Simple Gardening Enhances Character
By: Eric Dawson
Tags: Hobbies And Interests, Gardening, Healthy Lifestyle Tips, Mental Health

Growing your own food is just the beginning, it also benefits life around you.

After years of allowing people to mentally and emotionally beat me down, I was finally liberated.But it came with a cost….I had to cut a lot of people off for my own good.What came next for me? A lot of alone time,minus the loneliness, self analyzing, and forgiving myself. I was so caught up with trying to receive the approval and validation from others, which I learned was just a waste of useful time.I came to realize that I’m not compatible with most people and the most interesting person to me is myself. That’s when my life really begin and I’ve been enjoying it ever since in the mist of all this turmoil in this world.

My grandmother died back in 2004 and since then I’ve been caring for 2 of her plants that has survived. I occasionally water them, move them around to different locations in the house from time to time, and give them enough sunlight to keep them growing. I don’t even know what type of plants they are, but for me to take care of them have come natural over the years.

The Green Leaf Symbolization

I recently noticed the most attractive part of my grandmother plants,the leaves. Now don’t get me wrong, every now and then a brown leaf appears and I have to pick it off. But for the most part, that beautiful green color displays a certain type of luster that creates a level of comfort when I gaze at it. It gives me a level of self-worth by knowing that I’m caring for something that produces one of life necessities….oxygen.

With that being said, life could not exist without leaves. Rather in the form of plants,trees, bushes, flowers, and other forms of vegetation, oxygen is being produced. And everything that walk, crawl, run, hop, jump, flies, and swim needs oxygen to survive.

The green leaves carry out both photosynthesis and uses carbon dioxide to make sugar and produces oxygen as a byproduct. In other words, these green leaves use water and carbon dioxide, with the assistance of sunlight, to produce food, and release oxygen in the air. Notice that the air is more fresher in the mist of tree.

Consuming certain leaves can boost your immune system

Vegetation and it’s Importance

Plants are living things and living things create other commodities for life. For example, vegetation is packed with nutrients that benefits life. Besides providing food and other essentials for breathing, it can have a share in reducing stress,anxiety,and fatigue…as a form of medication or therapy. Have you ever stared at a beautiful green hillside? Awesome!

Did you know that most of that green hillside full of vegetation is nothing more then plants growing in the wrong place? They weren’t planted, so they would be considered voluntary crops; in other words….weeds. And even weeds serve a purpose in life and they are also vegetation. Although undesirable in certain locations and areas, like a home grown garden, weeds are the 1st species to germinate in a bare or naked landscape. Now checkout that green hillside again; that’s a beautiful crop of weeds.

Weeds provide cover to prevent soil erosion from heavy rains until harder brush, shrub,and tree life returns. The growing power of weeds also serves as a protection for shorelines and riverbanks from sliding into the water. Weeds will grow no matter what ,so get use to it… weeds are here to stay.

Plants and Food Production

It’s time to eat! I remember those words growing up in a home where it was a normal daily thing to have a home cooked meal, and it involved a lot of plant based foods or vegetables. After doing both inside and outside chores, eating was a reward. One of those chores I despised was pulling weeds out of our home grown garden. But that garden was very valuable and I didn’t realize it until I got older. That garden help feed us with nutritious food that improves your health.

Pickling vegetables was something I witnessed a lot, and my father did that all the time.Everything from cucumbers, jalapenos, okra, red peppers, and garlic. He even pickled plums to make jam. The cabinets stayed full of mason jars stuffed with one of life main necessities….food. And that food came right out of my family backyard garden.

Working in the garden was more educational for me then it was a chore but I just didn’t realize it back then. I compare it to the 1986 movie “The Karate Kid” with Ralph Macchio when he was told to “wax on wax off.” That wasn’t work, it was a form of preparation and education on how he could defend himself. It taught him how to use what he had…his hands. The same held true for me with chores including gardening, and I’m glad I was forced to do them.

My Container Crops

You can grow plants anywhere,depending on what type of plants they are.From the beginning of starting my own garden, I knew I was limited. First off I didn’t have a yard. But I did have a large rooftop/balcony set-up that I was able to access from one of my bedroom doors and you can compare it to a rooftop bar in NYC. That was one of the benefits of living in a commercial building,and the best part, I’m the only person that had access to it. I had already put in a home gym area and of course a bbq/lounge area. But I thought to myself after living in the same place for years that it was missing something…green leaves full of life. A garden.

First thing I asked myself after the excitement settled was “what will I grow?” Of course , what do I love eat ….kale, cucumber, carrots ,peppers and more veggies. I bought the seeds along with starter pots. Some of the best starter pots are polystyrene boxes because they are well insulated and easy to move around. As the plants begin to grow they are going to need something important to thrive….space. So the fun part comes,it’s time to transfer into larger pots. 5 gallon buckets and other containers work good. I purchased a few, always buy items like this used, and took them and poked holes at the bottom. That’s for the water to drain. Then I mixed garden soil and one part compost along with a slow-release organic fertilizer (chicken or steer manure).Don’t use to much manure because it will burn the soil and plants.

These plants are now your babies so cherish them! The better you take care of them the better they grow. And in order for them to grow a lot you must give them space for the roots to spread out.

Life attracts Living things

Understand the value of roots. Roots are the vascular part of the plants that store minerals, absorb the water then transport them to the stems.From their comes more leaves,vegetation, and even the appearance of a few crawling and flying creatures. Butterflies, ladybugs, bees, and even small birds show up. Some of the bugs even benefit the plants and life. For instance, the honeybee produces food, through cross-pollination , that humans eat…honey, and it’s delicious . All that life from something as small as a seed. But be aware, bugs need to eat to, so protect your plants.

With all the benefits that comes from seeds to weeds, from green leaves to honeybees, gardening creates a healthy outlet from all the anxiety that exist today. For me, it has added great joy because I know that I’m having a share in adding something meaningful to Life.