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September 10,2024

This Week's Garden Gab:
​6 Sensible Reasons to Grow a Garden

Hi Reader!

I can’t tell you how many people have said to me, “I don’t know how to grow a garden. I'll just go to [local grocery store].”

I agree you an get all the food you need in grocery stores, but growing some of your own takes things to a new level.

In this edition:

• Reasons to Garden
• Gardening and a Healthy Long Life
• Gardening with Children
• Making Your Garden Your Own

Education:

When I started gardening I wasn't thinking about its benefits. As you might have read in an earlier edition, I only wanted to grow a bag of lettuce, that's it!

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I understand why people would choose to go to the grocery store to buy food. I get it ... for real. But once you get a little dirt smeared into your hands, a few dribbles (or pond) of sweat on your brow, and the taste of your own homegrown produce, something changes inside your heart.

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Application:

There are several reasons for growing a garden but here are my top six:

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1. Personal Knowledge & Learning​
The entire process of growing just one type of vegetable involves much more than you might think.

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Although not complicated, there are some basic skills that can be applied to multiple types of vegetable plants. Start with one type of food and grow from there.

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2. Bartering

You’ll be amazed how many people you can share your produce with. I have a small garden, but I love sharing extra cukes, squash, tomatoes or whatever else I have in abundance.

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You don’t have to grow every type of vegetable. If you become good at growing one or two vegetables, and a friend or neighbor is good at growing another couple or three, just think of what you can gain by bartering.

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3. Health Benefits

I read an article not long ago about the physical benefits of gardening. These include immune boosting, protection against dementia, exercise, better mood, and heart health to name a few.

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What to live longer? Gardening makes you live longer according to some researchers in this article!

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4. Teaching

As you learn about gardening, you will be able to teach others, especially children who are possibly learning about plants and life cycles.

Gardening with children can be incorporated into an educational program, whether in a traditional school or as part of a homeschool program.

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Read about the physical, mental, and educational benefits of gardening with children: Gardening With Your Kids: Tips, Tricks, and Benefits of Gardening With Children​

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5. Emergencies / Money Saving

If you have an abundance of produce, you can learn how to preserve food through canning, dehydration, or other methods. It’s a nice feeling to know you have food that you grew or bartered if/when emergencies or financial hardship arise.

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There are definite financial benefits once you learn how to garden

in a cost effective way: Economic Benefits of Gardening: 7 Best Reasons to Start​

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6. Sanctuary

You can create your own little oasis in your backyard or on your patio. We all need a place to go to decompress from life's stressors.

Imagine having a beautiful, peaceful place you can go to whenever you felt like it .. a place made beautiful according to your own style.

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A friend of mine has only a small patio. When I visited her, she had added beautiful, deeply discounted flowers from Lowe’s Clearance rack in the Gardening Center. She brought them home and revived them, and she sits out there often enjoying the oasis she created for herself.

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Selection:

Making your garden space is all about putting pieces of your heart into the space. You know what you like, what makes your heart smile, so incorporate that into your space.

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One thing that I incorporated into my space is the sound of running water. I made three fountains using a few pieces from the local thrift store and a solar fountain from Amazon that requires only sunlight to function.

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Video of my solar fountain in action

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Sitting in my garden, listening to these fountains and the birds brings me instant calmness.

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You don't have to spend lots of money to make your space your own. This fountain was approximately $22 and took a few minutes to assemble.

Edification:

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had formed. The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden, as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9

After I started gardening, these two verses became alive to me in a different way. A garden is teeming with life! It seems so right for life to have started in a garden. Until you've experienced it you'll struggle to understand. This is your challenge!

That's all I have for this edition. Feel free to write me at jangardener@gardenease.org if you have any questions or comments.

Forward this newsletter to anyone you think would be interested in gardening information and to SUBSCRIBE HERE.

I'll see you in the next edition!

Jan🤗

2090 Baker Road NW, Suite 304, Box 1076, Kennesaw, GA 30144
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