10 Top Reasons To Garden For Health.

Howdy Gardeners:

The following is from the SFG website and I thought it would be nice to see here. God Bless, Ward and Mary.

Top 10 Reasons to Garden for Health
1. Gardening provides exercise that seems to be lacking in the American lifestyle. This comes from picking up pots,walking around, and chores related to tending the garden(not many with SFG!).
2. Gardening creates an opportunity to absorb vitamin D. Only 15 minutes out in the sun without sunscreen gives a daily dose of this vitamin.
3. Gardening provides more control over an individual's food supply especially for those who are concerned with food purity.
4. Gardening gives a person a reason to be outside.
5. Gardening can create situations where social interaction can occur. Long-term friendships can develop through the common bond and love of gardening.
6. Working in the garden can improve one's mood and reduce depression. This is most likely happens because of exercise and vitamin D exposure.
7. Gardening is a rewarding hobby that every individual regardless of skill or living conditions can do (especially SFG !)
8. Gardening is a great way of reducing food costs,grocery shopping and treaveling and adding greenery to the planet increases clean air.
9. Gardening reduces stress. Getting back to nature and combining this with exercise can really reduce the stress at the end of the day.
10. Vegetable gardening can improve the whole family's dietary habits by providing the best fast food, which is fresh vegetables and fruits. Studies show that if kids are involved in the gardening process they are more likely to try new foods and eat more vegetables.

That is great!! I agree 100%.

When I had a garden years ago when our children were small, it was a great teaching aid and a way to get us doing some things together, even though they complained about it as they got a bit older. And for some reason or other they were more willing to try eating something new that we had grown ourselves.

Now that it is just my DH and I, he is showing more interest in the garden than he did years ago AND he is also more willing to try new things. I doubt I will ever get him to eat zucchini but he did eat corn on the cob and liked it and wants me to grow more this year. YES, miracles do still happen. He also eats more salads and a wider variety of vegetables when we have grown them ourselves. Since he has taken up cooking he is also more interested in what goes into what we eat and has discovered how wonderful fresh grown herbs are. Gardening was MY hobby before, but now he has become interested, and while I do most of it.....he is gradually becoming more involved. I love it.

Gwynn

What a great list! I agree about bonding with my husband. Our hobby interests don't really intersect so it's been really wonderful to have something in common. I hope it will grow into more and more of a shared interest for us.

I'm the one who used to not like zucchini, but one day I sauteed some garlic in butter, dipped the zuc strips in it, slapped it on the grill for about 3 minutes each side, and now it's a staple in the garden.

FarmerValerie wrote:I'm the one who used to not like zucchini, but one day I sauteed some garlic in butter, dipped the zuc strips in it, slapped it on the grill for about 3 minutes each side, and now it's a staple in the garden.

Thanks farmer V.....I'm the one who still does not like zucchini. My family and CSA recipients do like it so I have it, and should eat it but dang! So you are saying that with enough butter, garlic and smoke I could more than choke it down?
Deborah….who likes all kinds of odd things but not normal stuff so much (beets are a close 2nd, though I do like the greens in, oddly enough, butter and garlic with a sprinkle of nutmeg)

Debs, it's just a matter of getting creative. I did not like many foods and dishes until I started making them myself. I hated potato salad, until I took out the onions (they give me grief the next morning) and added paprika. I hate cold creamed peas, love them warm.
Just melt a bit of butter (yes salted) and saute up some of your favorite sautéing things, garlic, peppers, onions, swipe the zucchini around in the pan, and grill. If nothing else, grate all veggies you are not crazy about, cook them down, and add them to spaghetti sauce, soups, casseroles, or meatloaf, it's a great way to hide the veggies in kids food too.

You could also try shredding the zucchini and making burgers. Here's a great recipe: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/quinoa-zucchini-burgers/ I really like the taste of shredded zucchini in burgers

Make ratatouille. YUM.

FarmerValerie wrote:Just melt a bit of butter (yes salted) and saute up some of your favorite sautéing things, garlic, peppers, onions, swipe the zucchini around in the pan, and grill.

I discovered this last summer and now I LOVE summer squash this way. I just use whatever veggies I have on hand...especially delicious with onions and tomatoes!

Hubby says:

11. Keeps wifey happy so you can spend more money on trains.


He has a garden railroad so he love me being happy outside while he is running his trains!

Oh garden trains! how wonderful. My grandson loves trains and would love to have a garden train. If he lived closer to me, I would love to have him set one up in my garden. You are a lucky lady Cindy!

Gwynn

Old Hippie wrote:Oh garden trains! how wonderful. My grandson loves trains and would love to have a garden train. If he lived closer to me, I would love to have him set one up in my garden. You are a lucky lady Cindy!

Gwynn

The biggest factor in a garden railroad, the darn things are expensive! When he started hubby found a used engine for his first one, $60, new ones (cheaper ones) run somewhere around $200 and that is just the engine! He wants a live steam! Min $1500 for the engine! Then cars, track (cheap used $6/ft), landscaping ect ect....

Hubby had a GoldWing but wanted another Harley, choice Harley or railroad, couldn't afford both! Railroad won. He loves it and now has a good guesstamate of $5000 and it is a hobby that never is done! He can think of a dozen things more he wants just off the top of his head!

Being a Master Gardener, I love the landscaping part of it lol.....

So he doesn't fuss about plants and beds and camera stuff and computers rofl......If I want something a little expensive I just get it and let him get a new piece of rolling stock or a new building!

For example, I am in college for web design...I want a couple of programs...so he gets a new sound system and decoder (the part that controls the engine) for my engine......sounds fair to me

CindiLou, do you have pictures of your hubby's railroad?

FarmerValerie wrote:CindiLou, do you have pictures of your hubby's railroad?

I have a few on photobucket...I didnt realize I had so few uploaded. I will have to get more because most of these ( especially snow plow and pink train are last month) are at least a year old!

https://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/glitterby/SP%20and%20P%20Railroad/

How neat, thanks for sharing!!!