There has never been a more interesting time for gardening than today. Healthy living is on the rise, which makes people more inclined to grow plants and vegetables in their backyard.

As organic foods and urban gardening spread like a wildfire, there’s no doubt that this trend is here to stay. Edible gardening is a movement that encourages us to cultivate fresh recipes from scratch. Aside from a wide range of health benefits, it is economical, saves the planet and pleases epicurean appetites.

Ancient Roots

Gardening has existed since the earliest civilizations. The purpose and styles have revolutionized through the centuries, but the basics remain the same.

In ancient times, food gardening was called forest gardening. This is the time when people were just discovering food-producing vines and trees. Forest gardening started to deteriorate in the Middle Ages, when the growing of foods was replaced with the growing of medicinal plants or herbs.

Later on, some Europeans began to grow gardens not only for food but also for beauty. Lawns of grass and flowerbeds were planted, and plants were sculptured as decorations. During the Elizabethan era, fruit and herb cottage gardens became popular. Workers used a small part of their land to raise a farm with chickens and pigs. In the 18^th century, gardens started to become more informal looking and ordinary.

Whether for food sourcing or to appreciate the beauty of nature, gardening has evolved significantly throughout the years. These days, most of us are living in bustling cities and, with people becoming more health conscious, we are keen to opt for fresher options.

Health Benefits

Gardening offers a lot of health benefits. In fact, it is also considered as a therapeutic recreation to treat people with chronic diseases, as described in this recent article.

Here are just a few ways gardening can improve your physical and mental health:

• Relieves stress
• Improves mental and brain health
• Improves mobility in terms of exercise
• Lessens the risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
• Provides nutrition by means of healthier ingredients without chemicals

Start planting these healthy benefits for you and your family to enjoy fruitful well-being. Below, we list several important tips on gardening for beginners.

1. Familiarize Your Location

Understand the limits and possibilities of your locality: not every plant grows everywhere. There are some that can survive in the cold, but there are some plants that die in this kind of weather. Identify the environment of your garden area, such as the climate, temperature and sun exposure. Better yet, ask gardeners who live within your region for advice and suggestions.

Understand your soil. Soil is vital to succeeding in planting. It affects the nutrients absorbed by your plant, as different plants thrive best in a variety of PH levels.

Examine soil texture. The best soil for house planting crumbles in your hands and is easily shoveled. Avoid super-hard soil, as it will be difficult for the plants to grow roots. For vegetable plants, most ordinary garden soils are fine but stay away from the extremes. Clay soil is nutrient-rich and ideal for summer crops. However, this type of soil is not appropriate in the cold, as it becomes very wet in the winter season.

For you to recognize the characteristics of your soil you will need to know how much acid and alkaline your soil has. Ask your local gardening store for a “home-testing” kit.

2. Plan It Out

Do your research first and start off with an easy plant, such as vegetables and sunflowers. You should plan on how to space them according to how big or how tall your plants will grow. If you place the taller plants in front of the shorter plants, it will block the sun exposure of the smaller plants. Short and crawling plants should be placed in front, and higher plants in the back.

Set a calendar. Depending on the type of plant, be familiar with your seasons. Spring is the best season to grow plants, yet you can plant new seeds before spring. Summer might be too hot, so you might need to water your plants more than usual. In the fall, you will need to a lot more time in your garden as you will need to trim shrubs and dead leaves. Lastly, you need to protect your plants in the winter; bring potted plants indoors or cover your outdoor plants.

Keep a journal. A journal is a great way to keep track of your garden activity and progress. Keep notes of your goals and the learning you acquire during the course so that you can apply it to your next planting.

3. Beware Of Pests

Prepare yourself when dealing with pests, as some of them are intractable and not easy to eradicate permanently. Insects such as tomato worms, caterpillars, snails, and slugs can destroy your plants. Proper maintenance is the key to keeping these plant-eating pests away from your garden.

Always keep your plants healthy and your garden clean. Water carefully and fertilize regularly so your plants grow strong and more pest resistant. Remove and destroy infested plants, dead leaves, and other debris. By keeping your garden clean, you will eliminate hiding places for many pests and diseases. You can also use beneficial insects such as ladybugs or lace-wings, which feed on these plant-eating insects.

Declare a war on weeds: destroy young weeds as early as possible. Otherwise, you will have a hard time preventing these stubborn weeds from swamping your plants. Weeds can develop seeds that will germinate in the future, so it is ideal to regularly cut them early on, rather than waiting for them to group themselves.

4. Patience Is A Virtue

Gardening is a learning process and it takes time. Impatience may cause you to worry too much about your plants in the hopes that they will grow faster. As a result, your eagerness may cause you to over-water or otherwise stunt the growth of your plants.

Be consistent and do not quit. Instead of being impatient, take the time to gain knowledge of how your plant reacts and correct some issues. If you notice impeded growth, examine what’s going on with the roots. Always remember that every step you make in gardening takes you closer to your high-yielding, abundant goal.

Happy planting!

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