There are so many reasons to garden. Just watching the little green shoots grow can inspire you to try more the next year.
I’m a big believer in gardening, even if it is just a few flowers and a tomato plant on the patio. My husband and I have been drawing out vegetable gardens on graph paper to plan where and how much of everything to plant since before we were married. We were big dreamers then and still are now 😉
Even if your small attempt at gardening is something you have never done or seen done, it is wonderful to see the effort of your hands turn into something that you can enjoy watching grow or enjoy together at the kitchen table.
5 Reasons I Garden
1. Self-Sufficiency and Money-Savings
This is why many people have a garden, and indeed it is a good one. With fuel and food costs going up annually, and crop problems around the world, being able to produce food in your own backyard is a wise investment of time and energy.
You will be more self-sufficient, and the resources that are freed up from buying food can help meet your other financial or preparedness goals.
2. Improved Health and Relieving Stress in the Garden
Health is my current big reason to get outside in the soil. It is a joy to know just what it is that you are putting in your body – hit the delete button on all the added chemicals and genetic modifications. Fresh air, sunshine, exercise, even sweating out some of our bodies toxins can help us get a good night’s sleep and be physically renewed. There is also much evidence that ‘earthing’ or ‘grounding‘ can build up our immune systems and eradicate chronic inflammation.
Gardening is a recognized therapy for depression. I have always felt so much better after a few days of work in the yard or garden. I have so much more mental energy during the summer, and I attribute it to working out of doors.
3. Good Quality Food
It is just hard to beat homegrown produce when you don’t use chemicals!
4. Awareness of The Creator’s World
Today’s world is going a million miles a minute. Electric lights telling our bodies it is day time all the time and there are artificial sounds everywhere. Suddenly, when you garden, you notice where the sun is and how that translates to time. You start to see the subtle differences in soil, and actually appreciate that a wriggly worm is actually your garden helper. You become aware of God’s creativity and beauty when you commit to being a gardener.
If you are anything like me, you will probably see this awareness spill over into other areas of your life. Your family’s smiles start to mean more as you become more aware of the passing of another year. Each rain and each sunshine have their own special joy. I feel so alive in Christ as I worship in my quiet nature space.
5. Community Garden
There is often camaraderie in gardening. Even the smallest child will love to pick up a spade and dig or carry the watering can for you. Suddenly you might find you have a new common goal with your husband. And once you harvest that wonderful, fresh produce, you will be able to share with friends to show your love and build goodwill.
I love the practicality and fun of a community garden, sharing garden space and trading seeds.
Bartering can become a new avenue to saving.
Interactive Kitchen Garden Planner
There are several garden planning software you can purchase. However, I found a very good free online vegetable garden planner at the Gardener’s Supply Company website.
Gardener’s Supply’s interactive planner —> https://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/KGP-Design
Even if you are not a gardener, below is a neat little video on how to use the planner.
Consider making it a ‘game’ for your younger children to use this tool. You never know but it may spark a budding gardener.
In our garden, we built 4′ x 8′ raised-bed boxes, and here are is materials list and the plans.
Here is a handy soil calculator to find out how much soil you will need for a given space.
Here’s a Vegetable Encyclopedia.
Also, check out how do do Urban Straw Bale Gardening.
“Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.” ~ Genesis 2: 8
“Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden.” ~Robert Brault
“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.” ~Hanna Rion
KellyinPA
We are fairly new at growing our own vegetables and fruits; this will be the third year for our garden. I was wondering if you could possibly speak to children helping in the garden; what are helpful chores for them to do and also dealing with attitudes “oh, it’s sooooooo hot! Can I be done?” Not that I would know anything about that;)
Jacqueline
Haha, KellyinPA, I’ve never heard those words, either 🙂 Yes, I will think on it and perhaps write something. My one thought right at this moment would be to start them working with you young and really interact side by side, building heart strings. I’ve found that overcomes so many possible negatives…
Jennifer Price
We still have lots of snow on the ground, but I suppose it is time to make a garden plan.
I love your links-Thank You!
I’m hoping to have more garden success this year 🙂
Deanna
What a wonderful post! I have been gardening for most of my adult life but have only done a vegetable garden for the last 3 years. I find it life giving in so many ways!
Thanks for the link…I’m going to check it out.
Deanna
Tauna
Oh the garden planner sounds great! I love the reasons for gardening you listed as well. All the parables and metaphors in the Bible that can come alive for us and our children as we garden as well!
I started grape vines three years ago and I have such a deeper appreciation for the intense pruning we must sometimes go through to bear fruit. My poor grape vines look so bare and lonely right now, but they will soon be glorious and (hopefully) laden with fruit!
Jacqueline
Tauna, I have one grape vine. Vanessa is a red seedless and is almost free of problems, hence why I chose it. I know I am not pruning it properly, so I will be reading up before too long to do better this year. Last year, we got 6 nice, but small bunches even without much care. It was pretty exciting. Would it be something you’d post about with photos?
Anna @ Feminine Adventures
Beautiful post! Ever since getting married five years ago every summer has included a major move, being away from home or bedrest.
Gardening is *still* worth it! As you said, gardening makes us stand in awe of our Creator. It’s so easy to get divorced from the wonder of Creation when all of our food comes from Walmart’s shelves! Soil and sunshine and the wonder of life springing out of death sing His glory!
Karen
Jacqueline, I love the picture of your raised bed boxes! We have raised bed boxes too! Yours are deeper and I really like the stones around them. Do you have landscaping fabric underneath? How do you keep the weeds down in that area? Thank you for sharing the link at Gardener’s Supply! 🙂
Jacqueline
Karen, hello, there, dearie!
The stones do have a very thick landscape fabric below them. It seems the weeds don’t like to grow there, but we are also very careful to not spill dirt over the sides of the boxes. The stones are 4″ + thick so there is no sun on the dirt to increase germination. The few I have had were very easy to remove with such shallow roots.
Elisabeth
I have always used graph paper to plan our small garden, as well. Thank you for the link to the garden planner, I think my children will enjoy “planning” some gardens of their own.
lisa
Jacqueline,
We love planting a garden and just yesterday planted 4 rows of sugar snap peas. 🙂
And we are trusting the Lord for another prosperous planting season this summer.
Many blessings,
Lisa
Jacqueline
Oh, Lisa, I am also thinking it may be a time to get out the snap peas. They don’t mind it really cold, but I think we still have a few freezes ahead of us. I wish I knew :-/
Jami Leigh
Wow!! What great resources! Thank you. I love that you can select “Salsa and Tomato Sauce” or “Plant it and Forget it” on that website ;). I found your blog from Raising Homemakers and I’m so glad that I did!!
I just commented over there but I’m so glad to have found your blog right now. Starting on March 1st I’m doing a series called “31 Days to a Patio Vegetable Garden”. I am new to gardening and we live in a small apartment so I’m fitting as many vegetables out onto our garden as possible and sharing with people how to start their own vegetable gardens. It’s going to be fun 🙂
Anyway, I’m off to learn more from your blog. Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
Jami Leigh
Your garden is BEAUTIFUL by the way 🙂
Adriana
I would like to start a garden soon, so this is helpful…Thanks for sharing!
Kristy @ Little Natural Cottage
Love this, Jacqueline!
I’m featuring this post in this week’s Natural Living link-up. Thank you for linking up last week!
Jacqueline
Thank you, Kristy 🙂 That’s mighty sweet of you. I LOVE what you did with the breast-feeding post by Jill. The photo of the baby on the nursing pillow with the Mommie’s feet in the background was so neat!