10 Reasons Gardening Is Good For You
Gardening is a wholesome and timeless activity that is currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. Here are a few reasons why you might want to throw on a pair of gloves and join the green-fingered revolution yourself.
Fresh Air
It seems that we enjoy most of our leisure time in front of a screen these days, or cooped up inside at the very least. Over the last couple of years, the true effects of indoor air pollution have become a major national focus, and the facts emerging from laboratories are pretty scary. According to the Guardian, indoor air pollution is estimated to have caused or contributed to 99,000 deaths across Europe in 2012 – figures that have been drawn from a study undertaken by Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Don’t let this invisible assailant get the better of you – get yourself into the garden! Have the best of both worlds and incorporate garden summer houses into your garden. These garden buildings allow you to enjoy the beautiful outdoors with a sheltered retreat if you need it!
Exercise
It may look sedentary and gentle, but trust us, gardening can be a slog! According to the Telegraph, you can burn approximately 300 calories per hour by just undertaking a task involving moderate physical activity in the garden – digging with a spade, for example.
Immune System
Exposure to soil microbes can help to train and strengthen your immune system. It has long been argued that keeping your home squeaky clean with bleaches and antibacterial cleaning fluids can actually leave you and your family more susceptible to illness, as your bodies can forget how to defend themselves against bacteria. That’s why it’s good for you to get nice and dirty in the garden!
Healthy Produce
If growing fruit and vegetables floats your boat, even better! There are so many benefits to growing your own; not only are the edible plant products that result from your hard work very healthy from the off, but you can also decide how you treat them as they grow. Our potting sheds for sale are a great facility to further your gardens growing capabilities. You can choose whether or not you wish to use pesticides, what kind of compost or plant food you give them, and when to harvest them. It will also save you money, as you’ll produce food in bulk and dramatically cut down your shopping list as a result.
Wellbeing
How busy and noisy are your surroundings? Take a moment. How many things are going on at the same time around you? How many things are you trying to do at once? Wouldn’t it be nice to just escape for an hour or so into an oasis of peace and quiet, where you only have to focus on one thing at a time? Gardening is its very own form of meditation and one where you’re in total control.
Socialising
Of course, if you’re very sociable and enjoy the company of others, you may find gardening by yourself a little bit lonely. There’s a remedy for that, though. Why not look into getting yourself an allotment? There, you’ll meet loads of like-minded individuals – some of whom have been doing what they do for time immemorial, and others who may just be starting out. You’ll be able to get lots of help and advice there, but you can also simply engage in a nice bit of chat if you want to.
Be a Positive Role Model
If you have young relatives, you might just pass on your love of the great outdoors to them. It’s likely that their friends will be stuck to phone, computer, and tablet screens for their entertainment, and it may be that they just don’t know what alternative activities are out there for them to enjoy. It’s possible to be a gardener and a role model, so next time you have people around, don’t be shy about inviting them to enjoy a little time getting mucky with you.
Increase Your Knowledge
As soon as you start out on your gardening journey, you’ll realise that there are absolutely thousands of new things to learn. Endless names of plants, flowers and insects, dozens of hints and tips about planting techniques, seasonal duties, soil types and flora nutrition… if you’re looking for something to keep your brain sharp, get out there and get to work!
Decorate Your Outdoor Space
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a designer, you needn’t stop with soft furnishings – getting stuck into your garden can make your home beautiful both inside and out, all year round. From garden office sheds to log cabin sheds, go that extra mile to give yourself an extra room on your grounds.
Green
The more people get gardening, the more the environment will benefit. From keeping the bee population healthy and thriving to decreasing the effects of C02, promoting the production of oxygen and cleaning pollution from the air, your plants are doing the world around you a huge favour.
So, what are you waiting for?