Planting your own family garden can reap countless benefits, including access to fresh vegetables and quality time with your family, any time of the year. Whether you have an acre of land or live in a small apartment with a balcony, having a garden can help your family live a healthy and active lifestyle. In fact, moving naturally, eating plenty of vegetables, and investing time with your children and life partner, are some important lifestyle characteristics that individuals in ‘Blue Zones’ practice daily.
Here are a few benefits of growing your own family garden:
Encourages healthy eating
Eating healthy food is crucial for brain and body development. However, it can be difficult to get children to eat fruits and vegetables. By having your children grow their own vegetables, they are more willing to taste them and will have a sense of pride in eating what they have helped create.
Having your own garden guarantees that you have availability of seasonal vegetables and herbs, which support a healthy immune system and the body’s ability to fight infection. When you grow your own vegetables and herbs, it generally results in eating more vegetables and less processed foods, thereby contributing to better health.
Want to incorporate your vegetables in your meals? Check out Doc’s delicious, healthy recipes for ideas!
Family bonding
Social media is among the most common activity of today’s children and adolescents. While it can be tough for parents to compete with technology, it isn’t impossible. Gardening is a great way to get your kids excited about doing something together as a family!
Children and parents can decide what flowers and vegetables to plant and where they want to plant them. You may even want to designate a certain spot in your yard specifically for your garden. Once your vegetables have grown, the family can work together to make healthy meals with them. Spending a few hours a week working in your garden with your family can help children disconnect from technology and give them something to look forward to, especially during these trying times.
Learning
Starting a family garden is a great experience for children while distance-learning. Not only are they getting some time away from the computer and enjoying the outdoors, but you can teach them about the growing cycle, so they can understand the concept of where their food comes from. When your harvest is ripe, you can teach your children how to cook if they are old enough. As a family, you can explore new recipes together using the vegetables straight from your garden.
Physical activity
Did you know that gardening and yard work are moderate-intensity exercises, which we all need every day? Tending your family garden doesn’t require the vigorous activity of running or lifting weights, but it’s still beneficial to your body. As you bend down to pick up something heavy, dig holes, or dump bags of mulch around your trees, you are still getting in a workout and burning calories.
Get started on your family garden today and gain all the amazing benefits that come with it. Don’t forget to check out Doc’s Vegetable and Herb Garden for inspiration!
