Gardening is one of my favorite ways to spend my time. Watching my plants grow day-by-day is one of the most rewarding things in life. Here are six reasons why everyone should be gardening this summer!

1. Satisfaction.

The feeling of satisfaction is better than anything. Peace, relief, and tranquility are all achieved just by watching your plant grow and blossom after the hard work and effort you put into them. Just knowing you kept a plant alive makes you feel like you can do so much better in the world. Use all the effort you applied in keeping the plant alive to your daily activities, long term goals, and aspirations.

2. Healthy.

Organic grown vegetables and fruit have been the hot topic for a couple of years. Are GMOs and agricultural chemicals actually harmful to humans? Many times we see how juicy, crisp, and shiny the produce looks but we don't think how many chemicals are used to be able to sell them in corporate markets. There are fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, plant growth regulators, repellents and more. By planting a few fruits and vegetables you enjoy and avoiding the chemical inflicted produce in local markets, you will definitely see and taste the benefits.

3. Saves money.

These days, produce is expensive. Fruits especially are incredibly costly because of seasonal growth periods. Many warm weather fruits are imported from out of country during cold weather, which raises the price because of international cost. Handling and labor is also a factor. Shipment from in and out of country can be costly because of the distance. Fruit and vegetable picking is hard work. Although we have technology for some plants, many are still handpicked.

4. Helps the environment.

As we all learned in biology class, plants take in carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Just what we need! With all the factories, cars, and greenhouse gases emitted, trees and plants play an important role in keeping our biosphere alive. Plants filter our air, ground water, and noise pollution. Sadly, industrialization within first world countries have caused rapid deforestation to create homes and businesses. This process destroys homes of animals, insects, and reduce the amounts of plants to help our environment.

5. Peaceful/tranquil.

Recently, my roommate and I bought a strawberry plant, a cactus and a succulent plant. While changing the pots of our adorable plants, I had the TV series "The Flash" on in the background and found it incredibly relaxing. There can be a misconception about gardening with the thought that it is hard work and needs to much effort, but in reality if you start small and think of the benefits, it's so worth it. Just buy a small cactus and plant it. You barely need to water or take care of it. But everyday walking by it, you have a piece of nature within your room. Play some quiet music or your favorite song or TV show and get lost within gardening.

6. Beautiful and cute!

Nature is a treasure everyone should appreciate. Sitting out in the forest, mountains or by a small garden is a grand sight to see. There are so many different kinds of plants you will never be able to see every type. The variety of shapes, size, colors, texture, and smell shows how different life is but still beautiful. Now that I have a few small plants in my apartment, I think it's so much cuter and stylish. Just looking at them makes me smile.