Relieve Stress by Starting Your Own Garden!   I, for one, never really cared about gardening. The whole “start a home garden” trend seemed like another part of the organic eating phase. If you’re still on the fence about starting your own garden because you don’t buy into the organic trend, I get you. Really. Even if you want to eat organic food, you may need some convincing to commit to a home garden. It does take some work, and you may need to persuade your family to help, as well. Convincing your family, including yourself, that a home garden will benefit you in diverse ways, simply requires getting your hands in the dirt. Of course, skillfully using your walk behind string trimmer to enhance your garden’s foliage won’t hurt either. Once you start, you will quickly see that growing a home garden has more merits than just putting some organic greens in your family’s diet.   1. A Sustainable Way To Cut Down Your Expenses The organics section at your grocery store will charge you an arm and a leg to get fresh produce that the Flintstones could have easily grown. If you’re committed to eating healthy, your grocery bill will likely get higher and higher, for fewer foodstuffs. Moreover, constantly going out just to get fresh fruits and vegetables will likely raise your gas bill. A sustainable way to cut down such costs will be to just walk to your backyard and pick what you need.   2. Family Bonding Time You’ll probably never hear people talking about “the harmful effects of spending time outdoors.” I realize that it’s a chore to get kids to leave their beloved gadgets and instead connect with the family outside. Giving them responsibilities in the garden however, allows for more family time without them even realizing it. You’ll also be teaching your children important healthy eating habits, since half the fun in gardening is getting to eat what you’ve grown. In fact, a study found that students with hands-on agricultural teaching more likely choose fruits and veggies to snack on, instead of junk food. So put a metal garden hose in their hands, because no matter how grumpy they are at first, your family will be happy in the end. Free Sign Up to Grow Network’s Online Library with Free eBooks on How to Grow Food   3. Moderate & Engaging Way To Exercise I’m not saying you’ll be ripped or lose weight from gardening. It’s just that gardening is a surprisingly physical activity. All that raking and turning compost works wonders for the muscles in your upper and lower body. Research carried out on people who tend their gardens for 5 hours a week found that they lost about 722 extra calories just by gardening. Obviously, the more intense the activity, the more calories you’ll burn. Whatever gardening activity you do, I’m sure it is better than sitting on the couch.   4. Reduce Pollution This [...]