12 SURPRISING BENEFITS OF GARDENING

Surprising Mental and emotional benefits of gardening

Gardening cultivates beauty and provides delicious and wholesome food. But gardening has some really unexpected benefits too. Here are 12 surprising benefits of gardening for the whole family.

Gardening improves focus and memory

Memory, ADD, OCD and concentration in general improve with gardening.

It might sound like the most surprising of the 12 surprising benefits of gardening, but gardening actually improves focus and memory.

Research, including Texas A & M, proves over and over what many parents have known for a long time. Gardening is good for the whole family.

How good? Memory in all age groups improved about 20% in at least one study. Texas A & M Review. “For example, children with Attention Deficit Disorder, learning in a natural environment can help them to engage more in the classroom, improving their focus and concentration on the task at hand. “

IT’S NOT JUST FOR THE LITTLE ONES EITHER

People of all age groups improve their attention span and memory when they garden. The benefit has been studied most while people have contact with the plants. But, there is also good evidence that the effects of gardening persist even after moving inside. There is benefit from indoor gardening too. Just having lots of plants in the home will improve symptoms of forgetfulness, distraction and fogginess. Am I saying This is the cure for Alzheimer’s? No, but even moderate dementia improves with access to gardening.

So then, the surprising benefits of gardening are more than just having a potted plant on the table though. By getting outside and having responsibilities that also use physical skills people of all ages improved their thinking and concentration. We were all created to be active. Our first parents were placed in the ideal setting – a garden. And, they had work to do. It’s not really that surprising then, that so much of our mental health is benefitted from gardening.

Gardening Reduces Stress

Physical contact with soil, water and plants changes stress hormones

The image of the cup of tea brings thoughts of peace and tranquility. Why? Because I love tea? Not really. It’s the branch that add the tranquility.

Being around plants reduces stress. The more plants, the less stress.

Going back to the idea of the original garden in Eden as our natural home it is easy to see why we have a sense of belonging to the soil and plants in a garden.

Jesus went to a garden to pray when he was pressured and burdened. This is a good example for us to follow.

There are many stress factors affecting Gen Z. One of those factors is most of the young adults spent their childhood inside, or in carefully controlled and often sterile settings. Gardening can help reduce that stress.

Here is an article by The Royal College of Physicians with their findings on gardening and health.

So, the next time you feel that power surge of anxiety coming on head on out to the garden. If you have a child who needs some help with emotional control, get him or her out to the garden. Don’t worry if they don’t make all the rows perfectly straight, or even f they step on a plant or two. Just start. And you too. You can gently guide your child to all kinds of tasks that require patience and diligence. In due time you will see progress both in the garden and out of it.

Gardening improves happiness

What could be happier than a day in the garden?

Next, happiness is the third surprising benefit of gardening.

Some of the microbes living in soil actually increase happiness. It’s a real thing. Gardening will really make you a happier person.

What is this amazing microbe? It’s Mycobacterium vaccae. M. vaccae stimulates your bodies own production of serotonin. Serotonin is the mood stabilizer and is what antidepressants like Prozac or Zoloft help control.

Natural health practitioners have been using natural environments and even gardening practices for centuries. Even ancient cultures knew the healing benefits of a garden. Finally, science is catching up with what many avid gardeners already knew. Undoubtedly, the garden really is your happy place.

You inhale soil microbes as you work. They are swallowed as tiny amounts of dust get in your mouth. And, they even enter your blood stream by way of small cuts. Then these microbes go to work making you happier and even healthier.

Surprising right? Here’s another link if you want to read more about it.

Gardening builds self-esteem

“Interacting with nature, especially with the presence of water, can increase self-esteem and mood, reduce anger, and improve general psychological well-being with positive effects on emotions or behavior,” Charlie Hall, Ph.D.

The next in line of the 12 surprising benefits of gardening is building self-esteem.

The thrill of overcoming obstacles and making things grow builds self-esteem. I’m not talking about the set-centered sort of bad attitude. I just mean that confidence will be strengthened and fear weakened.

So, If you or your children could use a little boost in confidence, start a garden. In the garden they learn to trust the Lord to give growth and to help them work out problems. You will too.

Next, If you want even more benefit – start selling some of your vegetables and flowers. You could have a stand out in front of your property. Your stand might even be a simple set up with a small table and a cooler. I’ve done this and just have a jar with change in it stuck in the cooler. Prices are listed. I’ve never had any trouble. You can decide if this set up would work where you live.

Then, If you have extra produce and you don’t want to sell it, give it away. You could donate to neighbors or a food pantry. Don’t forget the flowers. Flowers are expensive and they bring tremendous joy.

gardening develops leadership skills

“While the purposes may be different, the steps gardeners take to prepare the soil, plant, and care for their gardens are very similar and actually very instructive for us as leaders.” Kevin eikenberry, leadership expert

The fifth of 12 Surprising benefits of gardening is leadership skills. Can you believe leaders are grown in gardens?

Here are five ways good gardeners are like great leaders :

1. Prepare the soil with belief. We must have faith the Lord is going to make those plants grow. Gardeners also need to test the soil and prepare it for the plants to grow their best. Leading others means giving them what they need to be their best.
2. Plant with encouragement. Gardeners plant expecting a bumper crop. They work with enthusiasm.
3. Provide nourishment. You don’t just plant a garden and walk away. Gardens take daily work to be beautiful and productive. Proverbs 12:24 says “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute” KJV
4. Act on feedback. Gardeners learn to adjust to changing conditions. They need to correct soil or plants for a good harvest, so they learn to assess and act.
5. Persevere for performance. Gardeners enjoy all of the season but it’s the harvest that really motivates them. The daily tasks are all part of the larger goal. Philippians 3:14 says “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling go God in Christ Jesus.” KJV

The list above was adapted from Kevin Eikenberry’s article here.

Gardening builds strong family bonds

The sixth of 12 surprising benefits of gardening is family bonding.

Gardening allows families to reduce stress and increase happiness for everyone while planning and working together. Children participate in the partnership and the profit.

Gardening also gives time away from other distractions for good conversation.

Sometimes it’s easier to talk with a row of plants between you and your child. Sometimes it’s easier it you are working close together.

Gardens allow families to interact in ways that electronics only inhibit.

Physical benefits of gardening

Gardening is good for your heart

And it’s not just the exercise!

Gardening is good for your heart no matter if you are going some light garden work or intense shoveling and tilling. Even light gardening can reduce the risk of heart disease. Some countries even use gardening as therapy. It’s really an old idea making a come back. The idea of using gardening for both mental and physical healing goes a long way back. This is part of the ‘ancient wisdom’ that got lost in modern life.

But it’s not just the exercise. All of what I talked about in the previous section also contributes to good heart health. Happy and peaceful people tend to be healthier than sad and stressed people. The sun exposure can be wholesome as well.

Gardening reduces the risk of chronic disease

I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but people are getting less healthy over time. I don’t just mean with age either. More and more young adults have been diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases. I have seen many people eating a diet of processed foods and “diet” soft drinks who just become less and less healthy. Screen time and work activities keep us inside and inactive (and away from those healthy soil microbes).

Gardening has been shown to improve blood sugar levels in both pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. It also reduces the risk of chronic disease of all types, including high blood pressure, osteoporosis and even colon cancer.

So, if you want to be healthy, get out and garden.

gardening lowers risk of developing allergies and autoimmune disorders

That’s a lot!

Perhaps the most surprising of the 12 surprising benefits of gardening

Children who grow up gardening are less likely to develop allergies or auto-immune disorders. I’m not saying gardening or playing in the dirt will eliminate the risk. I am saying there is ample evidence that contact with soil and plants is necessary for good health. Children who grow up in and around soil have a lower risk.

Here are the basics: People worry too much about “killing germs”. We have antibacterial soap and detergent, and we wash dishes in harsh chemicals. We try everything we can to kill the enemy germs. What if most of those germs are not our enemies?

What if we are killing off the very “germs” that would make us healthier?

I promise I’m not crazy here. Many microbes live in and on us and we need them to survive. Gardening is a great way to interact with those microbes.

If you would like to dig deep into the science of “good germs” and soil here is a link.

gardening boosts vitamin d

“Just living is not enough… One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” Hans Christian Anderson

So…Is the sun friend or foe?

Well, mostly it’s our friend. The Bible says God created the sun for us. God is light Himself, so he doesn’t need light, but we do.

Yes, the sun makes plants grow but what about skin cancer? The risk is real, but so is the risk of weak bones, poor immune systems, multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.

We all need sunshine.

Vitamin D comes from the sun – or a really good quality supplement that also has K2.

Here are a few basic guidelines for getting more sun safely:

• Think about your personal risk of skin cancer vs the need for vitamin D.
• Think about the time of year. The sun is a lot stronger in the summer than in the spring or fall.
• Wear clothing. The first thing God made for Adam and Eve to use in the world outside the garden was clothing. A hat and clothing that covers you is important. You can adjust the color and heaviness of the fabric for how much sun you want to let through. Light colors let more UV light in than dark colors and cottons let more in than polyester.
• Wear sunscreen. Yes, a lot of it is made from very nasty stuff. There are natural sunscreens available. Personally that’s what I would use if I wore it much. They are less effective at blocking harmful sun rays than the chemical sunscreens though.

Heavy clothing or highly protective sunscreens equals no vitamin D.

gardening makes you stronger & improves balance

Improves hand dexterity too

All that walking, bending, stretching and pulling is a great workout.

No exercise mat needed! To be fair there are some inexpensive foam cushions available for people with sore knees.

Seriously though, a garden workout is wonderful for both activity and stretching.

It’s also great for fine motor development. Planting tiny seeds takes skill. Carefully encouraging peas to climb up their strings, or pulling out tiny weeds growing near those carrots that just came up all require good hand control.

Gardening fosters better eating and more beautiful surroundings

Growing flowers and vegetables leads to better eating habits in all age groups

Face it. Good quality produce is expensive. In the years my daughters and I took care of my parents we gardened less than usual. One year I bought some black plastic and just covered up my garden. My parents were far more important than my obsessions with growing things. I learned something. Food is really expensive.

I pretty much always had a garden, and those gardens got us through some tough times.

I have grown vegetables in pots. The years we lived in West Virginia while I finished school were tight. I dug up the lawn and planted a garden. When we lived in subsidized housing I grew vegetables in between the shrubs.

By all the popular “expert” beliefs my children should have been undernourished. Lower socioeconomic groups tend to have poor eating habits. Food is expensive. My children thrived and they still have good eating habits – better than mine.

All that means my children grew up planting and eating stuff. They were never picky about eating vegetables. We all value what we work for and that includes children.

Our home often had plenty of flowers too. Did you know many flowers are edible? So they have a double purpose. But we shouldn’t forget that vegetables can be beautiful too.

Bonus: Gardening improves gut health

So that’s 12 surprising benefits of gardening. But there is more….

I kind of covered this a bit in the first section, but gardening is a great way to start working on your gut health.

The key to feeling better might be in your gut. And one of the best ways to improve gut health is to garden.

First, there are those soil microbes that get inhaled and swallowed as you work. Don’t worry it’s nothing dangerous. In fact, it’s really healthy for your mind and body. Just working in the soil and water will help improve the thousands or trillions of microbes living in your gut. In turn they will help your immune system, your mood and your health in general.

“In recent decades, however, contact with soil has largely been reduced, which together with a modern lifestyle and nutrition has led to the depletion of the gut microbiome with adverse effects to human health.” Blum, Winfried E H et al. “Does Soil Contribute to the Human Gut Microbiome?.” Microorganismsvol. 7,9 287. 23 Aug. 2019, doi:10.3390/microorganisms7090287

Next, gardeners tend to eat way more vegetables than non-gardeners. I went shopping for food this week. It’s not something I have to do often. I don’t know how people who don’t garden manage to eat well.

Eating more vegetables means getting more nutrients including trace minerals. It also means getting more fiber. Fiber helps you move your bowels, lower cholesterol and reduces the risk of colon cancer. Fiber also feeds those gut microbes, and they like a lot of variety.

So what’s stopping you? These are only a baker’s dozen of surprising benefits of gardening. Once you start a garden you’ll probably find even more.

If you’d like some inspiration and advice about starting a garden check out this post.