Pots, planters and more for your home

Gardening can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.

With a lockdown and a quarantine period that kept Filipinos in the confines of their homes, many turned to trying out new hobbies or revisiting past pursuits to pass the time and keep their sanity. Little by little, window sills, balconies and empty spaces at home began sprouting pots and planters with easy-to-grow vegetables and ornamental plants. Besides, given how risky–and bothersome–it is to go on grocery runs, growing one’s food became so much more appealing.

Beyond the basil leaves, chili peppers, tomatoes or bouquets of petunias and geraniums that you can pick from your very own garden at home, your physical and mental health can reap a lot of benefits from growing and taking care of plants.

It helps you relax. Gardening can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Having contact with nature on an everyday basis promotes health and well-being and is even considered a form of preventive medicine.

It promotes physical activity. What will happen to those cute, darling budding sprouts if you don’t get away from the TV series you’re watching and on your feet? Gardening is a fun way to “exercise” and get you all sweaty and huffing and puffing as you go about inspecting your plant babies and moving your pots and planters around. Plus, it gives you a daily boost of Vitamin D. Experts are always reminding us to get a good dose of sunshine to boost our body’s resistance against COVID-19.

It helps you eat healthier. Nothing can probably be more pleasing than cooking up a meal using ingredients that your very own hands cultivated. And because you tilled these herbs and veggies yourself, you’re certain that these are fresh, organic and pesticide-free.

Many “plantitos” and “plantitas” heaved a collective sigh of relief when the government allowed more shops to resume operations during this quarantine. That means being able to finally get those additional planters, tools and soil that you need for your growing urban farm.

Packed seeds to help grow your garden.

Seeds. That harvest of siling labuyo and tomatoes greatly inspired you to expand your collection of edible plants. Many shops sell packed seeds already, from Baguio beans and arugula to poppies and daisies. You can even buy packs of seeds together such as Ramgo’s “sinigang mix” which allows you to grow all the veggies you will need in cooking a hearty pot of sinigang.

Choose the right soil for your fruits and greens.

Soil and supplements. Help your plant babies thrive by making sure that it is living on good soil and that it can absorb enough nutrients. You can mix one part potting mix with five parts garden soil to make sure that your plants will get all the nutrients they will need. Soil conditioners improve the soil structure and fertility. Soil tends to be more compact over time and this impedes root growth, which in turn will lessen the ability of your plants to absorb nutrients and water. Foliar fertilizers, meanwhile, are applied to the leaves to enable the plant to absorb nutrients quickly.

Pot size matters so make sure to go with the right one.

Pots. For those new in plant parenthood, do know that pot size matters. If the pot is too small for your plant, your baby will become rootbound, thus stopping its growth. Pick a planter that is about one-third as tall as the plant (measured from the soil line to its highest leaf).

Plant stands and shelves. The time has come when you’re out of space for your thriving vegetable and herb garden. You can get shelves for plants in order to save space and get your garden organized. If you’re feeling crafty, you can make your own wooden ladder plant stand, too. One-stop shops for your home such as All Home has all the necessities you need for your DIY projects which require carpentry work.

Tools. When this writer started gardening, I was using a plastic spoon for my trowel and a plastic fork as a rake. And no, I wasn’t a preschooler, I was already an adult then and even my plants didn’t take me seriously. Equip yourself with the proper gardening tools such as gloves, pruning shears, hand trowel, rake, watering can and garden hose, among others. Having the right tools will make you more efficient in tending to your plant babies.

AllHome offers items that could help you with your DIY projects.

Sources:

Science Direct, sciencedirect.com

Planet Natural, planetnatural.com

Garden Design, gardendesign.com