There are many advantages to growing a flower garden or vegetable garden. Many people think that gardening is just playing in the dirt, when in reality it is much more and can have many positive effects. With the right know-how, effort and a little attention, anyone can grow a garden. Throughout this article, you will learn how growing a garden can help you and your family, how they can help others, and how they can improve the environment. Discover the rewards that this “green” action can bring. Have you ever wished you didn't have to run to the store to buy an herb like rosemary to finish preparing a meal? Or that you could pick your own vine-ripened tomatoes and know where they come from or if they are truly organic? Well, plant a garden and you can have all these things and more. By having your smells, your sights and your sounds. All of these elements captured by our senses help us relax and be more aware of our surroundings. Many neighborhoods and homes have vacant lots or spaces in their yards, planting a garden is a good way to add color and interest to something bare. Whether it's a beautiful flower garden to attract potentially endangered birds and butterflies or a vegetable garden to ensure that members of a community have fresh vegetables, gardens help the environment as well as people. Neighborhoods with community gardens can ensure everyone has access to fresh, healthy food, help bring people together, and even reduce crime in their area. Gardens also produce clean oxygen that we and the world can't get enough of, a win-win for both parties. Families who garden together can become closer to each other, and if children help them with the work, they learn responsibility and can feel a sense of accomplishment from a bountiful harvest. Children are also more willing to try new and different foods when they help them grow what they