This last year has been a crazy time for gardens. With the closure of parks, with people being home more and with folks wanting to bring some growth and color to their space, gardening has really taken off.
We often talk about visiting parks. Visiting national, state and local parks can be a wonderful way to get some exercise, enjoy your day and take in some sunshine. It doesn’t matter if you are going on a cross-country trip to a national park or down the road to your town’s green. It’s good to get outside! However, sometimes the park is inaccessible and staying closer to home is your best option. As long as you have some plants to enjoy, you are doing yourself some good!
Having a “green space” lowers stress and anxiety and increases well-being. Creating your own green space is great for self-esteem. Keeping things alive and growing helps you feel accomplished and like you can take on other tasks. There are also the physical benefits of gardening, it is exercise. You get a workout as you dig, plant, weed, water and tend your plants.
Gardening can also help you eat healthier foods. Many people don’t particularly like vegetables. For some people, they just aren’t their cup of tea. But, when you grow foods in your own garden, there is something different about them. Because of a mix of pride and anticipation from all the work, food from your own patch tastes better! You can also season your meals with herbs you grew yourself! Additionally, when you are growing your produce, you don’t that pesticides aren’t being used, and your food is as local as it gets!
April is National Lawn and Garden Month. It’s time to start whipping your yard into shape! You might need to start by cleaning up the yard in a push of spring cleaning from anything that has fallen over the winter. Other places might need the lawn trimmed as a first step. It really depends on where you live. But no matter where you are, it’s a great time to look ahead to the summer for flowers and fall for vegetable harvesting!
As so many people started gardening last year, you might feel ready to “step up” your gardening game. You may be interested in learning more about companion planting. That’s when you plant two or more types of vegetables or flowers together that will encourage each other’s growth. Most newer gardeners focus on growing just a couple of plants individually. If you want a challenge and feel you have mastered the basics, this might be of interest to you. By planting a mix of vegetables, flowers and herbs close together, you can make patches that repel bugs, offer each other the right amount of shade and even fertilize the soil. It’s an interesting process that could be a fun project to plan this month!
