Gardening is much more than just a hobby. Sowing horticultural seeds reaps benefits beyond fresh produce – it’s also beneficial for physical health, mental well-being, nutrition and the environment.
Physical and mental benefits
Gardening is a great form of moderate, low-impact exercise that helps improve cardiovascular health, muscle strength, flexibility and balance. These tasks provide a full-body workout, helping burn some serious calories.
Additionally, spending time out in the garden and under the sun boosts vitamin D production, which is an essential nutrient for bone and immune system health.
For many, gardening also helps facilitate mental well-being, not just physical health. For resident and Farmers’ Market Manager Kate Hinterschied, gardening is a great form of relaxation.
“I think just being out in the garden and the sunshine on a nice day, and just getting your hands dirty can be very therapeutic,” says Hinterschied. “Spending time out there is very calming and relieves stress.”
Gardening can also relieve symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression through mindfulness. The repetitive tasks associated with gardening help foster mindfulness, which is the practice of being aware and accepting the present moment without judgement.
For Michelle Hill, resident and founder of the local Pro Pollinator Initiative, knowing that gardening allows her to have a positive impact on wildlife and the environment is the biggest mental health boost of them all.
“Watching the interactions between the insects and birds and knowing that I had a hand in facilitating the blooms – the life – that comes from that, and knowing the choices I’m making are having those positive impacts… that’s the most rewarding thing,” says Hill. “Knowing I’m doing the right thing.”
Community connection
Gardening can be a great way to connect with those in your family and community as well.
Hinterschied says one of the best parts about growing her own produce and managing the Farmers’ Market is connecting with the vendors and watching the community come together. The market serves as a great space for residents to connect with both each other and their local produce growers.
“It’s nice to catch up (with people), and it’s fun to sit back and watch different groups of people come and meet up,” says Hinterschied. “It strengthens the community.”
Connecting with local vendors also allows residents to educate themselves about the food.
“There’s a lot about our food that we don’t really know about or don’t realize,” says Hinterschied. “Going to the Farmers’ Market and talking to the farmers … you can learn a lot about things you didn’t even know you should be asking questions about.”
Nutrition education
There are plenty of nutritional benefits to gardening and growing your own food. By growing food at home or buying from local producers, it is easier to ensure the produce will be fresh, organic and usually free of large amounts of pesticides.
More than half of all food samples tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration contain the residues of at least one pesticide.
Having a home garden can be especially helpful in encouraging children to create healthy eating habits early on. As both Hill and Hinterschied pointed out, growing their own produce made their kids more eager to try new fruits and veggies.
“My daughter would never try certain foods from the grocery store (when she was little), but if we grew them in the garden and I brought them in, she’d want to try them all,” says Hinterschied.
Similarly, Hill highlighted the sense of ownership her kids got from helping in the garden. “It makes the food more fun,” she says.
Growing your own produce can also help combat food insecurity, and buying from and supporting local vendors can combat the development of food deserts and bolster the local economy.
Environmental benefits
Home and locally grown food helps reduce carbon emissions from transportation and packaging, improves air quality, reduces water consumption, improves soil health and protects biodiversity. It can be a great way to preserve ecosystem health and attract pollinators, if done tactically.
The best way to get the most out of a garden is to cultivate it in an eco-friendly manner.
A good place to start is to remove all invasive plants and replace them with native, keystone species.
“If you’re looking to fill some nutritional gaps, supplement because of the cost of produce, or you’re concerned about pesticide exposure… that’s wonderful,” says Hill, “But anything you’re going to grow should incorporate native plants.”
Other actions that can make a garden more sustainable include avoiding fertilizer and spray herbicides, composting, collecting and reusing rainwater and turning off outside lights at night.
Adding features such as birdhouses, birdbaths and other amenities for wildlife is also recommended.
Ella Jay is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at ejay@cityscenemediagroup.com.