A Love For Gardening – 10 Reasons Why GKH Staff Love To Garden

[Nikki Tilley]

Do you love gardening? So do we. As Senior Editor for Gardening Know How, I’ve been asked a number of times why it is I enjoy gardening so much. There are lots of reasons to love gardening, but everyone’s story is different. What I love about gardening and how that passion came to light may not be the same as yours or the next.

Reasons to Love Gardening


At GKH we’re all gardeners. This is what we do, when we’re not busy with our day jobs. But why? How did we develop this love for gardening? I posed the question, “Why do you love gardening,” to some of my fellow coworkers and found it interesting that, while we all have our own reasons to love gardening, this passion seems to have found its way into our hearts from a young age.

Here are 10 reasons why Gardening Know How staff love to garden and how that love got started:

• It’s a family thing. Bonnie, a long-time writer for GKH, related that her family played a huge role in developing a love for gardening. “Both sets of grandparents were big gardeners well into their 90s. My mother and her sister still love to garden and have even had competitions of sorts.” She added that her and twin sister Amy (who also writes for Gardening Know How) compare notes and share tales of the landscape.

• It’s about experimentation and growth. Just as with life, gardening is about experimentation and growth. Amy has always been “a tomboy at heart” with a love of getting dirty. Inspired by her Master Gardener mother, she enjoys the whole process of watching a plant grow from seed into a thing of beauty. And, she added, “I like the whole experimental feel of gardening, at least experimental for me.” Not everything you try will work, but that’s the fun part. As you figure out what works or what doesn’t, you find yourself growing too.

• It’s a great way to save money. Heather, who started Gardening Know How, developed her love for gardening at an early age too. “My mother has a beautiful garden and when I was young, I always had to do chores in the garden. I hated it! When I moved out, I swore I would never garden again.” This didn’t last long once her love for cooking and the need for fresh herbs came into play. “I went out to buy herbs from the store and was shocked at how much they were. I figured I would save money if I just grew some in a pot on my balcony. Next thing I knew, I was lugging 40 different container plants from apartment to apartment. Apparently, gardening just gets in your blood.”

• It’s where all the best food comes from. I always loved visiting my grandparents and exploring the backyard garden, plucking fresh strawberries whenever I could. This was my little getaway…a magical place to frolic and play. And there was always something growing at our house. Mom grew big vegetable gardens and canned the surplus. Though it took a while for the gardening bug to bite, I was well aware from a young age where the best food came from – mom’s backyard veggie patch. When I harvested my first homegrown tomato, it was like being that child all over again!

• It’s challenging. Laura, who also writes for us, agreed with my take of where the best food comes from, noting that “nothing beats the flavor of homegrown, fresh picked produce.” Her main reason for gardening stemmed from the fact that it can, at times, be a real challenge. “Gardening is the ultimate DIY project. Going head to head with Mother Nature is always challenging.” Every year offers something different. And each year you either come out ahead with loads of produce, or nature gets the last laugh, leaving you scratching your head while planning out the next season’s assault.

• It’s natural. Tyler, from our Q&A team, said it was spending time with his grandparents in the garden that paved the way for his love of gardening, stating that “I have always been around it, and it has been important to my entire family. It seems natural and an integral part of life.”

• It’s productive. Tyler also mentioned that seeing how productive gardening was also inspired him, and fellow writer Becca agreed. She enjoys gardening the most because she is able to see the fruits of her labor whether growing flowers or vegetables. The end result is always worth the wait, along with the headaches and challenges that may accompany it.

• It’s a chance to be outdoors in nature. Stacey learned to garden with her grandparents and parents as a small girl. “I loved the outdoors and spending time in nature getting my hands dirty!” And it was from this love, especially of flowers, that led to an early career as a floral designer. “Working in floral shops and greenhouses is where my passion for perennials bloomed, so to speak,” she said. Mary Ellen agrees, “I just love being outdoors. That’s why I started gardening. If I could be outside every day, year round, I would.”

• It’s a lifestyle. Inspired by her dad, who has always been an avid gardener, Liz, our junior editor, recalls there being fresh produce and flowers on the table all the time when growing up. “I try to keep the lifestyle going in my own home as much as possible.”

• It’s good for you. Gardening is a healthy, not only in terms of fruits or vegetables. I think we can all agree that you’ll get yourself a great workout in the garden with plenty of squats and weightlifting to be had. It’s also good for mental health. In fact, it’s where all of us here go to unwind after a long day.

Gardening is many things to many people, but it seems the common denominator in why we love to garden begins early on. When you grow up around plants, it becomes a natural part of your life – even if you don’t see this right away.

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