How Gardening Can Improve Your Health, Your Happiness, and Help You Lose Weight
Also, a list of the easiest edible plants to grow yourself
I have a small garden in my backyard where I have successfully grown tomatoes, lettuce, pepper plants, a variety of herbs, and loads of zucchini.
Not everything works out. The green bean plants were decimated by rabbits before they could grow a single bean. Same with the peas. And anything delicate or fussy has never made it for long in my garden.
I’ve also had no luck with watermelon. I once watched a lone watermelon on a vine sit for weeks, never growing. I waited and waited to see something happen, but it didn’t budge in size. One day, I finally turned it over and realized slugs had eaten out the bottom and were happily munching on the insides. So much for homegrown watermelons.
I’ve had many hits and misses, but I think I’ve finally figured out the plants that require the least amount of maintenance and grow the best in the climate where I live.
It’s fun to grow your own food. And freshly picked produce tastes so much better than store-bought that’s sat on a truck for days or weeks before landing in your grocery store. There is nothing that compares to a summer tomato straight from the garden.
Everyone knows a diet full of fresh produce contributes to your health. But there are other benefits to gardening you may not have thought of. As I was digging up some particularly stubborn weeds the other day in my garden, it occurred to me that gardening is a serious calorie burner.
There are also mental health benefits from being outside in the sun and accomplishing something productive. Aside from eating a healthy diet, here are some of the ways you can benefit from keeping a garden.
Increased vitamin D production
Being out in the sun, working in your garden helps your body to make vitamin D. Our bodies need vitamin D, and a lack of it can lead to fatigue, depression, muscle weakness, and other conditions. Vitamin D also helps you absorb calcium and keeps your bones strong.
Note: be careful spending too much time outside without sunscreen. Sunscreen inhibits the body’s ability to produce vitamin D. But too much sun can cause sunburns and skin cancers.
Improve your strength and lose weight
You use your entire body when you work in the garden. A day of vigorous work in the garden works out your upper and lower body all at once. And studies have shown gardening can help reduce obesity in children and weight gain in older adults.
You’ll be in a better mood
Sunlight lowers blood pressure. Additionally, research has shown, spending time in nature has the positive effects of reduced stress and increased feelings of well-being.
In another study, researchers found that after a stressful event, people who gardened had lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in their bodies than people who were told to read.
You’ll feel empowered
It’s a great feeling to eat a meal with ingredients that you grew yourself. You get a sense of accomplishment when you make goals for yourself and complete them.
Gardening also teaches you to be flexible
There will always be issues of some kind when you garden. It could be pests, hungry rabbits, bad weather, or any other setback. But you learn to be adaptable and eventually you figure out the plants that work the best for you.
Now that you know why gardening is so great, here are some ideas for plants that don’t need a ton of maintenance to thrive.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes aren’t hard to grow but they do require a bit of maintenance and will probably need plant food during the growing season. Tomato plants need warm weather, and germinating seeds require soil temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on how long your growing season is, you’ll either need to start seedlings indoors or buy plants from a garden center.
Tomato plants will need to be tethered to a cage or stakes for support to keep the fruit from rotting prematurely if it rests on the ground.
Herbs
Most herbs will grow easily and without much trouble. Basil needs sunlight and plenty of water. Oregano is a perennial that will come back each year without a lot of work. (I have an oregano plant in my garden that is several years old and grows bigger each season).
Mint grows like a weed and spreads like one too. So be careful if you decide to put mint in your garden. Chives, like oregano, should come back each year without a lot of trouble.
Dill is not perennial, but if you let the seeds spread, you may find dill sprouting up all over your yard at the beginning of summer.
Zucchini
If you have enough space, zucchini is easy to grow directly from seeds. It’s a prolific plant, and you’ll find yourself having plenty for yourself with lots to share.
I’ve discovered shredded zucchini is great in bread, cakes, and brownies. It dissolves as it bakes, and even the pickiest eater won’t realize they’re eating a vegetable. But watch for squash bugs as they can take over your plants and wilt the vines by late summer.
Jalapeno Peppers
Pepper plants are another one I’ve found hard to mess up. They need sunlight and plenty of water, but that’s about it. Rabbits typically leave them alone once they are established. Although, I have seen rabbits eat young, tender jalapeno plants down to the root.
Lettuce
Lettuce is easy to grow, but it needs cooler temps to thrive, so plan your lettuce plants for spring or fall. When it gets too hot, it will bolt and turn bitter.
Radishes
Radishes need the same cooler temps that lettuce does. You can grow them easily from seeds in the spring and fall.
For more gardening tips, there are many resources online. You can find a lot of information at the Farmer’s Almanac or Better Homes and Gardens.
