Gardening - A Hobby with Health Benefits

Sunshine – how we’ve missed you. Time to get stuck into the gardening.

Finally, a few days of settled weather and sunshine and boy does it feel like it’s been a long time coming. There is something about bright days that just lifts spirits and for me it makes me desperate to get outside and stuck into the gardening.  

The winter months take their toll on the garden so I am loving being able to get out now and tidy it up in preparation for the summer months ahead. Last weekend was the first of the chores as I spent time weeding and getting the first grass cut of the year. That alone is just enough to make it nicer to look out at and can see the potential for whipping it into shape. The grass needs some work but from previous years I know that just a box of lawn feed and weed and some new seed and it will be looking lush in no time. Trouble is, once you get started, you just want to keep going and move onto the next task. Unfortunately, work gets in the way during the week so I am super excited that it looks like the weather is due to hold through this weekend so I can continue the work.

I’ll be getting the power wash out this weekend and get the slabbed areas all cleaned up and remove the winter grime. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing them come back to life all clean and spruced up. I also want to get some seeds planted and into the cold frames.

Gardening is a hugely underestimated hobby with so many health benefits. First, getting outside and breathing in fresh air is so good for us as humans and the benefits should not be underestimated. Then also the exercise involved, it can be back breaking hard work but for me it beats time in a gym any day. It also keeps you focused on the tasks in hand and not distracted by a pinging phone, so in many ways it can contribute to a digital detox.

Seeds

In the last few years, I have started to grow our own herbs and some vegetables. I am a complete novice really but it’s been good to experiment with different foods and see what works well in our climate and what doesn’t.

My biggest success has been with  has been with herbs (parsley, chives and basil have been particularly good). Lettuces have also worked really well, which is a good thing as I do love a salad and it gives some immense satisfaction to go out and pick freshly grown food for dinner.  Last year, I had some lovely baby carrots which had such a fabulous flavour.

I’ve had limited success with tomatoes which I am really disappointed about. The plants have grown well but not a vast amount of tomatoes produced from that. Each year there are lessons learned to apply to the following year and this year I am using a dedicated tomato house in which grow bags can sit at the base and therefore gives plenty of room for the plants to grow and thrive – well that’s the plan anyway.

Strawberries have been a bit of a disaster if I’m honest. I do think though that has had something to do with the plants being in a planter with other plants and with the cold frame over it, a bit too much condensation at times. So, I am having one more try with those with a dedicated planter and not using the cold frame top but protecting from insects and birds with some netting instead.

Having a kitchen garden is really rewarding and it doesn’t matter the size. It can be one planter with a few favourite plants. It’s simply that the process and results are so satisfying and a great way to unwind and relax. It’s also a super thing to do with children. It gets them outdoors and invested in the growth process. So not only does it get them out in nature, it helps them to learn where food comes from and they might just be more inclined to eat their veggies if they have had a hand in growing them.

Give It A Go

My advice would be, just give it a go. A few short years ago I wasn’t interested in gardening but now that I have caught the bug I absolutely love it and want to do more all the time. Start small and see what will grow. Trust me, you won’t regret it.