Over 50s Hobbies

Gardening

The joy of gardening is one of the very best things about middle age!

When we were in our twenties and thirties which of us would ever have imagined that we could get such pleasure from a well tended herbaceous border or a newly mown lawn!

Gardeners are seldom born with green fingers; we evolve:

• In our twenties it was all about “outside entertaining space” (a functional place for barbeques and parties)
• In our thirties it was all about “low maintenance” (far too busy to spend time gardening) and providing a safe place for our kids to play
• In our forties our interest started to grow but teenage children with footballs and basketballs thwarted our grand designs
• But in our fifties and beyond, the garden is finally ours and we now have both the desire and the time to make it into something wonderful!

The physical and psychological benefits of gardening are well documented:

• Gardening is a great way to keep fit. Who needs the gym when you can have a workout in the fresh air right outside your back door?
• Gardening is an excellent stress buster
• Gardening can be very sociable – an easy way to chat to neighbours on a daily basis

So if you have not already discovered the joy of gardening, why not give it a go?

You don’t need to start on a grand scale – growing plants in containers can be very rewarding - and growing your own fruit and vegetables is an extremely satisfying experience. A note of caution, however:

• Before you start to grow anything prepare the soil first. The time you spend doing this will pay dividends later
• Do your homework and make sure that what you want to grow is suitable for the conditions
• Start off slowly - don’t be tempted to try to grow a huge variety of fruit and vegetables in the first year.

Happy gardening!