by Daniel from Zambia

Gardening is the practice of cultivating crops or rather plants for various purposes. Nevertheless, this activity is both ways depending on which level it is being practiced. The practice is both simple and complicated. The part which makes this practice complicated is when gardening is practiced at a large scale as a lot of resources and a vast piece of land are required. On the other hand, this activity is manageable in that not much time is required around the crops once they are planted and provided with enough water, meaning it can be persued as a part time activity besides the main job. However, this essay aspires to annotate how I have been running through with this practice for a while and how it is beneficial to me and of course to anyone who aspires to get involved out there.

Firstly, I started this practice as a youngster when I was still in my primary school, having a garden in our compound or rather in our residence is an obligation for me looking at it from a point of view of how I was raised, which later turned into a habit worthy possessing considering the benefits associated with this practice.

To put the clock back in those days as a teenager I had a personal garden that kept me busy during my free time as I’m not actively involved in sporting activities like football and many others. Gardening has been continually my way of relieving stress besides jogging and workout routines amongst the practices that interest me and help me keep healthy and fit.

Continually, gardening is a fascinating activity that one can enjoy when practiced whole heartedly as the products of it can be beneficial in many different ways depending on the plants being cultivated in your practice. As for me I have been practicing gardening involving different types of plants amongst the crops I have planted and experienced their growth includes: flowers, maize, fruits and vegetables.

However, besides being a stress relief gardening promotes healthy eating in that the fruits and vegetables grown in the garden are consumed while they are still fresh thus all the necessary nutrients and vitamins are acquired. Furthermore, flowers are a beauty to the eyes and also provide us with fresh oxygen and also flowers are a symbol of love for many so when you are in the garden the sense of love and attraction is acquired as in most special occasions flowers are used as a symbol of love.

Besides the above stated benefits of gardening the other one is that gardening saves money, instead of going to the supermarket to buy those fruits, vegetables, flowers. I mean anything you can plant for yourself, when you have planted yourself a garden you can easily acquire the products within your compound than going long distances. On a disadvantaged part of consuming fruits grown by other gardeners is that you don’t know the methods being incorporated in their cultivation. For instance, where chemicals are used certain crops are not healthy. Again fruits and vegetables in the supermarket they may have stayed in the shelves for so many days which may lead to the vitamins detreating.

Continually, if gardening is being practiced at a large scale the garden can be a source of income. I remember sometime back I had planted some onions and I had a bumper harvest we couldn’t consume everything at home. So I took some of the onions to the market and made a fortune for myself from that same situation made me develop a great desire for this practice such that it motivates me to be a farmer in the near future.

However, attached to this blog article are pictures of what I have done with my gardening experience at the volunteer house Dortmund.

In conclusion, I verbose that gardening is a great and productive habit one can never regret engaging him- or herself into.