Top 10 Reasons to Start a Garden

It can be daunting sometimes to think of starting a garden, especially if you’ve never gardened before. I know sometimes I feel intimidated thinking of the work it takes to keep or maintain a garden. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

Here are the top 10 reasons to start a garden — the one you’ve been dreaming of — and encouragement to keep it going!

1. Growing a garden builds community.

Once those veggies are harvested, there is usually too much of something. Sharing the excess over the fence, down the road, at church, or even in a larger setting, strengthens community and builds friendships.

2. Gardens are beautiful.

Whether it is a few herbs in a planter, Square Foot Gardening or a full yard garden, gardens are beautiful! From the greenery in the spring to the summer flowers, gardens have something for every season.

3. Children love gardens.

From planting the tiny seeds in the spring and watching the seedlings emerge from the soil to the inevitable harvest, children love the process and love watching the results. Getting children involved encourages them to explore the world around them and nurtures their love for the natural world. Giving them a special plant for cultivate can be the icing on the cake for them.

4. Gardening has something to teach us–all of us!

Even the most seasoned gardeners have something to learn from the garden every year. It is humbling and rewarding to learn from the seasons, the plants and the process.

5. Gardens are FUN!

Between the planting and the harvesting, something magical happens that transforms the “work” into spirited fun! It might be the intoxication of the soil or watching the bees surround the blossoms as they mature and turn to fruit, or perhaps it is the euphoria of witnessing the solar conversion of seed to food. Whatever it is, follow your passion in the garden!

Worried you might not get that first garden right? Lori has you covered with beginning gardener tips.

6. You get free food!

Okay….so maybe not entirely free after you’ve invested your sweat and time on it, (and maybe sprung for a few garden tools), but it sure helps cut down on your food budget.

7. Gardening promotes social justice.

As Ron Finley says, “Gardening is the most therapeutic and defiant act you can do. Plus you get strawberries.” Gardening is an equalizer; anyone can learn it and put it into practice. Even in small spaces.

8. Gardening is an act of peace.

Producing your own food can do more to promote peace than many other simple acts.

9. Fresh food tastes better.

We all know it. There is nothing quite like putting a super fresh veggie dish on the table and tasting the difference. Or using fresh herbs to flavor other foods. Nothing beets it!

10. Gardening builds soils.

Whether it’s a few pots or a full yard garden, growing food inevitably builds soils. By cultivating the soil, we are each adding nutrients, generating additional topsoil and paying attention to what our soils need to grow what we want. This cyclical nature benefits the whole world one small planter or plot at a time. No garden is too small!

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Liz Reitzig

Food is the Foundation of Liberty. Nourishing Liberty is where we plant seeds for ideas to grow and flourish A place to be inspired by each other, to join together in peaceful activism, to build community.

Wherever you are in your personal journey toward clean living and local food, thank you for joining me in mine. I look forward to sharing it with you.

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