The Benefits of Gardening
Most women in my family are blessed with a green thumb, most. I, on the other hand, can’t seem to keep a cactus alive. But now that I know the longevity benefits that come from cultivating the gardener in me, I’m going to attempt to turn this black thumb emerald green! 
What are some of the health benefits that come from gardening?
- Stress reduction.
- Gardening is a great way to get physical exercise without really trying.
- It increases balance and flexibility.
- Gardening is good for spacial awareness, and it cultivates a nurturing attitude towards nature and the environment.
- Gardening gets you outside where you get the added benefit of sunshine and vitamin D.
- Free food! Yummy tomatoes, squash, basil, peas, oh my!
So where to turn if you lack the touch with mulch, seedlings, saps, plants and pods like me? I found a great website aptly titled Garden (it's the National Garden Association website). This is where I began my journey down the path of improving my plant cultivating skills. What did I learn?
For my edible garden I’ll be using these great tips:
- Tomatoes - Plant them about one foot apart so you can use a string of 7-watt outdoor Christmas tree lights to keep them warm at night. Huh...
- Limited space for your garden? Too much shade? - For people with “limited space and too much shade,” make raised garden boxes, two feet high, four feet long, and two feet wide. “Around the outer edge of the planter plant corn and beans. In the box plant tomatoes. The corn shades the tomatoes and the beans grow up the corn plants but don’t affect the corn's growth.”
- Organic fertilizer anyone? - After cooking vegetables in water, especially beets, let the water cool and add it to your lawn and garden. The nutrients in the water make a great fertilizer.
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