During times of crisis, many people turned to gardening. Concerns over food shortages, limited social contact, and the need to keep children occupied led to a surge in gardening. Within weeks, seeds, seedlings, and fruit trees were flying off the shelves both online and at local garden centers.
The gardening trend that emerged is not just a response to crisis—it’s a fantastic hobby to adopt at any time. Gardening offers numerous benefits for both individuals and communities. Keep reading to explore the many ways gardening can improve your health and well-being.
Boost Your Health with Outdoor Gardening
Gardening can help your body stay healthy in surprising ways. Just like plants, your body uses sunlight to produce nutrients. When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces vitamin D. It is an essential nutrient that supports many bodily functions, including strengthening bones and boosting your immune system.
Studies have shown that spending just 30 minutes in the sun can generate between 8,000 to 50,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D, depending on how much skin is exposed and your skin tone. Adequate levels of vitamin D can help lower the risk of several diseases, including:
- Breast cancer
- Colorectal cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
- Multiple sclerosis
Low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of other conditions, such as psoriasis flare-ups, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and dementia. While it’s important to be mindful of the risks of skin cancer from too much sun exposure, moderate sun exposure. Moreover gardening can provide substantial health benefits.
Gardening Builds Strength, Improves Sleep, and Maintains a Healthy Weight
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes gardening as a form of exercise. Tasks like raking and mowing are considered light to moderate exercise, while digging and chopping wood count as more vigorous activities.
Gardening engages all major muscle groups, and it’s not uncommon to feel sore after a day of yard work. Studies suggest that the physical activity involved in gardening can help counteract age-related weight gain and childhood obesity. Moreover, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who garden tend to get a solid 7 hours of sleep each night.
Gardening Can Protect Your Memory as You Age
It’s well known that physical activity can improve cognitive function. There is ongoing debate about whether gardening alone is enough to boost brain function. The recent studies indicate that gardening can indeed stimulate the brain.
In a study conducted in Korea, individuals in a dementia care facility engaged in 20-minute gardening sessions. After activities like raking and planting vegetables, researchers observed an increase in brain nerve growth factors associated with memory in both men and women.
A research also suggested that horticultural therapy, which involves gardening to enhance mental health. It could be an effective treatment for people with dementia. In countries like the Netherlands and Norway, people with dementia often participate in “green care” programs, spending much of their day gardening.
Gardening Can Lift Your Spirits
Research from both the United States and other countries shows that gardening can significantly improve mood and self-esteem. Time spent in the garden has been linked to reduced anxiety and lower levels of depression.
A study published in 2011 found that people with depression who participated in a 12-week gardening program experienced significant improvements in their mental health, including reduced symptoms of depression. These positive effects were sustained for months after the program ended.
Gardening Helps Relieve Stress
Gardening can be a great way to manage stress. A 2011 study exposed participants to a stressful situation and then had half of them read quietly while the other half gardened. The group that gardened showed a quicker recovery from stress, as measured by lower cortisol levels, and reported better mood improvements compared to the reading group.
Gardening as a Tool for Addiction Recovery
Gardening has been used as a therapeutic tool for thousands of years, so it’s no surprise that it plays a role in many addiction recovery programs. Research has shown that interacting with plants can evoke positive emotions in people recovering from addiction and serve as a valuable tool in their recovery process.
In one study, participants in a recovery program were offered a choice between art therapy and gardening. Those who chose gardening were more likely to complete the program and reported a more rewarding experience than those who chose art.
Community Gardens Build a Sense of Belonging
Community gardens, family gardens, and school gardens are becoming increasingly popular. These local gardening initiatives thrive not only because they provide fresh produce but also because they foster social connections.
A study involving school gardens found that students who participated in gardening activities felt a greater sense of well-being, attributed to the skills they learned and the relationships they built. Working alongside people of different ages, backgrounds, and abilities in a garden setting can broaden both your knowledge and your social network.
Gardening is more than just a way to grow your own food—it’s a way to enhance your health, mood, and sense of community. Whether you’re growing vegetables, flowers, or just spending time in the dirt, gardening offers a wide range of benefits that make it a worthwhile hobby for everyone.
