I hear this all the time: “Why should I garden?” “Doesn’t it take a long time?” “I don’t know what I’m doing.” “I can just buy my food at the store.”

Let me explain to you why these are all horrible arguments for not gardening, and more importantly, why you should start.

1. In this hectic pace we all seem to live at, gardening forces us to slow down and simply enjoy the scenery. With all the crazy stress that can lead to severe problems, it’s important to find a hobby that makes us take a step back and breathe for a minute. Gardening also forces you to get outside (or bring the outside inside if you have a container garden inside your home). At first it may be weird for some people to dig around in the dirt, especially if you’re brand new to gardening, but after a while you will see that it really helps you relax and start to feel like a kid again. Plus, you truly can’t make gardening happen fast. Nature goes at its own pace so no matter how rushed you feel, it is a good reminder that some things need patience.

2. Gardening is a great hobby that you can do with the whole family. Kids especially seem to love gardening especially when it comes to being able to see something grow. It’s a great first step to show them how their work can pay off. You’ll see it in their face the moment they eat their first fruit or vegetable that they grow.

3. A packet of seeds is only a few dollars. That one packet of seeds will usually contain plenty of seeds so you will be able to grow a good handful of plants (and if you have a small amount of space, one packet will last you a few seasons). Now go to a store and you’ll see that even one pound of tomatoes costs more than the packet that could provide you with tomatoes all summer! People are always talking about ways to save money at the grocery store, but gardening cuts out the store completely and you’ll feel the difference in your wallet.

4. When you garden from home, you don’t have to wonder what kind of pesticides/herbicides are all over your food because you are in complete control of that. You can even go the extra length and put organic dirt in your garden and buy organic seeds. Plus fruits and veggies grown in your own backyard just simply taste better. Grow some and try it for yourself!

5. Gardening counts as exercise. If you really get into it and spend a few hours outside a week pulling up weeds, moving plants around, trimming them, picking veggies… it will definitely get you sweating!

What other benefits from gardening have you found?