Edited from version shared for WC-CMH Health & Wellness Team – June 2024
George Washington Carver, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, believed that everyone should garden to cultivate virtues and learn the lessons of growing things.
Gardens have long been a refuge for the soul and body. The joy of planting a garden, even in pots on the porch is an act of hope for the future: believing that a harvest will come.
As gardeners watch their cultivated plants grow, bloom and fruit can reduce stress and add a little excitement into the day. The exercise involved in cultivating the soil, planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting builds endurance. The bigger the garden you manage, the more exercise you will have.
Watching pollinators like butterflies and bees can add a bit of excitement to the small piece of land that you manage. Taking photos of the garden can remind you of the fun and warmth of summer during the cold nights of winter.
A good strategy for getting a balance of nutrients from your garden is by planting produce with a variety of colors and kinds. Different shades in the edible portions of plants are often associated with different nutrients. Legumes, leafy greens, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, all have a different set of nutrients.
Planting a few herbs in pots that you can bring inside during the winter can ensure that you get very nutritious bursts that are especially good for gut health, and you will also have flavors year-round. Having some indoor plants to cultivate during the winter can also help fight off the winter blues.
Another benefit of growing your own strawberries or peppers is that you will get to pick the fruit at the peak of ripeness and eat them soon afterwards, ensuring you get the maximum number of nutrients. Produce in the store often comes from miles away and requires many gallons of petrochemicals to get to the store, and the quality and quantity of nutrients in the store-bought foods diminishes daily after picking during this transit.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to gather a few plants to grow at your home so you too can enjoy the fruit of your labors.
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