The Health Benefits of Gardening in Your Yard


gardeningThe Health Benefits of Gardening in Your Yard

With spring in the air, sunny weather on the horizon, and summer body preparations, its the perfect time to get on the healthy train. If you’re like me, a big problem is the type of foods I eat. While always being on the go, fast food tends to be a quick convenient method. However, there are plenty of better options, such as planting a garden. Planting a garden would not only give you personal yield, but you would also know how your food was made and where it came from. Today, we will go over different foods you can plant in a vegetable garden for an alternative source of healthy food.

Spring Vegetables

Since spring only began just recently, you will want to make sure your plants can handle a few random frosts, since winter isn’t gone all the way. Some plants that are good for those lower temperatures are lettuce. Since lettuce grows in lower temperatures, it would be ideal to plant these at the beginning of the season. Homegrown lettuce is full of vitamin A and should take anywhere from 75-85 days to harvest. Carrots are another cool-season vegetable and, let’s face it, one of the better tasting vegetables. Since carrots can be eaten at any point during their growth and can take up to 80 days to grow fully, they’re a garden staple. The most popular garden vegetable in America, the tomato, has tons of varieties to choose from, while growing anywhere from 49 days to 100.

Fast Growing Vegetables

Some vegetables are even faster to grow if you’re looking for a quick harvest. Radishes are one of the fastest growing crops and can be eaten one month after planting. There is plenty of different ways to cook radishes and recipes can be found here. Snow peas, which can be grown in the spring, germinate after 10 days. They should be harvest-ready after two months. Similarly, turnips are ready for harvest after a two month period, while their leaves are ready for harvest around day 40. Sunflower shoots – the sprouts of the sunflower – are small but can be harvested in 12 days! the shoots are full of plant protein and provide all essential amino acids. Garden cress is full of vitamin A and C and can be a great part of a diet. The best part about it is the plant is ready for harvest in two weeks.

The Workout

From digging holes to planting, gardening also gives you a great workout. When gardening, you are able to increase your flexibility, strengthen your joints, and gets you moving for a period of time. The main muscles you workout are legs, arms, shoulders, neck, and back. By gardening, you will receive a substantial amount of exercise and can burn more than 500 calories while outside working. Enjoy your garden while living a healthier life!


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