Wanda Tineo, a New York-based independent real estate agent with experience in insurance, enjoys gardening in her spare time. Wanda Tineo grows both flowers and vegetables.

Home-grown fruits and vegetables have many benefits that their store-bought cousins do not. Freshness and nutrition improve significantly in home-grown produce, compared to store-bought produce that may have traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles, depending on the crop. Home-grown produce also generally needs less pesticides to grow unimpeded, and introduces fewer unhealthy elements into the eater’s system. In homes with children, home-grown produce can increase enthusiasm for eating a balanced, healthy diet, as the children will have seen the vegetables grow and maybe even helped to grow them.

The gardener benefits indirectly as well. Digging in the dirt and harvesting vegetables can be hard work, which can help improve overall fitness. Gardeners may also develop other interests, such as botany or photography, that allow them to better understand their gardens or share the experience with their friends and loved ones. If gardeners pull their family and friends into the gardening project, it can also encourage healthy relationships and create cherished memories.