Green Planet Content Creation

What are you growing this year? Herbs in your windowbox, potatoes in pots in your yard, flowers in your garden borders or veg in your allotment? You might even help at a local community garden.

While there is satisfaction from enjoying the products of your labours, the benefits of gardening extend far beyond eating the produce you harvest. Gardening helps you to be physically active, but also enhances your mental wellbeing.

Physical benefits of gardening

Digging, mowing, raking and weeding are just some of the physical garden activities, which can increase your fitness and strength. Physical activity is associated with reduced anxiety and improved mood, so the physical nature of gardening may partly explain its benefits for your mental wellness.

Social benefits of gardening

While you can garden alone, offering an opportunity for mindfullness and reflection, gardening can bring people together. You could work together on shared plots with family, friends and neighbours. But community gardens offer somewhere for you to meet new people and form friendships through a shared activity, helping to tackle loneliness and isolation. The social benefits of gardening may even help to delay the onset of dementia.

Gardening connects you with nature

Regular time spent outdoors tending a plot increases your awareness of the weather, the seasons and where your food comes from. Through gardening, you are exposed to natural sensations, from the sight of a colourful floral display and sound of birdsong to the smell of herbs and the feeling of soil through your finger tips

Activity in green environments is also associated with reducing your stress and anxiety levels, while improving your mood and self esteem. The effects of green activity are greater than exercising or time spent in nature individually.

Outdoor activity is linked with higher levels of vitamin D too, which may enhance your mood and sleep.

There are various reasons why gardening may make you feel better. So whatever you are growing, make the most of your time spent outside and reap the benefits for your wellbeing.