Gardening, an activity that has been practised for ages, has not only proven vital to the growth of ornamental plants but has also been beneficial to our physical and mental development. In this article, we listed some benefits of gardening, advice and exceptional garden decoration ideas using cars.
Benefits of Gardening
Reduces depression
You might be wondering how this is possible, but according to study published in 2011, people who engage in gardening are less prone to depression than those who don’t.
During the lockdown due to the pandemic in the US earlier this year, many went into active gardening to take their minds off the worrying updates and avert the danger posed by the rumoured famine. It was recorded that by June, there were lots of seeds and seedlings to spare.
Therefore, gardening is recommended for those who often find themselves depressed. This is to keep their mind occupied and hence, reduce their rate of depression.
Boost your self-confidence
You may be suffering from low self-esteem due to happenings around you, which might be a threat to your self-esteem. However, when you start gardening and notice those green and healthy plants that you have planted with your hands, you feel confident in yourself.
Watching those plants grow gives you this feeling of worth. It lets you know you still have the power to make something new out of your world and grow those dreams of yours. In the end, you become confident enough to go out of the field, a confident you.
Exposes you to more vitamin D
Recover from addictions
Gardeners are well exposed to vitamin D, which comes from the sun.
Gardening has also been proven to help people recover from their addictions without visiting a rehab center. This technique of overcoming additions is called Horticultural therapy.
Researchers have estimated that the sun produces 8000 – 50,000 international units of vitamin D, depending on the clothes you wear or the color of your skin. This vitamin gives enough calcium, which is of benefit to your bone and immune system. Vitamin D also contributes to the prevention of cancer of the breast and bladder.
Improves family relationship
Having you and your family gardening together a few days a week goes a long way to re- relationship and reclaim the lost happiness.
Help you eat healthier
This is one of the key benefits of gardening. Amidst these overwhelming benefits, you still grow for yourself and your family food plants, which are not just healthy but are also preservatives free. This helps to prevent further damage to the body that can be caused by those chemical-preserved foods.
Many people have attested to the effectiveness of this therapy as pivotal to their recovery from addictions, credited to the plants that naturally provoked positive feelings in them.
How to Start Your First Garden?
As earlier said, gardening is a very advantageous activity as already narrated, but you may not know how to start especially when you are still new.
This doesn’t mean the steps to follow when starting are all complex. There are simple decisions to make to succeed in gardening.
Decide What to Plant
This is the first and most important decision to make as a newbie. You have to consider if you are settling for a flower garden, a vegetable garden, or even a herb garden. Most go for a combination, which is a great choice in my opinion.
If you are going for a vegetable garden, you need to cultivate plants that your family loves to eat. As such, you need a collective decision with your family here. Another of your decisions is to plant crops that grow well in your region and know the right season to plant them. Seeking advice from successful gardeners is crucial.
The advice here is to start small. Gardening is a process, so don’t rush into trying all varieties of crops at once. You can start with a specific one, and if that works fine, you can move to another.
Decide Where to Plant
After you must have concluded what to grow, where to grow them becomes a necessity.
This is a very sensitive decision to make, as it will determine whether your crops grow well or not. According to research, the average plant needs to be in direct contact with the sun for at least 5-6 hours per day. So when choosing your yard, have this requirement in mind. Although most crops like tomatoes don’t grow in shady areas, some other plants do.
Avoid high wind and frosty areas when deciding which location to use. Also, check for good movement within the supposed field, so it is easier for you to work in your garden.
Plan Your Garden Beds
You have to decide the type and size of beds you want to raise. In dry areas, sunken beds work well because they reserve moisture. Raised beds can work well too, but they dry out faster.
Plant more in beds than in single rows. Each bed should be at least 4 feet across and 10 feet long to ease working on them.
Go For the Right Simple Tools
The hand tools you use in gardening will determine if it becomes an enjoyable activity or a stressful one. Go for the right tools to make the job easier.
Don’t settle for cheap tools, as most of them are inferior and could injure you. Also, ensure to buy real metal tools in their right sizes and keep them clean and sharp before and after use.
Other steps are:
- Test and prepare the ground.
- Choose the right plants.
- Care for your plants.
- Water them well.
- Protect them by mulching.
- Harvest them.
How Cars Are Used As a Garden Decoration?
Making flower beds out of a car has been one of the best garden decoration ideas that work fine.
Often, old rusty cars used during the 60s and 80s are ideal to decorate your garden. So when next you pass an old car deemed unnecessary and perhaps, living its last days, you can take it to your garden, provided you have enough space. This lets you have a fascinating decoration for your garden.
There are things to consider when opting for a car decoration in your garden. They are:
Good position: Choose a good position to keep the flower bed (car). Since it is a decoration, it must be well seen from all sides of the garden.
Ideal design: Decide on the ideal design for your flower bed. Decide where to plant the flowers in the car – whether in the trunk or the cabin. You can even plant in both.
Prepare the car: After selecting the design, remove unnecessary parts in the car to give more space. Seek assistance from family or friends to ease this task.
Plant the flower: You can plant the flowers directly into the ground in the old car, or just on the trunk, depending on your choice. If in the ground, use a flowerpot, and if on the trunk, put a waterproof film at the bottom to save the car from the effect of moisture.
Decorate the car: After this, paint the car with shiny and attractive colors. You can also decorate the car with drawings and patterns. Use an anti-corrosion agent on the car to prevent it from rusting and wearing.
Garden Decoration Ideas Using Cars
There are lots of interesting and very unique ideas which can make your garden look exceptional. Some of them need a little bit more investment when we talk about money, however, some of them are very cheap projects and doesn’t take a lot of time to do it.
Please have a look at exceptional garden decoration ideas using cars.
