While the many benefits of gardening have been praised for centuries, the exact benefits continue to be verified and supported by recent research. Some of the studies published over the last two years specifically call out improved mental and physical health and better access to an array of fruits and vegetables as some of the most significant benefits of regularly spending time in the garden. In one study published by BMC Public Health, a peer-reviewed journal, it was found that there is a positive relationship between gardening and increased physical movement while creating a negative relationship with disease and the effects of social deprivation.
Plainly put, gardening has the power to improve your health by fighting common disease-related factors, making a variety of nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables more abundantly available, and increasing the opportunity for social interactions with those nearby or who share an interest in gardening. With the boom of physical and mental health-related crises rising around the world, it is no wonder answers can be found in nature and how we interact with it.
Gardening can help you maintain a healthy mind.
When it comes to the brain, there are many ways gardening can help you maintain a healthy mind. Studies have found that regularly spending time in nature and engaging in gardening activities can help reduce stress and anxiety, decrease depression, improve happiness and life satisfaction, and improve memory retention. It really doesn’t take a lot of effort to access these amazing benefits. By simply adding plants to our surroundings, we can improve our mood, focus, and ability to heal and recover. Did you know that plants act as neutral elements in interior design? They sure do. Like the soothing neutral earth tones of tan, cream, white, grey, and black, natural greenery also goes with everything while creating a mental “break” from the constant demands for our attention.
When added to the workplace, plants can also help improve our ability to focus, thus improving our productivity. When the effects of plants and nature were studied in conjunction with long-term hospital patients, researchers found that hospital stays, the amount of pain medication needed, and recovery times were reduced. If you find yourself with little access to a garden or space to grow plants, consider growing a kitchen garden with herbs, sprouts, and microgreens. Growing sprouts and microgreens can be an especially convenient way to quickly harvest nutrient-dense greens while being able to regularly interact with soil, seeds, and plants. Plus, they don’t require a lot of space and they can be grown all year long.
Harvesting sunflower microgreens
One of the key factors in obtaining the many healthy benefits of gardening from the BMC study mentioned above is the increased access to fruits and vegetables. Gardening became an open door for people to experiment with fruits and vegetables they weren’t completely familiar with before. And, it gave greater access to fresh foods by returning a greater return compared to the price tag associated with purchasing the same foods. Beyond the improved access and monetary savings, it seems that people are more willing to consume fresh fruits and vegetables when they develop from the product of their own work and time.
Personally, I believe this is in part due to the improved flavor profiles of foods harvested at their peak ripeness, compared to the often earlier harvesting to preserve their appearance and endurance through shipping processes. Where we are approaching the end of summer, consider the ways you can continue to engage with nature. Just because the summer gardening season is winding down doesn’t mean you can’t continue to grow healthy and nutritious food for you and your family. Consider growing a fall garden or extending your growing season with the use of cold frames and grow tents. These season-extending tools work by insulating your growing and maturing plants from approaching frost, snow, and wind for a few more weeks of growing and harvesting in both the fall and spring months.
Bean salad sprouts for healthy eating
In addition to improving how we think, work, and heal, gardening also has the ability to improve our physical health and well-being. The benefits to our physical health heavily rest on the improved access to and use of fresh fruits and vegetables. But it is also heavily influenced by the physical actions required during gardening. While gardening is not necessarily a physically demanding activity, the regular movement is enough to impact our ability to stay limber and flexible as we age.
The physical benefits of gardening are also incredibly valuable to those who spend large amounts of time doing sedentary tasks. If you have a job that requires you to sit at a desk for long periods of time, consider adding movement to your day by spending some time in the garden each day. The research has shown that the movement associated with gardening is enough to decrease the risk of common diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity compared to non-gardeners. If you are someone who finds themselves with less flexibility as they may have once had, consider utilizing tools designed for greater ease and mobility in the garden. These may include the lever-actioned Grampas weeder, leaf scoops, or adaptive pruning sheers.
Whether you are on a health journey or simply want to maintain good health as you age, gardening can play a key role in living a healthy life. The reality of living a healthy life is that our mind and bodies are connected to each other and the world around us. The sooner we realize this connection the faster we can take advantage of the built in superpowers of nature to improve our minds, bodies, and lifetime experiences.
About the Author:
Ashleigh Smith is the Managing Editor at True Leaf Market with a bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Brigham Young University - Idaho. True Leaf Market is a nationally certified organic, non-GMO seed and horticultural company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The True Leaf Market staff specializes in supplying a large selection of conventional, heirloom, and organic seeds to home gardeners everywhere. Learn more about our seeds, supplies, and other growing ideas: www.trueleafmarket.com.
All articles are copyrighted and remain the property of the author.
By Laura Root
Photos courtesy of Jackson & Perkins
Gardeners are always thinking ahead to the next season or the next year. And, fall is the ideal time to think about spring. Flowering shrubs, perennials and spring bulbs are great choices.
Click here for an interesting article about spring bulbs.
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