Why Gardening Is Good for Your Wellness + Unique Ways to Transform Your Healthy Garden

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, gardening was considered a well-loved hobby for adults of all ages. Now, it’s an even more cherished outdoor pastime considering it is one activity you can enjoy with family and friends while still social distancing. 

Not to mention that gardening is a fantastic way to exercise and burn calories. In fact, gardening, weeding, and tending vegetables can burn anywhere from 250 to 360 calories per hour.

Additionally, it’s a great way to plant seasonal produce that will complement and improve your healthy diet. Plus, you don’t have to have a large backyard in order to garden. Some plants and produce can be planted on a balcony, roof terrace, or even in a window box.

Understanding the Health Benefits of Gardening

Did you know gardening can do wonders for your well-being? From reducing stress to improving your hand strength, there are many health benefits of gardening:

  • Builds Your Self-Esteem — When you accomplish new or challenging tasks it can feel satisfying and inspiring, so when you successfully harvest produce in your garden, you might feel more confident and motivated.
  • Strengthens Your Heart — The manual labor of gardening can not only burn calories but can lower your risk for heart attack or heart disease.
  • Reduces Stress and Anxiety — Gardening gives you a chance to focus on a goal, distracting from daily stressors and reducing your anxiety.
  • Improves Hand Strength — Digging, pulling, planting, and weeding are great ways to keep your hands and fingers strong.
  • Boosts Your Vitamin D — Exposure to sunlight can give you a healthy boost of vitamin D and increase your calcium levels which not only benefits your bones but your immune system as well; just don’t forget to apply sunscreen and wear a hat to prevent sunburn.
  • Promotes a Healthy Diet — When your hard work pays off, you have access to a variety of fresh fruits and veggies to incorporate into your diet. 

Now that you know the benefits of a healthy garden, we also explored some budget-friendly ways to help your garden flourish.

Upcycle Items for Your Healthy Garden

Upcycling isn’t just about taking an old piece of furniture and giving it new life in your home; this popular trend can also apply to your garden. As a bonus, upcycling is also a great way to invest in the well-being of your environment by reusing objects to prevent them from going to a landfill. 

Here are a few upcycling ideas to enhance your garden:

Unique Planters

Whether you have old metal buckets, chipped colanders, Tonka trucks your child has long outgrown, or even a rusty wheel barrel, there is no shortage of items you have laying around that can be upcycled. You can turn almost anything into a fun, creative planter; just add some soil, your favorite plants, and voila! 

Need a little inspiration? Check out these 15 playful planter ideas.

Wooden Pallets

From bookshelves to coffee tables, there is a lot you can do with a wooden pallet, including transforming it to elevate your garden. You can use these pallets as wall planters, compost bins, outdoor furniture, and raised plant beds. Wooden pallets are usually easy to find for free. Be sure to check with your neighbors, friends, Facebook Marketplace, and second-hand websites like OfferUp. Keep an eye out as you are driving around as you might be surprised to find them laying on the side of the road for trash pick-up.

Check out these 31 DIY ideas for using a wooden pallet to elevate your garden.

Teacups and Saucers

Do you have old China you don’t use anymore or that are damaged? You can easily upcycle a teacup and saucer into a small birdbath or teacup candle to add to your balcony, terrace, or outdoor space. Using a glue gun, adhere the teacup to the saucer, then spraypaint or add embellishments if desired. For a birdbath, add water into the cup and scatter birdseed on the saucer. For a candle, melt candle wax and pour it into the teacup. Then, add a wick and some citronella oil to help divert bugs.

Add More Color to Your Garden Space or Planters

Whether you have a full-blown outdoor garden, a small space on your balcony, or a wall planter, one way to enhance your garden is by adding a little color. This color can come in the form of brightly colored flowers, different types of produce, or even simply by painting your planter in bright, contrasting colors.

Some of the more brightly colored year-round flowers include pansies, marigolds, and geraniums, which are best suited for window boxes, hanging baskets, patriot containers, and raised flower beds.

Take stock of what paint you have on hand and get creative with the colors, patterns, and designs you choose. You would be surprised what a little sprucing up and a fresh coat of paint can do for your planters, raised flower beds, or potted plants.

Create a Vertical Garden

If you don’t have much outside space to spare, a vertical garden is an excellent way to conserve space and create a beautiful atmosphere. You can once again upcycle a wooden pallet by attaching a waterproof membrane to the back with a staple gun, painting the pallet, mounting it to your wall, then filling it with your favorite plants. Here are step-by-step instructions to create this garden. Another great way to create a vertical garden is by reusing old wooden ladders. With ladders, you can create garden shelves to store small plants, potted herbs, succulents, and more.

Illuminate Your Garden With Lighting

Adding light to your garden doesn’t just mean adding some outdoor lamps and fixtures. To create a beautiful outdoor haven, adding fairy lights is a budget-friendly way to elevate your space and take it from day to night. You can drape these lights over fences, your vertical gardens or planters, around tree trunks, and suspend them from your balcony or patio.

Take Your Healthy Garden to the Next Level

Are you ready to make your garden really pop with produce to complement your healthy diet? Check out this article for the top 10 vegetables to grow along with planting tips.

Ultimately, no matter your budget or how big or small your outdoor space is, there are ways to make the most of it and enjoy some of the wonderful health benefits of gardening along the way. Be sure to download our free recipe book for healthy recipes to try using your produce.

Turning Your Healthy Garden Into a Haven CTA