In many areas of the world, people in their 90s, especially in rural areas, pick olives or work in their gardens. They’ve never seen the inside of a gym and do not need to do workouts on YouTube. They get up early to plant seeds, weed, hoe, and do other outdoor chores. Walking in their village and climbing up steps is their main exercise. They live long, healthy lives without the aches and pains that most elderly people in other places do.
I’ve always enjoyed gardening, but when I lived in an apartment and later rented a room, I didn’t have the opportunity to have one for a while. Now that I’m living in a home with a large yard, I enjoy growing herbs, tomatoes, other vegetables, and local native plants.
If you don’t have garden space or just a small patio, don’t let it stop you from enjoying the relaxing hobby of gardening. Grow plants indoors or on a small patio.
Gardeners work every muscle
Who needs hand weights when you can pick up a bag of soil, grab a lemon out of a tree, or dig a hole in the ground? Gardening is a whole-body exercise that is outdoors, where you can get a healthy dose of vitamin D from the sunshine. If your knees ache, you can kneel on a flexible gardening bench.
A garden is a peaceful place to meditate
What could be better than sitting outside in green surroundings watching birds and squirrels X about? It sure beats Xing on Twitter or “X” as it’s now called. You can turn your garden into a personal meditation zone. Add a trickling fountain, layered stones, or even a labyrinth if you have the space.
If the only area available for your garden is a tiny patio or balcony, you can still turn it into a relaxation space by adding potted plants. Make communing with your plants a ritual, as it can be a cathartic experience.
Grow edible plants indoors using a hydroponic growing system kit, such as this one available on Amazon. The hydroponic growing system includes everything you need to start your indoor garden, including the hydroponics system, plant food A&B, 16 sponges, 16 baskets, 16 grow domes, 16 stickers, 16 labels, 16 tags, 6 pod hole covers, a tweezer, and a user manual.
You never have to worry if your food is organic
Nothing is tastier than homegrown tomatoes or fresh garden herbs that you can add to soup or stew. Store-bought does not compare to zucchini picked when small and then sautéed gently with olive oil. You have control over what you put in your garden soil and what will be consumed by your body.
Make your garden an outlet for your creativity
The garden I share with my two roommates is filled with crazy knick-knacks that were once used as props for movies, were inherited, or were found at thrift stores. We have everything from bowling balls to roadrunners to gnomes. It’s fun and quirky.
We also have a cat garden so the cat doesn’t have to interact with the dog. It’s filled with tall cacti and native plants.
We built a raised bed with discarded bricks for tomatoes and vegetables. It’s not an elegant garden, by any means, but it has a party atmosphere that is fun when people come over.
Sunnydaze sells an array of outdoor garden raised beds, planters, and other outdoor and indoor garden needs available on Amazon.
Teach your grandchildren the joy of gardening
A home garden can be a family affair, especially if you have little ones to share it with. Teach them how to plant seedlings and grow them. It will distract them from TV or video games for long hours and give you and them some bonding time.
Michelle Obama created a garden for children at the White House. The White House kitchen staff used the vegetables from the garden.
Your pets will love it too
Nooks in your garden are relaxing havens for dogs and cats, especially if they have comfy places to hang out in.
Teach your thumb to be green
If you think you kill every plant you look at, think again. You can learn how to have a green thumb. Start with easy-to-grow plants like herbs or succulents and gradually move on to more complicated plants like orchids.
Do you enjoy gardening as a hobby? Please leave a comment below.
Keep us posted on how your garden is growing. I love gardening. Nothing beats organic vegetables. I always marvel at that grows well in some years, and lags in others. Zucchinis are one of them.
I will. For now it’s just nice being out of the sunshine.
My husband is the gardener in our family.
That’s cool, Carol. Glad he enjoys it.
I can’t wait to get back out to my garden. It is small enough not to frustrate me, but big enough to get exercise and fresh air.
I hope it warms up where you are and you can get back to it soon, Meryl.
I loved gardening when we had a house or a condo. But, for now, we’re in an apartment complex and there is no gardening space. Worse, we only get reflected light on our patio, not direct sunlight so there are very few plants I can grow. But we did get an air planter for Christmas and we’re planning which cooking herbs to keep in it.
I know the feeling, Jennifer. I was in an apartment for quite a while. You just need shade loving plants like ferns.
Sounds wonderful. I wish I had a green thumb, but really admire people who do.
It’s always a crap-shoot Laurie. Sometimes things work and other times they don’t. Herbs are pretty easy, though, smell great, and you can cook with them.
Hi Rebecca, yesterday was our first big event in the garden…for this season. It was raking and cleaning up sticks and leaves. It was hearing a Cardinal high up in our apple tree, but also sitting in the sun digging out dandelions. It’s all good. It is what gardeners do. Thanks for your enjoyable post, Beth
Thanks, so much, Beth. I’m glad you enjoy gardening too.