Why gardening is good for your mind and body

Read time: 5 minutes

From prized roses to homegrown tomatoes, gardening is a wonderful way to connect with nature. Even something as simple as placing an African Violet stem in water to root can lift your spirits.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, gardening can do wonders for your well-being.

In this article, we’ll explore a few ways gardening can benefit your physical and mental health. If you’re new to gardening, we’ll also provide some quick tips to help you get started.

When gardeners garden, it is not just plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves.

Ken Druse
Author of many natural gardening books

Gardening nurtures our overall health. Here’s how digging, planting and, yes, even weeding, can benefit you in the long run.

Gardening can:

Enhance mental health

Studies have shown a connection between gardening and a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms. Some hospitals use horticulture therapy to help patients recovering from injuries, strokes and surgeries.

Gardening can improve cognitive function as well because it helps to keep the mind active and engaged. This peaceful activity can also provide a therapeutic outlet for those who have Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition to reducing anxiety and stress, gardening can also help improve mood and sleep quality. Fresh air and sunshine are part of the mix, of course. But in addition to enjoying the outdoors, gardening can provide a sense of purpose that can add to our overall happiness.

British author Sarah Rayner captured many of the reasons why gardening is so good for our mental health. Among her observations:

Looking after plants gives us a sense of responsibility.
Gardening allows us all to be nurturers.
Gardening keeps us connected to other living things.
Gardening helps us relax and let go.
Working in nature releases happy hormones.
Being among plants and flowers reminds us to live in the present moment.
Gardening reminds us of the cycle of life, and thus come to terms with that most universal of anxieties: death.
Gardening is easy. Anyone can do it. If you’re a beginner, start small … a couple flower pots here, a hanging basket there.

Be an enjoyable way to exercise

If you’ve ever spent time planting perennials, you already know this: Gardening is considered moderate-intensity exercise. You can burn a little over 300 calories doing an hour of light gardening and yard work.

Don’t have an hour to spare? No worries. Any amount of time you spend gardening is good for you because this low-impact exercise:

Gets you moving.
Is a functional exercise — meaning you’re reaching, stretching and bending while you’re performing a task.
Can help you maintain — or maybe increase — balance, flexibility and strength.
Involves physical movements that promote the release of endorphins and help to strengthen muscles (including the heart).

Lower your blood pressure

Even 30 minutes of moderate-level physical activity most days of the week can help control high blood pressure. Gardening or raking leaves for 30 minutes or so can help you reach that recommended amount of time.

Help your bones

When your skin is exposed to the sun, it prompts your body to make vitamin D, which helps your body absorb calcium, a mineral essential for bone formation.

If you’re going to be outside for more than a few minutes, however, be sure to apply sunscreen to exposed skin, or wear protective clothing.

Help you eat healthier

Growing your own food can help you stick to a nutritious diet with the steady supply of fresh vegetables and fruit your garden produces.

Add to your social life

Gardening can be a way to connect with others over a common interest. Retirement centers and churches are often well-versed in facilitating community gardening activities.

Gardening is something almost everyone can participate in. One study showed people who worked in gardens together had better self-esteem, mood and general health as compared to non-gardeners.

We’re well into spring. If you’re a longtime gardener, you’ve been eagerly awaiting this season all year.

If you’re a beginner, why not give it a try? Harvest the benefits of this rewarding activity that can boost your physical, emotional and mental health.

And don’t forget to be on the lookout for next month’s gardening article, where we’ll discuss ways to make gardening easier.

Gardening 101: getting started

If you’ve always wanted to garden but aren’t sure where to start, consider these tips from professional gardener Joe Lamp’l, founder and “Joe” behind joegardener.com.

Just start.

Decide you’re going to get started even though you aren’t sure what you’re doing or how it’ll turn out. If something doesn’t grow? The worst that will happen is you’ll learn something. And that’s worth the price of a plant, every time.

Start slow.

It’s easy to get excited when starting out and plant too much, which ends up being hard to keep up with. Don’t overdo it. A simple first step is to grow something in a container that you can put close to your house, so it’s easy to take care of and that you enjoy seeing every day.

Focus on healthy soil.

Successful gardening starts literally from the ground up. Avoid synthetic chemicals and start feeding the soil with organic material. That can include compost, and anything else that nature provides, like shredded leaves, shredded bark, or aged manure.

Grow what you like.

Choose fruits and vegetables to grow based on what you want to eat or what you like looking at. Grow something that’s easy and grows quickly, like a radish or lettuce.

Know your plants’ needs.

Read the plant tag so you know if it likes sun or shade and wet or dry, and do your best to give it the environment it wants to thrive in.

Pay attention to your plants.

Check on your plants often — every day, if you have time — to see what’s happening. There’s really no downside to time spent in your garden.