Gardening is a terrific way for kids to escape from their digital prisons and connect with the earth. It may not seem like it, but gardening is actually quite a popular hobby that can be an interesting source of entertainment. Over the past few months, I decided to start a small garden of my own, both indoors and outdoors, in order to see if gardening really is as beneficial as horticulturalists claim. Plus, I wanted to discern the difference between the two. 

          Gardening in general has numerous benefits for both physical and mental health. According to theconversation.com, “There is even some limited evidence that gardening might play a role in helping people to cope with serious health problems such as cancer.”  It is also a great way to relieve stress from school, home, and overall, life. Gardenbuildingsdirect.co says that gardening “helps to release endorphins, the hormone that helps to make people feel satisfied and relaxed,” and “being outside in direct contact with sunlight could help improve your mood.” Additionally, if you’ve had a bad day and need to relinquish some anger, it can be “a great way to [get] rid of your built up of negative feelings.” In my experience, these are both valid statements. Whenever I get home from school, I feel excited to visit my plants and see how much they’ve grown since I last watered them. This excitement, at least for a little while, makes me forget all about the amount of homework I have to do, or the major test I need to study for. 

Although outdoor gardening tends to be much more expensive and tedious than indoor gardening, I believe it is more rewarding than indoor gardening. First of all, outdoor gardening forces people to work outside, which is something most people don’t do very often. It’s a great way to soak up the sun and just spend some time with nature. I found that instead of going straight to my phone when I got home, I went straight to my garden, eager to see what new things I would discover in it. I also felt that I had a sort of emotional and spiritual connection to my garden. Whenever I saw that one of the leaves or buds fell off, I was a little upset. 

In addition, indoor gardening is perfect for people who are new to gardening because it is much easier to maintain indoor plants. Also, it’s cheaper to take care of an indoor garden, so if someone tries gardening and decides that it’s not for them, it’s not a big hit to their bank account. Furthermore, It was easier to develop a connection to my indoor plant than my outdoor plants because I saw it more often.

In conclusion, during my experience with gardening, I realized it is a very beneficial and interesting hobby to have. It is certainly something I will enjoy for years to come.