The birth of a child makes parents out of two people. How do you call people who are interested in reproducing and growing plants? In modern lingo, we call them plantitos and plantitas and they are willing to get their hands dirty in the garden. It is a good thing that many have become hooked in cultivating because there are many reasons why gardening is good for us. And that is especially true for us online workers or those who work from home.
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Why Gardening is Good for All of Us
I have grown up in the suburbs with a large backyard and we were always with plants and fruit-bearing trees.
Ever since I started living in the city, I made use of the pocket gardens in the building to grow more ornamental plants. The effort is not really much for beautification—I just want foliage for oxygen and to improve the air quality in our urban home.
That is the reason why I love the plant variety called Aglaonema (a.k.a. Chinese evergreens). Whether I like it because we are a Fil-Chi family is not really why I prefer these plants.
Aside from being easy to grow and being versatile, the different species have interesting colored and patterned leaves. They are very attractive and they add color to our garden. I can also bring them indoors for long periods of time and they are not very sensitive.
When Covid-19 happened, a renewed interest in horticulture stirred among most Filipinos. Suddenly, people had a lot of time on their hands because travel and leisure outside the home are no longer an option.
A couple of good choices to spend our time on are to improve our homes and indulge our passions. Many aspiring plantitos and plantitas finally got the chance to get their hands dirty.
Why Gardening is Good for Online Workers | Health Benefits of Gardening
Here are some of the top reasons why gardening is good for all of us–especially online workers.
Physical exercise and wellness
Spending at least 30 minutes a day in the garden gives you some physical activity. The most basic task in the garden is watering and it would be especially good if you are using a pail and fetching water from a distance.
Add to that repotting, weeding, pruning, fertilizing, arranging, and such. An hour is not enough and I think that it is a better experience than pumping iron in the gym.
Plus, if you water your plants in the morning, you get a fresh dose of Vitamin D, too. Along with Vitamin C, we need these vitamins to help boost our immune system during this health crisis.
This is especially good if you work from home with an online job. We need to take a break from our screens, stretch those muscles, and get the blood circulation going and healthy.
Raising levels of oxygen around you
Plants are harmless, have minimal carbon footprint, but it produces a lot of oxygen. So that improves the air quality around you.
You may have trees, ornamentals, and flowering plants in the garden plus some indoor varieties inside the home. All these will produce oxygen that will counteract the production of carbon dioxide and other polluting gases.
Additionally, there are varieties that are good for cleaning the air. Two of the most popular varieties would be the Aglaonema and Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata).
Beautifies your home and yard
Needless to say, plants add beauty and life to our yards and our homes. A pot of fresh aglaonema in the middle of the living room also changes the atmosphere within the area.
They even add freshness to any toilet and bath.
Gives you great satisfaction
A friend said that it’s not about collecting plants. It’s about working hard and raising something beautiful with your own bare hands.
It is just a lovely, gratifying feeling to grow and reproduce plants and one great reason why gardening is good.
Raising plants is good for our minds, bodies, souls, and spirits.
Rests the eyes and soul
With the advancement of technology and our basically digital lifestyle, our eyes need a break from staring at the screen most of the time.
It is not just for us but also the children, who are most of the time hooked on gadgets.
A lovely way to rest the eyes would be just to look at plants swaying in the wind. Green is a good color to rest the eyes.
Moreover, watching these peaceful living things also relaxes our soul.
Gives us a sense of responsibility
When we grow plants, we are aware that we have to take care of them. Their basic needs are water and sunlight. Then there’s pruning, fertilizing, repotting, and protecting them from harsh conditions.
When they get sick, we try to identify the causes and do everything we can to save them. Doing this keeps our minds busy.
The sense of responsibility towards plants also helps give us mental stability because we feel needed. We feel that we have to be strong in order to take care of these delicate things.
Stress relief
Being outdoors and dealing with plants give us a sense of relaxation and calmness. They give a great relief from the stress of work and the anxiety of Covid-19.
Many people are already experiencing “caution exhaustion”, like it is a new disease. That is why gardening is good for all us—it keeps our minds and bodies healthy.
A teacher-friend related that gardening helps him release the stress after a day of online teaching. So he gets his hands dirty after his classes are off.
We all need to be strong as we try to surmount this unseen health threat.
A good food source
Aside from ornamental plants, many people incorporate some easy to grow vegetables and culinary herbs in their garden.
That way, they can easily make a harvest when they need some for their homecooked dishes. The herbs are also good for making fresh teas.
Life feels so good!
Stay Strong and Stay Safe
The threat of Covid-19 might stay for quite some time. It’s part of our new normal.
Always take precautions by wearing your face mask and face shield when going out. Avoid touching your face when you have not properly washed your hands.
We need to reduce the movement of people. So if your errand is not necessary, stay at home in order to be safe. Necessary outings are buying food and grocery, paying bills, medical check-ups, and buying medicines. If it’s not any of these reasons, think many times if it’s worth the risk.
Use a UV Sterilization Lamp at home or your place of business. Read this: Using Covilyzer UV Sterilization Lamp Against Covid-19 and Dust Mites.
Meanwhile, for small, hand-held items like face masks, keys, cash, receipts, or cards, consider The Covilyzer UVC Sanitizer Bag for Your Home.
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I’ll go for stress relief because my small garden in the terrace helps me with it. After a tiring work from home (not to mention dealing with the boss who rants online), nakakatulong talaga and mga halaman. Feeling ko ang presko ng hangin pag nandoon sila.
Totally agree moms. It’s so refreshing to be surrounded by plants. Even if it’s just a small pocket garden. 🙂
Malaki po talaga benefits ng gardening.. di lang nakakaganda ng surroundings natin.. Stress reliever pa and pwedeng source of foods…
Magandang libangan talaga ang pag gardening nakaka relief kasi ng stress at tsaka masarap pag masdan.
Napakalaking tulong ang mga halaman na nakakapagbibigay ng magandang hangin..
Maganda talaga momsh mag-gardening dami benefits na makukuha. Malilibang kana, gaganda yung bakuran mo tapos may mabibigay pang preskong hangin. Perfect talaga ‘to lalo na sa panahon ngayon na pandemic, magandang libangan at stress reliever para maiwas tayo sa hirap ng sitwasyon kahit papano gagaan pakiramdam natin. Ewan ko ba pero kapag nakakakita ako momsh ng mga my garden tapos madaming halaman super naiinggit ako kasi gusto ko din magkaron ng halaman kaya lang di pwede kasi wala kaming pagtataniman kasi nangungupahan lang kami. Pero soon kpag nakalipat kami sa sariling bahay na namin, magtatanim talaga ako ng magtatanim hehe.
There’s so much benefits talaga ang pagiging plantita/plantita. Stress-reliever lalo na sa panahon ngayon.
Malaki ang naitutulong nang gardening saten ngayon. Besides sa we help to care our nature na, nakaka relief di eto nang stress and avoid depression saten Esp to moms. It helps us physically and emotionally.. nakaka ganda pa nang ambiance sa bahay. Iba kapag may halaman sa bahay..