking is good for you!
- Gardening can help you sleep better. Hey, it is a workout after all!
- Gardening is good for your nutrition when you are growing things to eat. You care for that food from beginning to end and know exactly how it was grown with and hopefully with lots of love.
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the $5 coupon at the garden store.
Daily Bible Verse: And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. ~ Genesis 2:8