Gardening is Great!

by Juliet M.C.M., 8 year old student writer

This article is dedicated to my Papa, who loves gardening 👨🏽‍🌾 I love him so much. J.M.C.M.

I am writing about gardening because it is good physical activity, you can save money, it is easy to do, you can eat what you grow, and it is good for Pacha Mama. And you can grow anything! You really can save the earth by gardening!

Gardening is a good physical activity

Gardening is a good physical activity, so get working! Gardening is like walking and bicycling, it builds physical strength, and works all the major muscle groups: Legs, arms, shoulders, neck and back. You can also plant with family and friends, making it a fun social activity.

Love your Mother Earth: Pacha Mama

Gardening is good for the environment. In Peru, where my Papa is from, Mother Earth is called Pacha Mama. Gardening helps fertilize and feed Pacha Mama, who also benefits from your crops. When you grow your own food, you don’t need to buy as much from the store, which ships its produce from many places, requiring gas that harms the environment. Home gardens also tend to use fewer chemicals than factory farms. Sometimes you will also help feed the wildlife around you, even if you don’t want to!

Save the earth: Save money

Gardening saves you money. You don’t have to drive all the way to your local farmers market, because you have your own farmers market right outside! You can also make your own compost, buy smaller plants, and make use of recycled material. And when you eat fruits and veggies, make sure you save the seeds!

Save the earth by gardening: It’s easy to do!

Gardening is easy to do. Start small, plan your garden, get to know it, feed and water plants regularly, and don’t be afraid to prune. Starting small is easy because you won’t feel as much pressure or overwhelm. It is also more manageable to focus on and nurture one or two plants rather than many, and if you plant too many and some die, it is wasteful. 

Planning your garden is a great starting point because you can figure out your space, decide what to grow where, and ask or research which plants grow well together or complement each other. You can also plan to plant different colors to have a rainbow! 

Spring is the best time to plant your plants because it is too cold to plant in winter, and you need to start in the spring if you are going to harvest your plants in late summer and early fall. 

Plant care tips and tricks

Feeding and watering your plants regularly is important so they won’t die. Outside gardens receive a lot of sunlight, so they can dry out quickly. Water your garden every day, unless it has rained. I recommend watering early in the morning before the sun is hottest and late in the afternoon, to avoid scorching your plants. 

Pruning, or trimming, your plants is important to avoid overgrowth. Plants can become tangled together, and weeds can quickly grow and take over your garden, killing your plants. I recommend pruning and cleaning up your garden weekly. 

Perhaps the best part of having a garden is eating what you grow! Everything is yummy and you can feel good knowing that you grew it yourself and had fun doing it!