Gardening is one of the most beneficial hobbies to begin for anyone of any age group. We don’t always have the time to coordinate activities into our busy schedules that make us feel good or healthy.
Luckily, gardening does not have to be something that is overly time-consuming, and it is a simple way to see your productivity, work out your body, and put yourself outside for minutes or hours at a time. The activity alone brings out positive change in one’s life physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Gardening has been shown to have many mental and physical health benefits by getting people outside and working in the soil. Besides the mental benefits, the physical benefits circle back to living a happier and healthier lifestyle regardless of age. Even those with limited mobility can easily access raised garden beds and can still enjoy the physical benefits of getting outside and digging in the soil.
Being outside in nature is a great way to relieve stress for so many. Aside from all of this, one of the ultimate benefits of gardening is planting a seed, taking care of it from start to finish, and enjoying harvesting food from your garden. You are the source of any food you decide to grow, and there’s no worrying about where it came from if it’s from your own backyard.
In Archuleta County, we are lucky enough to have the space around us to start gardens or join a community garden. There are also garden and grower’s education classes available throughout the spring and summer seasons each year for those who are looking for a place to get started. If you or someone you know is interested in improving their quality of life through gardening, you can sign up for garden education opportunities and look through other available resources on the Healthy Archuleta website, https://www.foodcoalition4archuleta.org/garden-education.html
Have a happy growing season everyone!