Having plants to grow at your home is not an easy task but surely is rewarding, let alone having a garden. You can see your plants grow and thrive within your home is something you can’t forget. That’s why it’s also proven that having and growing a garden makes seniors not only happier but also healthier. It gives out long-term effects for older people that could definitely help them out during those years.
Science Behind this Healthy Lifestyle
Growing a garden for the most obvious reasons can be seen as a healthy activity for most of us, especially seniors. Seniors can certainly benefit from doing this activity, and we will be laying out some of those benefits.
- Exercise and burn calories – Besides walking or brisking, seniors can simply pull or plants weeds. It will allow them to burn at least 200 to 400 calories a day. The body can do these simple tasks and allow them to exercise the muscles and joints.
- Muscle-strengthening – This doesn’t mean you have to lift heavy pieces of gardening equipment. Doing simple gardening tasks a day will do the trick. It’ll keep those ‘ole muscles and joints in shape.
- Vitamin D – If this isn’t obvious, we’ll just lay it out for you. Gardens for most of the time are outside, meaning you’ll get that nourishing Vitamin D from the sun.
- Stress-reducing – Gardening helps to lower stress-producing chemicals and gives out serotonin, a chemical in the brain that puts you in a good mood.
- Decreasing Risks for dementia – Dementia is a disease the hits older people. With gardening, it helps your mind work due to simple hand-eye coordination action. If you’re brain still does this at old age, it could help your mind keep in check.
Primarily, it helps seniors do simple tasks and, at the same time, cultivate a healthier diet for them. So, suggesting a garden to a senior could be very beneficial for them.
Cultivating a Tomato Garden
One best recommendation if you’re planning to start gardening in old age is to start a tomato garden. There are different ways to grow tomatoes; even if you don’t have enough space at home, you can try growing tomatoes upside down. This is a fun and engaging way to grow your tomatoes without having to worry about consuming a lot of space.
Moreover, the taste of tomatoes picked right from the vine tastes incomparable to store-bought ones. Plus, tomatoes are warm-weather veggies, so they need more sunlight, just as our seniors do. Tomato plants are usually harvested from 60 days to no more than 100 days. So it’ll surely give you time to properly cultivate your garden the way you want it.
For a tomato garden, you can refer to this list for fun ideas that can keep those blood pumping.
- Cage ‘em: When a tomato plant is healthy, it can grow or sprawl into vines. It can be tiring if you’ll keep crawling your way just to harvest tomatoes. So, to keep those vines at bay, put a cage so it can make your harvesting easier.
- Spiral Twirl: If you want to add an artistic pizzazz to your tomato garden, you might want to consider using tomato stakes. It will allow the vines to spiral around the stake, and as it grows, it’ll add a vibe to your garden.
- Tomato Hangouts: If you want to stretch those muscles and joints, you can hang those tomato plants instead. Put them nicely in a fruit basket and simply hang them somewhere you can reach them. So, instead of bending down and possibly hurt your back, you can get good stretches for this setup.
- Tomato Crates: This will allow your simple craftsmanship put into work. You can create small attractive crates for your tomato plants. You can either paint it the color you like and place them accordingly.
- Decorative Pots: If you want to grow your tomatoes in a more appealing spot, you can opt to get decorative pots. You have a variety of designs to choose from that will keep your tomato plants healthy. Just make sure to get the right size for your plant.
- Formality at its Best: Adding a formal personal touch to your ever-loved garden is recommendable as well. It could help your mind to think of designs and decorations to put, thus, of course, training your brain.
- Tomato Aerobics: This wooden piece is like an old television antenna. It could be added as an aesthetic to your garden if it’s properly placed. Harvesting from this piece could help you burn some calories and exercise those muscles at the same time just like we said, aerobics.
- Ladderized System: If you want a bit of crafting, you can do these simple ladder-like cages for your tomatoes. You need to get rot-resistant wood like cedar or redwood. It’s an attractive way to keep your tomatoes at bay as well. You just need to cut crosspieces all the same length. Just make sure to insert the bottom piece 6 to 12 inches deep. It’ll prevent it from falling due to strong winds.
- Everything at Stake: You just need to attach the main stem of your plant to a wooden stake with loose twist ties. As it grows, you can add more ties to secure them in place.
- Simple Fence: If you just want a simple yet efficient way to harvest your tomatoes, fencing it up does the trick. The chain fencing serves as a support for the tomato vines. Primarily, when it’s just starting to grow, you may have a little hard time harvesting them. But as it grows its way through the fence, harvesting would be much easier.
Benefits of a Tomato Garden
At the end of the day, every garden you plan to grow will be beneficial to anyone. Seniors and even young people can get the same benefits from gardening and the vegetables it will grow. You’ll cultivate a healthier diet for yourself and the people around you. You can get small exercises out from harvesting or creating spaces to plant new seeds. Of course, eating freshly picked tomatoes or other vegetables is incomparable to buying one from the store. Overall, the experience of starting your own garden is already beneficial to you. You just have to make sure that the plants will be properly cultivated, so you can get the whole experience first hand.