Growing up, my family and I used to garden together. We planted tomatoes, carrots, squash, and many more beautiful plants. The garden we made grew to be absolutely stunning and taught me many unique life lessons throughout the process.

One thing gardening has taught me is responsibility. Every day I would go outside and water my plant because I knew that if I didn’t, it would die. I felt responsible for keeping that plant alive and if I didn’t water it daily, I would feel like I let the little plant down. Through gardening I was able to learn how to appreciate responsibility.  Esther C. Vanderlick, a professor from the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University, explains that when a child accepts the responsibilities of gardening, they learn how to be a caring individual.

Another life lesson gardening teaches us is patience. On average, it takes a plant about one or two weeks to simply sprout, but much longer in order for it to grow fully, and even longer to bear fruit or bloom. As a child, patience was definitely not my forte and I would usually become frustrated when it did not grow the very next day, but my mom always told me to be patient. Eventually the plant did grow, and seeing it made me smile. I learned that all good things take time and that it is always beneficial not to rush important things.

Not only did gardening help me develop my responsibility and patience, it also improved my relationship with my family. Our garden was our family project and it was a group effort to make it grow properly. Each person in my family contributed to the process; whether it be making the compost for the soil, or doing simple things such as watering it, we all helped. This strengthened our family relationships because everyone felt like they were being included in the process of tending our garden. Eventually all the work we did as a family paid off and we were able to make delicious meals out of all the veggies we planted.

Gardening is a fun process that teaches children lessons and values in a way which few activities do. I highly advise everyone to try and start gardening, whether it is just a house plant or a huge tree. Click here for more information on what to consider before growing a garden.