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DIRT.
Kids love to play in it.
Flowers look lovely in it. And food
grows in it.
But those are hardly the only good
things that can arise when you make
room for a garden in your yard.
Growing good habits.
A child’s
affinity for dirt may make for an
extra load of laundry. But it also
offers a great opportunity for you
to teach him or her how seeds grow
into lettuce, corn and berries.
You also may be planting the
seeds of a healthy adult: Kids who
garden are more likely to develop
healthy eating habits.
Working in a garden grows
strong muscles.
Uprooting weeds
by hand works the upper body.
Shoveling out holes builds up your
thighs and glutes. Pushing a mower
around the yard can be a good
cardiovascular workout.
Gardening feeds your stom-
ach and soul.
It’s hard not to find
joy as you watch your work come to
fruition. Blooming flowers. Ripening
strawberries. Aromatic herbs. Add a
wind chime and fountain, and feel
the stress of the day float away on
the breeze. At harvest time, taste
the satisfaction of eating a salad you
literally made.
Gardening helps the environ-
ment.
Water your garden with rain
collected in barrels. Plant native spe-
cies. Control pests with ladybugs and
praying mantises.
Additional sources: American Council on Exercise;
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Reap
what you sow
SHARE THE MANY BENEF I TS OF GARDENING
FOODS MADE UP MOSTLY OF WATER
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
PICKLE
CANTALOUPE
APPLE
ICEBERG LETTUCE
96
%
94
%
90
%
86
%
88
%
Sources: American
College of Nutrition;
U.S. Department of
Agriculture
Hydrate
with
food
Kids who garden are
more likely to develop
healthy eating habits.
14
Don’t have room for
a home garden? The
American Community Gardening
Association can help you find
one nearby at
morehealth.org/
garden
.