Last year’s stay-at-home orders had many of us looking more closely at our yards, planting more flowers or maybe growing fruits and vegetables for the first time. Getting our hands in the dirt may have just seemed like a good distraction, but its health benefits go well beyond the simple pause in our day. This spring, starting a new garden or tending to a garden may be some of the best time spent as an integral part of one’s physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Emotional Boost & Problem Solver
Research has shown that those who garden have fewer feelings of depression and fatigue and greater life satisfaction. Getting outdoors is a proven stress reducer and time spent in the yard can have a greater stress-reducing effect than reading indoors or doing an indoor exercise class.
In addition to reducing stress and improving emotional well-being, taking a gardening break can help with being more productive at work. When working intensely on a project, the brain is operating in what is termed “focus mode.” The brain stays within particular neural pathways—narrow, focused, deliberate and methodical. When one takes a mental break to garden, the brain can shift into “diffuse mode.” This is where the brain relaxes and can meander in the neural networks. While digging in the dirt, the brain is free to wander. It has a chance to create new conceptual connections, strategize, generate new ideas and meaning. Our brains aren’t designed to be in focus mode all the time!
Supporting a Growth Mindset
Whether one is an expert or a novice gardener, there are a multitude of variables to manage—some under our control and others not. Continuous learning, adapting, testing new methods, making errors and improving on past mistakes all foster a growth mindset and help move away from a limited fixed mindset. Gardening teaches us that it’s not too late to learn something new and to continue to improve our skills and abilities. That is a growth mindset. In a low-risk endeavor, we can be inspired to experiment and grow alongside the plants we tend. Making mistakes and embracing nature’s ample forgiveness helps us break from perfectionism. Thankfully, more often than not, the plants grow in spite of our errors.
Nature and Nurture
Getting your hands dirty and actively engaging in gardening is a tangible way to reconnect with nature. It is a chance to take us out of an insular environment and self-absorption, reminding us there is a whole world of magic that can unfold before our very eyes. Tending and feeling responsible for the care of other living things supports a sense of purpose and boosts self-esteem. It fosters being in a relationship with the world around us. There is great satisfaction in visibly seeing and/or tasting the “fruits of your labor.”
More Movement
Reaching to get the tomatoes that have just dropped to the ground while staying balanced, paired with digging, weeding and carrying compost, are just some of the strength, mobility and flexibility movements that won’t be found in structured workouts. The list of movements one does while gardening can be more varied than a typical workout at the gym! While the size of the garden as well as how grand one’s projects are may affect the level of exertion, the daily opportunity to move—and to move in different ways—can provide beneficial exercise outside of your daily routine.
Our Kids Benefit
The garden is an incredible place to get children or grandchildren involved in their environment. Sharing in the process of planting, nurturing and stewardship of the garden can give them a greater appreciation and understanding of how plants grow and where their food comes from. It is an opportunity to improve their nutritional awareness while giving them a sense of pride, accomplishment and connection to what they have grown. As you incorporate the fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden into your diet, you model healthy habits for them as well. What’s more, the benefits of stress reduction, improved mood and reduced depression aren’t just limited to adults.
Growing Local
Growing our own fruits and vegetables has the benefit of reducing reliance on commercial, factory farming and takes “locally grown” to a new level. Not only does it taste better, it helps us be more self-reliant and gives a sense of control over how we nourish the soil through restorative and sustainable practices. We can take ideas from regenerative agriculture and permaculture where the focus is on nature, not chemicals. The overarching view is improving the whole ecosystem with a strong emphasis on improving soil health through regeneration, composting, no tilling, improving watersheds and increasing biodiversity.
Mix It Up
In starting or reworking your garden, you don’t have to choose between flowering plants or a vegetable garden; you can and should have both. Mixing certain flowering plants and herbs with your vegetables is a smart, ecological and space-saving way to increase your vegetable yield and keep the whole garden healthy. Companion planting is another term used when planting particular flowers and herbs alongside your vegetables, which benefits the health of the garden. Planting in this way can naturally help reduce harmful pests, increase helpful insects, attract pollinators and improve vegetable yield while improving the biodiversity in your garden.
Be a Good Steward
Using the principles of permaculture and regenerative agriculture, we can approach and view our own gardens with a lens of sustainability and being good stewards in our environment. Reduction in stress, better nutrition, improved creativity and connection to nature are just some of the benefits of getting outside in the garden. Not only is it a powerful opportunity to nourish our mind, body and spirit, it can also be an opportunity for us to give back to the nature that supports us.
