Gardening as a Hobby

A
s  per Wikipedia “A hobby is a regularly undertaken activity that is done for pleasure, typically during one's leisure time”. It's primary focus is to gain some recreation and not that much of earning money. It gives delight and helps in passing the leisure time.

Most of us follow some hobby or the other. Hobbies differ form person to person. There can be  as many hobbies as there are men and women in the world. Tastes differ and so do hobbies. Stamp collecting, coins collecting, photography, swimming, Gardening, kite-flying, etc., are a few of the common hobbies. Everyone should have some hobby. It not only enriches us but also provides vital energy boost to propel in our professional life as well.

Gardening is my hobby. It brings me in touch with the green plants and flowers and filled my lungs with pure Oxygen. We can derive great pleasure from Gardening, growing flowers and some vegetables of the season.

It is useful in many ways. Through this blog I made an attempt to create an awareness about the various benefits of having gardening as a hobby, not only in terms of recreations but also as an everlasting benefit.

1. Gardening is an incredible activity to do with kids. Children can learn to count, as well as learn the names of colors, fruits and vegetables by planting and harvesting. And, of course, knowing how to grow food is a skill that will assist them through their entire life.

2. Gardening allows kids to spend time in nature, being up close and personal with butterflies, ladybugs, worms, ants and spiders. Gardening allows children to get comfortable with soil, while learning that food comes from the earth and not a drive-through.

3.  Gardening is a great way to teach your children, ownership and responsibility. It's a good idea to get them their own tools, and allow them to be in charge of their little patch of earth, which will require their attention on watering, weeding and harvesting.

4. Gardening teaches children not only how to sustain themselves and their environment, but also that resources are not infinite, and need to be cultivated.

5. Though you can get Organic vegetables outside in the market, you never really know exactly how it is grown UNLESS you do it yourself. When you grow your own garden, you decide what goes in the soil and to the plant and more importantly WHAT DOESN'T.

6. Produce is at it's peak nutritional value when ripe. Fruits and vegetables are basically plucked well before the mature and then they have to travel to the supermarket. While it may become ripe by the time you eat it, nutritional value actually decreases with each and every day, after harvest. As the nutrition comes from the stem of the living plant, when you have your own garden you get the  vegetable as nutritious as it can get.

7. Gardening provides all three types of exercise: endurance, flexibility, and strength. It burns enough calories, which also keeps you fit.

8. According to author Joel Salatin, getting in the dirt can actually help boost your immune system! “A little dirt don't hurt!”

9. The average family with a vegetable garden can save a lot of money in terms of saving the money from getting vegetables from outside.

10. Imagine I situation where you might have forgotten to take cilantro while buying your vegetables and in the midst of cooking you are in dire need for some of them. You can always fetch it from your Kitchen garden. Having fresh ingredients in your backyard beats a trip to the store every time!

11. Homegrown vegetables taste SIGNIFICANTLY better than store bought ones.

12. At the grocery store and even at many farmers markets there are maybe two or three varieties of every type of fruit/veggie. But when you grow your own you can choose seeds from an endless list. Do you know how many varieties of tomatoes you can grow in your kitchen garden?

Don't let precious real-estate go to waste. Plant some vegetables which will also decorate your unused, weed infiltrated area and produce a bountiful harvest for you to enjoy.

Here are some very useful information you can use to start your own Things You Need To Start Your Very Own Garden 

Need more motivation? Check out 10 amazing quotes on Gardening