With Earth Day just around the corner, what better way to celebrate the planet and its preservation than by planting a garden.   Literally reap what you sow with an activity that is a great way to engage the entire family.   The benefits of planting are as numerous as the harvest itself; ranging from mental and physical well-being to environmental and educational benefits.

Here are some of the rewards of cultivation:

Good Health

• Fruits and vegetables grown in your own garden are higher in vitamins, nutrients and anti-oxidants
• Gardening increases physical activity providing an opportunity for low-impact exercise
• The natural surroundings of garden are therapeutic and calming; being outdoors and tending to a flower bed or vegetable patch can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and improve concentration for both children and adults
• Gardening provides positive feelings of self-sufficiency as well as a sense of accomplishment and a boost to self-confidence which contributes good mental well-being as well as the comfort and delight that comes from its natural beauty (just think about the sense of joy that seeing flowers often provides)

Education

• Gardens (especially communal ones) can create connections (parent to parent, teacher to student, peer to peer) which can help foster a sense of pride and security as well as motivate and inspire young minds
• Teaching children to plant not only offers a valuable science lesson but will also teach them an appreciation for where their food comes from and increase their chances of eating more fruits and vegetables.  Knowledge about food can in turn become a skill as children may then transition into learning about nutrition and food preparation
• Gardening also has the potential to spark interest in subjects such as botany, landscape architecture, and photography

Preservation of the Environment

• Growing your own fruits and vegetables helps to reduce the amount of pesticides that are used making them healthier and decreasing contamination to the environment
• Planting trees provides natural shade
• Green waste can be used as garden compost which also leads to cost savings overall as compost is less expensive than buying fertilizer
• Gardening can turn unsightly lands into attractive landscapes
• Growing your own fruits and vegetables also helps to conserve resources used in transportation and reduces the packaging waste that ends up in landfills

Create a Sense of Community

• Community gardens not only bring people together but improves social interactions
• Community gardens foster a sense of ownership and pride in community improvement, gardens actually increase property values not only for individual homes but neighbourhoods as a whole

 So, this spring consider planting a garden with your family and reap the growing benefits of this seasonal activity.  Or if you have a particularly green thumb and wish to help our garden flourish please feel free to contact us.   Happy Earth Day!