{"id":19986,"date":"2023-07-10T09:54:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T13:54:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/?p=19986"},"modified":"2023-07-10T09:54:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T13:54:34","slug":"why-do-you-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/why-do-you-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do You Garden?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of the time, I\u2019m write blogs on what I plan to do next in my garden or on what you should be doing in yours. This week I\u2019m going to do something different.<\/p>\n

Put down your rake or put away your garden hose. Grab your spouse or your kids or your BFF and take them to a garden. Let them feel the give of the earth beneath their feet, feel the breezes on their faces, watch a bee flutter around a blossom or watch a leaf swirl down from a tree.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why we garden. At the heart of it, isn\u2019t it to disconnect from the stresses of our daily lives? Isn\u2019t it to reconnect with Mother Nature? Benjamin Disraeli said, \u201cHow fair is a garden amid the trials and passion of existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yes, my garden feeds me\u2014from the tomatoes all summer to the spinach and kale in the fall to the citrus ripening on my Meyer lemon in the spare bedroom window in the winter. But it also feeds the inner me\u2014the busy, always running me.<\/p>\n

Sometimes my garden is beautiful and peaceful and comes with a profound sense of satisfaction. Sometimes it\u2019s exciting amid the joy of watching the first buds open or a new shoot poke its\u2019 head out of the soil. And, yes, sometimes my garden is a challenge but that keeps me sharp and creative.<\/p>\n

A study in the Netherlands showed that gardening can help to lower cortisol\u2014a hormone produced when we are stressed. Elevated cortisol is linked to many health problems\u2014including heart disease and high blood pressure.\u00a0 We also can\u2019t discount the benefits of getting up and moving around and getting our \u201cSunshine Vitamin\u201d\u2014Vitamin D\u2014the natural way. Even more\u2014studies in the U.K. discovered that certain \u201cfriendly\u201d bacteria in the soil actually activated brain cells to begin producing serotonin\u2014a mood enhancing hormone.<\/p>\n

Gardening is good for us in so many ways. I have a little sign I bought and put in my flower bed that says, \u201cGardening is Cheaper Than Therapy, Plus You Get Tomatoes.\u201d That\u2019s why I garden.<\/p>\n

To read more posts from Bonnie, visit our blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Return to the Great Big Greenhouse homepage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of the time, I\u2019m write blogs on what I plan to do next in my garden or on what you should be doing in yours. This week I\u2019m going to do something different. Put down your rake or put away your garden hose. Grab your spouse or your kids or your BFF and take … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":14446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Do You Garden? - The Great Big Greenhouse Gardening Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most of the time, I\u2019m write blogs on what I plan to do next in my garden or on what you should be doing in yours. 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