New Year, New Garden: A Complete Guide To Take Up Gardening In 2024

At the dawn of the new year, most people take time to note down resolutions, goals, and hopes. However, changing your lifestyle upside down to achieve your health or financial goals may not seem as doable just a few months down the line – when work and home care commitments take over. 

Fortunately, there is a lot that you can do to stick to your goals without having to introduce drastic changes to your life: it all comes down to find one, great hobby that will bring a world of benefits. And, one of these hobbies is – you’ve guessed it – gardening. 

Gardening brings on a whole ghost of mental, physical, health, and financial benefits, and just about anyone can get started with little investment. Ready to know more? This guide will answer all of your questions!

Reap the Seeds You Sow: Advantages of Gardening 

If you’ve never thought of gardening as a way to improve your life and health, it is time to reconsider the real benefits of this hobby. If you’ve never heard of them, we’ll cover them briefly below. If you are not convinced yet, you’ll be in just a few seconds!

The Mental Health Connection 

Gardening can bring endless benefits to your mental and emotional wellbeing:

• Spending time outdoors can help you get enough vitamin D, which, in turn, increases the availability of serotonin in the brain, thus leading to feelings of happiness and lifted mood. 
• Physical activity and exercise has been seen to increase mental and emotional wellbeing, while also helping regulate stress and anxiety. 
• Gardening can offer structure to your day, which eases anxiety, and provides you with a calming activity to bring into your routine. 

Environmental Impact of Homegrown Harvests 

If you are looking to reduce your impact on the environment, starting a herbs or vegetable garden can truly help you reduce your levels of consumption and choose products that are produced locally and seasonally. Even better, this option can be a stepping stone to build your own homestead or to veer toward a zero-waste urban lifestyle. 

Physical Health Perks of Gardening 

Gardening is an excellent way to increase the level of physical activity within your everyday routine. Gardening often involves moving around an outdoor space and even lifting moderate weights. All of this can help you increase your strength and flexibility, while also exposing you to the benefits of spending time in a natural environment. So, whether your goal for 2024 is to shed extra weight or increase your strength, gardening can help you reach both aims!

Farm to Table: Dishing Up Home-Grown Culinary Delights 

If you love to cook and experiment new recipes, there’s nothing better than starting a herb or vegetable garden. This project can bring fresh, colorful produce on your dinner stable – which is a great way to boost your overall nutrition and health! And, of course, if you have extra vegetables, fruit, or herbs that you don’t need, you could consider selling them at a local farmer’s market. This simple strategy can also bring in some financial benefits!

Learning About Patience and Care

Next up: gardening can truly teach you some valuable life lessons! If you are struggling to ease your stress and anxiety, or you are dealing with a frantic daily schedule, dedicating your free time to growing plants, herbs, flowers, and vegetables is a great way to calm down and learn to be patient – not so different from mindfulness meditation!

Gardening 101: What You Need to Become a Gardener

Now, let’s get to the nitty-gritty of gardening. When it comes to getting started with a new hobby, it is important to have the right tools at hand. However, this could be a dilemma too: should you invest in premium tools even though you aren’t sure you’ll love gardening? Or should you stick to inexpensive equipment that won’t hurt your bank but may make your new hobby less enjoyable?

Fortunately, there’s a compromise you can opt for: buying second-hand tools can help you save up while also enjoying high-quality equipment! 

Once you have the essentials – sheers, watering can, trowel, seeds, and soil – it’s time to get started. Use the steps below! 

Understanding Your Soil: The Foundation of Gardening 

The first aspect you’ll need to look into is the quality of your soil – and of your local climate. This will help you better understand what kind of plants you can grow and what steps you need to take to develop soil that is fertile and conducive to growing a garden. 

Planning Your Dream Green Space 

Next up, you should plan your dream green space. If you are not sure how to get started, a landscaper – or even an expert gardener – can help you. However, some simple tips that can help you begin developing your garden include creating paths across the garden, planting the different species based on their light and water needs, and providing cover against harsh weather events. If you live in a cold climate, you may also  invest in an affordable, large greenhouse that allows you to experiment  and build your experience with different fields. 

Optimize Your Garden for Success With The Right Plant Selection 

The selection of plants you choose for your garden will determine how successful your green area will be. Make sure to choose the right types of plants based on aspects such as the exposure of your garden to the light and your local climate. You may also need to rotate your plants depending on the season. For example, for gardening in winter, you may choose hardy, perennial plants, and winter-flowering plants, such as snowdrops, cyclamen, and winter aconites. 

Nurturing Your New Garden: Maintenance Tips and Tricks

Maintaining your garden is an all-year-round job – so don’t underestimate it! To keep your garden in tip-top shape, be sure to pick up fallen leaves and branches, clean up the soil regularly, and shelter your plants from extreme heat and cold. Last but not least, be sure to plan a garden that will attract and support your local wildlife!

Make it Part of Your Routine!

If you love gardening but you don’t seem to find the time, don’t fret! A great way to continue developing your passion is to make it part of your routine. Just starting with low maintenance species, watering your plants daily, picking dead leaves, or raking the soil – when done regularly – can be considered as the foundations of your garden.  

Developing Your Green Thumb to Add Life and Beauty in 2024

Becoming a gardener can truly add life and beauty to your home and life in 2024. However, don’t forget that, just like any other hobby, you may need to learn the basics and face a learning curve ahead. Don’t fret! Nature, in this case, is forgiving: just keep trying and you’ll end up with a wonderful garden!