Gardening is for everyone, and everyone should be doing it!

There are countless benefits to gardening. The obvious one, you get to eat what you grow! Along with knowing exactly where your food came from and knowing which types of chemicals (if any) were used on it.  You will also have a guaranteed increase in fruit and veggie consumption, and a whole new appreciation of food. Besides all of that, one can gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about themselves, others and the world in general when you garden. Gardening is the perfect way to start taking control of your own physical and mental health. 

I can hear some of you reading this and thinking…….Hold up, Hold up, all of that sounds good and well but gardening is for the affluent, well-off, hobbyist with money to blow and land galore.  Well folks, I’m here to tell you that that’s just not the case!  Gardening is for everyone. I mean it! It’s for the well-off & the less so. It’s for the hobbyist & the busy mompreneurs on the go. It’s for the long time vegan & the newly health conscious. It’s for the seasoned survivalist & the newbie environmentalist. It’s for the able bodied & the disabled. It’s for males and females. It’s for adults and for children. If you eat, then gardening is for you! 

So why do so many people tend to think it’s not for them??? 

The first obstacle that most people come up against is the thought of the garden being a huge expense. Yes, some garden projects can be expensive but not all of them have to be. There are many ways to garden on a budget. You can keep it small and use budget friendly materials such as plastic containers, grow bags, cinder blocks, pallets, or less expensive wood for raised beds. Also growing your plants from seed can be a major money saver. You could even join a local buy/sell/trade plant group on Facebook. Many times, other gardeners will have so many plants started that they just give them away. If the cost of starting a garden is holding you back, just remember that this garden will be an investment (small or large) in your health and future! 

The second most common thing that stops people from beginning their garden adventure is usually not knowing where to start. The internet is glorious and great at providing loads and loads of information on every garden topic you can imagine. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you how overwhelming and confusing it is to work through all of it. Many times, it’s hard to make heads or tails of most of it. That’s exactly what I’m here for ! If you would like someone to give you a clear, concise, step-by-step direction on where to start and how to proceed, it is my pleasure and life’s work to teach and share all the knowledge I’ve obtained from my 5+ years of gardening experience and advanced degree in Agricultural Education. I will always share what I know here on the blog and if you would like a little more personalization and one on one help, I’d be happy to give you a consult.  

The final thing that I have heard from friends or clients that have not committed one hundred percent to the idea of a garden yet is TIME! Most of us have very busy lives with work, school, family, and social lives that we can’t imagine squeezing  in one more time commitment. The good news is that all it takes is 10 – 15 minutes a day or an hour or two on the weekend to maintain and tend to your garden. I bet once you begin, you will be so eager to go out and discover the new things happening in the garden that you won’t even realize how much time you’ve managed to find in your schedule. If all else fails and you do find it difficult to squeeze in an hourly commitment once a week then Carolina Garden Coaching has got you covered. We are also here to service your maintenance needs. 

Did I nail it? Were one or more of these reasons why you haven’t started your own kitchen garden? If you still have doubts about whether gardening is for you, send me an email at carolinagardencoaching@gmail.com and we will explore all the options and reasons why gardening is indeed for everyone………Including YOU!