Reasons to Start a Garden With Your Family
Shop Local Artisans Online
Shop Local Artisans Online

Reasons to Start a Garden With Your Family

by guest writer Paisley Hansen

March 25, 2019

Starting a New Hobby

For many families, starting a hobby together is something that allows them to spend time together and connect through the hobby. Finding a hobby that everyone enjoys, however, can be difficult. The idea of gardening, at first, may seem like a lot of hard work for certain members of the family. However, by including the hobby into your family, you can offer many lessons and start good lifestyle choices for your children. If you're curious about starting a garden with your family, here are some reasons to consider doing it this spring and summer.

1. Relaxation

While gardening is certainly hard work, by working with the earth and watching what you plant slowly begin to grow, you can create an atmosphere of relaxation. The hard work alone offers an opportunity to relieve some stress. Much how a plumbing vent offers your plumbing system a chance to relieve some of the pressure within the plumbing line, gardening can be a holistic opportunity to vent some stress. Through pulling weeds, tending the flowers, and ensuring the soil is rich and fertile, your family can also feel the good sensation of work well done by the end of the day. You'll also likely all be exhausted

2. Fitness

As mentioned before, gardening is a lot of work. It's actually a good workout for the body. Though the exercise itself is low impact, there is a lot of bending, pulling, tugging, lifting slightly heavy objects, and sweating underneath the warm sun that goes on. This can keep both yourself and your family fit. In a time where child obesity is running rampant, it's a good idea to include hobbies into your family that requires everyone to stay in shape.

3. Healthy Eating

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons as to why your family should start a garden together is because it promotes healthy eating. Some of the plants that you plant should be vegetables and fruits. You can monitor their health and only add pesticides if they're necessary. Otherwise, once they're ready to be harvested, you can take them directly from your garden and into your home for a health-packed meal. For children, this can teach them the importance of having fresh food over frozen food. IT can also be a way to make them interested in eating fruits and vegetables.

4. Something To Carry On After You're Gone

Although no one likes the idea of passing on away from the family, it's an inevitable truth. Gardening can be something that you pass onto your children. Whenever they garden themselves, they can think about you and feel connected to you no matter how long it has been since you've passed. It can also be a hobby that they introduce to their own families, and so the cycle continues.

5. Enterprise

If your garden becomes bountiful enough, you may find that you need to start selling the plants. Your local farmer's market can be a great place to sell the items from your garden. It also gives your children their first look at making money. These are important lessons to teach children, so they can understand that with hard work comes reward. You can also help them make some of the monetary transactions that can further along their understanding of math and the economy. You may just find yourself nurturing an entrepreneur.

6. Connection

One last reason that you should start a garden with your family, and perhaps the most important reason, is that it offers up a reason for your family to unplug and spend time together. With electronics quickly taking over family time, it's more important than ever to get outside and spend time in nature. With everyone doing it together, you're also all connecting to one another, too. These connections should always be nurtured.