Lifestyle: Home Gardening - Creating A Social Capital

A gardening lifestyle is hard to define, yet for many avid gardeners, it literally means a significant portion of daily effort and reward topped with healthy rewards. The lifestyle of an avid gardener is a lifetime of devoted, hard work reciprocated with bountiful rewards. So, what does a gardening lifestyle really mean to you? How can a gardening lifestyle affect your life?

Gardening has a significant impact on people's lives. Not only do home gardens enhance the quality of life by providing food security, breathing clean air, and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, but they also help to develop mental abilities and self-confidence. In today's world, food deserts and hunger play a critical role in shaping the health and well-being of individuals and families. It is important for us to recognize the ways that gardening relates to the good life.



Community gardens offer many benefits to residents of both urban and rural areas. Not only are residents able to participate in gardening activities, but they are able to take part in the general social capital of the community. Through gardening, neighbors can exchange ideas and experiences regarding gardening techniques, gardening supplies, gardening ideas and gardening strategies. Social capital thus plays an important role in creating a sense of community in a home gardening neighborhood.

As Lifestyle Couple, we understand that the act of gardening is not the only activity that contributes to the Lifestyle. Growing a kitchen garden in conjunction with hosting an occasional potluck can be an important way to increase the Lifestyle beyond casual garden center participation. When couples gather at the coffee shop or pastry shop in your neighborhood for a relaxing afternoon meal, the activities performed within the space can actually enrich their Lifestyle. For instance, if you grow a variety of delicious herbs and vegetables as well as delicious fruit, you will be able to share delightful fresh-baked breads and desserts with your guests.

A healthy lifestyle begins with the garden; however, just as many people erroneously believe that eating only inside the house limits their food choices, so does the misconception that only gardens can contribute to a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, the word "garden" has come to denote more than the simple use of flowers for decoration or container gardening. It now encompasses a wide range of activities, both indoor and outdoor. A garden can be a place to relax outside on a sunny day, or it can be a room dedicated to the production of delicious fresh-baked goods for a gathering of friends. Many gardens even play a role in promoting community events, such as garden parties, cookouts, and garden weddings.

The act of growing a healthy lifestyle begins with the basics: a plant to nurture, soil to provide nutrients, and friends to help you grow. In other words, growing a healthy lifestyle begins with your own home gardening. In planning your gardens, you should also think about cultivating a social capital, a social network of neighbors who can help you grow your business. Home gardening, although it may seem very difficult at first, can ultimately be one of the most rewarding activities you have ever undertaken and when you are successful, it can create a domino effect by drawing others into your home gardening circle of influence.