I highly suggest chaos gardening if you have to use your brain all day and want a hobby that allows you to reconnect with nature without much stress or effort. For me, this boils down to not using my phone to look up the optimal way to germinate, grow something, or manage a problem (pest, disease, other.)

It’s fine to garden in a more intentional way, and I do sometimes, but it’s also nice to get to rediscover the hard lessons that have been passed down generations (my own chain of farming knowledge only breaking with my parents’ generation) and learn the “vibe” of what makes plants thrive more or less.

Native plants are also going to be the most chill—- evolutionary fitness does most of the work you would otherwise have to, and you’ll be helping to restore native habitat and ecosystems a tiny bit.

Bonus points for home composting. Closing the loop on personal food waste while restoring soil health is by far the most rewarding bit of gardening for me. It also makes me a little neurotic about the waste and disconnection from nature that default mode urban and suburban living results in.

Absolutely correct about online advice! I know how youtube or other online advice is often very specific to the creator's region. It's best to connect with competent locals with decades of experience. Gardeners are very generous with hard won local knowledge and tips.

Being in an arid place, I keep a three gallon plastic bin in the kitchen sink to capture all dishwater. Several times a day, I carry it outside to water some lucky plants. It would be even better to get the shower and washing machine drainage to be plumbed such that more "gray water" makes it outside to the trees. Most soaps and detergents are pretty safe to vegetation nowadays.