Since everyone has found themselves with a lot of time on their hands, gardening can be a great activity to undertake during the lockdown. Although possibly daunting, there are many ways that gardening is beneficial to both your mental and physical health. An even greater positive is that gardening doesn’t necessarily have to involve growing plants outside, it can include caring for household plants, something which is perfect if you don’t have a garden.

Here is how gardening has long term benefits:

  1. It can help relieve stress- If you are moving about when gardening, your body can release endorphins, a hormone that triggers a positive feeling and helps people to feel satisfied and relaxed. As Gwenn Fried, manager of Horticulture Therapy at NYU Langone’s Rusk Rehabilitation argues, “People need respite and nature provides respite.” This is supported by a Dutch study which asked two groups of people to complete a stressful task. Afterwards, one group gardened for 30 minutes and the other group read for 30 minutes. It was recorded that the gardening group had better moods and lower cortisol levels.
  2. Improved immune system- When gardening outside, you are exposing your body to Vitamin D which can help your body to absorb calcium. This keeps your bones strong and immune system healthy. Even having dirt in your fingernails from the soil can be beneficial to your immune system! The harmless soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, which is often found in garden dirt, has been discovered to relieve symptoms of psoriasis, asthma and allergies, as well as being great for your body’s microbiome.
  3. It can make you happier- “Nature has a huge impact on health and wellness”, according to Fried. This supports that growing plants can help to boost your mood. It has also been linked to a better quality of life and a reduction in mood disruption.
  4. Reduced risk of dementia- Research has suggested that gardening can reduce the risk of dementia. A study undertaken by a group of people in their 60s and 70s over 16 years found that those who gardened had a 36%- 47% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who did not garden.
  5. Increased hand strength and dexterity- Gardening is the perfect way to help your fine motor skills and muscle movements. Even weeding for a couple of minutes can help ease your hands of the strain of repetitive actions such as going on your phone or typing on a computer.    

Hopefully this has encouraged you to try some gardening during the isolation period!

by Tara Bradbury