Growing a successful garden may feel like a big commitment.

There’s the necessary space to consider as well as the initial cost and invested time when

growing a garden.

If you don’t have a green thumb already, taking care of plants may also seem like a

daunting task.

Why garden then?

For many, the advantages of having a garden significantly outweigh these factors.

In addition to having the satisfaction of owning a serene and attractive green space, below

are four reasons to consider starting your own garden.

1. There are Gardening Solutions for Every Home

You can grow a beautiful garden even in small homes.

If you’re short on available growing space, vertical gardening maximizes growing space by

creating vertical structures to “stack” plants.

Wall- or window-mounted boxes and planters are just one possibility.

Repurposed furniture can create multi-tiered shelves for pots.

Hooks and brackets can be attached to supportive railings or ceilings to utilize overhanging space.

Tiered pots create a single, portable planting structure that allows multiple plants to grow

alongside one other without the possibility of one type overtaking the other.

Some even have a built-in self-watering systems.

Vertical growing systems can make excellent gardens both indoors and outdoors.

Windows, both inside and out, can make a great support system for hanging plants.

Balconies with railings can allow climbing plants to spread out.

No matter where your garden space is, there’s a solution for it.

2. Gardens Save Money

Growing your own food in any amount can save money on groceries.

Most varieties of tomatoes, for example, can yield 10 to 30 pounds of medium slicing tomatoes

depending on the growing season duration.

Squash and zucchini have a shorter production period than tomatoes, but healthy plants yield

a stunning number of vegetables when they are producing.

Tricks like trellising, raising beds and starting with transplants can maximize the resulting produce.

You’ll save money in the long run when you’re simply plucking fruit, vegetables and herbs from

the garden rather than purchasing them.

Growing a flower garden?

Choose flowers like hydrangea and roses, and you’ll have beautiful, fresh cut bouquets whenever

you want.

3. You’ll Know What’s in Your Food

Do you like to eat organic or local produce?

When the fruits, vegetables and herbs are coming from your own garden, you know you’re keeping

potentially harmful chemicals from touching your food.

You can use natural fertilizers and organic soil when growing your garden.

There are also numerous tricks to naturally keep bugs away without using chemical sprays.

As for fertilizers, household throwaway items like banana peels, egg shells and coffee grounds work

wonders for a successful, lush garden.

Growing a chemical-free garden has so many health and environmental benefits.

As an added perk, you won’t have to think about this fact: a non-organic apple may have been exposed

to as many as 30 different pesticides.

Gross.

4. You Can Reap the Physical and Mental Benefits of Gardening

The task of gardening has been associated with stress relief as well as better mental clarity and

feelings of reward.

Studies have also noted a ten percent increase in nearby green space can reduce a person’s age –

in terms of health complaints – by five years.

In terms of physical exercise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers

gardening to be a moderate-intensity level activity, and the CDC recommends 2.5 hours of this

level of physical exertion weekly.

Doing so can reduce a person’s risk for “… obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis,

heart disease, stroke, depression, colon cancer and premature death.”

Further, people who choose to garden for exercise at moderate-intensity are estimated to exercise,

on average, 40 to 50 minutes longer than those who walk or bike.

Ready to Grow a Garden?

Getting started is easy.

After choosing the space you plan to use, pick a garden system – raised beds, vertical planters or something

else – that suits the available square footage.

Then, research and choose plant varieties that will thrive in the available light and space.

Be sure to start your garden during the appropriate season.

For first-time gardeners, transplants are much easier to care for than seedlings.

And remember: you don’t have to pick either an edible garden or a flower garden – mixing the two can have

have beautiful results.

Choose flowers like hydrangea and roses, and you’ll have beautiful, fresh cut bouquets whenever you want.

If you’re not quite sure what growing these flowers entails it’s easy to learn about both rose and hydrangea care.

About the Author
Kacey is a lifestyle blogger for “The Drifter Collective.” Throughout her life, she has found excitement in the world around her. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations, cultures, and styles, while communicating these endeavors through her passion for writing and expression. Her love for the world around her is portrayed through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts.

The Drifter Collective: An eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us.

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