Why gardening improves your mental health and physical well-being

Once leaves start to fall and autumn is at our doorstep, it seems as if you automatically start to reflect on the past summer as if the year is over.
It's not a miracle how some cultures, like the Yiddish one, celebrate New Year with the arrival of autumn. One such yearly contemplation is how I should have spent more time on things that are fun to do in spring and summer, such as cycling and gardening, but lacked time and energy to do so.

Just this week, an article from a friend passed by in Ergo-Log.com which made me sit up and pay attention: "Gardening improves mental health! "

Romanian researchers collected previously published trials in which scientists had test subjects gardening and determined its effect on depression, anxiety and other aspects of mental health.
The conclusion from studying those trials was that your mental health improves by at least 55 percent when you start gardening.

That's not all, previous studies also showed how gardening improves your memory and may protect against dementia.

People over 45 protect their cognitive abilities if they have a garden in which they grow flowers, vegetables or fruits. Gardening is good for your memory.
Both gardening and a lifestyle with a lot of exercise reduced the risk of memory deterioration by 28-30 percent. Both gardening and exercise reduced the risk of cognitive decline by 43-42 percent.

When the researchers tried to find out exactly how gardening protects the brain using statistical techniques, they were able to calculate that the increased calorie consumption through gardening caused 39 percent of that protection. The antidepressant effect of gardening accounted for 22 percent of the protection.

People over 65 who work in their garden daily or almost daily have a quarter less chance of dementia than their peers who never garden.
The protective effect of gardening was greater in the study participants who were over 85 than in the 65-85 group.
The protective effect also seemed to be greater in women than in men.

That's proof enough to make me want to delve into this deeper to be more motivated to take it up. Even though it's autumn now, that's not too late yet to start now.

Why your brain needs a garden

Gardening, a very popular pastime for most people awakens a primal urge that many of us have to connect with the earth. By putting your hands in the soil, you are able to physically unite with nature on an elemental level.

At the same time, gardening gets you outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine, helping your body produce much-needed vitamin D. It gets you moving, providing important exercise, and allows you to connect socially with other gardeners.

When you garden, you're adding beauty to the landscape and habitat for birds, bees, frogs, worms, and so much more. Depending on what you garden, you can reap a harvest of fruits and vegetables to feed your family. You can also indirectly feed your brain for better mood and emotional health, and to satisfy your curiosity for knowledge.

In fact, learning is the fourth top reason why people say they garden -- after to grow safe, healthy food, get exercise, and add beauty to their yard.
Perhaps it's no coincidence that people garden, in part, to stimulate their brains, as gardening has been shown to impact brain health considerably.

Spending time in a garden may help calm dementia patients

A systematic review examined the impact of gardens and outdoor spaces on the mental and physical well-being of people with dementia. The research suggested that garden use, whether it be watering plants, walking through a garden or sitting in one, led to decreased levels of agitation or anxiety among the patients.

"When your brain is impaired, you go back to your basic instincts. Many people have always enjoyed the outdoors. They may not have an explicit memory of that, but it's an implicit memory. And they find it comforting to be outside."

This makes sense, especially considering researchers in the Netherlands have found that gardening is one of the most potent stress-relieving activities there is.
In a trial, two groups of people were asked to complete a stressful task; one group was then instructed to garden for half an hour while the other group was asked to read indoors for the same length of time.

Afterwards, the gardening group reported a greater improvement in mood. Tests also revealed they had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, compared to those who tried to relax by quiet reading.

Interestingly, while spending time in a garden may help relieve some dementia symptoms, it may also help to reduce your risk of developing dementia in the first place.

"Two separate studies that followed people in their 60s and 70s for up to 16 years found, respectively, that those who gardened regularly had a 36 percent and 47 percent lower risk of dementia than non-gardeners, even when a range of other health factors were taken into account.
These findings are hardly definitive, but they suggest that the combination of physical and mental activity involved in gardening may have a positive influence on the mind."

Gardening may make you happy via antidepressant microbes in the soil

According to a survey among readers of a gardening magazine, 80 percent of gardeners reported being "happy" and satisfied with their lives, compared to 67 percent of non-gardeners. Perhaps it's no coincidence that gardeners are happier.

Mycobacterium vaccae is a type of bacteria commonly found in soil, which people may ingest or inhale when they garden.
Remarkably, this microbe has been found to "mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. It helps to stimulate serotonin production, helping to make you feel happier and more relaxed. No wonder so many people describe their garden as their "happy place."

In one animal study, mice that ingested Mycobacterium vaccae had a demonstrated reduction in anxiety and improved learning. The researchers noted that natural exposure to microbes may be important for emotional health and behaviour:
"..studies show that contact with tolerogenic microbes is important for the proper functioning of immunoregulatory circuits affecting behaviour, emotionality and health…
Collectively, our results suggest a beneficial effect of naturally delivered, live M. vaccae on anxiety-related behaviours… supporting a positive role for ambient microbes in the immunomodulation of animal behaviour."

*Tolerogenic microbes are commensal bacteria that play a crucial role in modulating the host’s immune response, promoting tolerance to harmless antigens, and preventing excessive inflammation. These microbes are essential for maintaining immune homeostasis in the gut and other mucosal surfaces.

Gardening helps you get grounded

There's another way that gardening may help your mood and brain health, and that is grounding. The surface of the earth holds subtle health-boosting energy, and all you have to do to harness it is touch it. Walking barefoot on the earth transfers free electrons from the earth's surface into your body that then spread throughout your tissues.

Grounding has been shown to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve sleep, and enhance your well-being. Some attribute the wellbeing of gardeners to the "recharging" you get from sticking your hands in the soil and spending time outdoors in nature.
To maximize grounding while you're gardening, try doing so barefoot.

Are you ready to try out your green thumb?

Aside from increasing your sense of well-being and calm, keeping a garden can also improve your health by providing you with fresher, uncontaminated nutrient-dense food. It will also help you reduce your grocery bill. You don't need vast amounts of space either.

Even apartment dwellers can create a well-stocked edible garden. You can use virtually every square foot of your space to grow food.
Hanging baskets are ideal for a wide variety of crops, such as strawberries, leafy greens, runner beans, pea shoots, tomatoes, and a variety of herbs. You can also grow sprouts like sunflower seeds and reap a harvest in 7-10 days.

And instead of flowers, window boxes can hold herbs, greens, radishes, scallions, bush beans, strawberries, chard, and chilies, for example. Just start small, and as you get the hang of it, add another container of something else.
Before you know it, large portions of your meals could come straight from your own edible garden. It is recommended to start by growing sprouts, which can be grown at any time of year.

In case you got inspired, you might consider starting immediately by creating a winter garden.

Winter garden

Most people have a "May-September romance" with their gardens—but what about turning that into a year-around committed relationship? Have you ever considered growing a winter vegetable garden?

Winter gardening is far easier than you might think. If you are tempted to hang up your garden gloves in September, you might want to reconsider. You could be harvesting spinach, beets, and carrots in February, while your neighbours are still battling their winter blues and longing for the whispers of spring.

Many vegetables grow and even thrive in cooler temperatures. Many concentrate their sugars in cooler weather, resulting in better flavour during the autumn and winter months. Even in cooler regions such as the Netherlands a wide variety of vegetables can be grown, especially with the assistance of a few simple temperature-shielding strategies.

One of the greatest benefits of a winter garden is the savings to your grocery bill. Produce costs more during the winter, especially organic produce. It makes even more sense to grow your own food in the winter than in the summer. But the benefits to a winter garden don't end there.

Consider this:

• There are fewer pests and fewer weeds to deal with in cooler months than during the summer.
• Mother Nature takes care of some of your garden chores between September and May—she does the watering. In some regions, you can skip watering altogether and let the winter rains do it for you.
• The cold winter ground is Nature's own refrigerator. You can "store" root vegetables in the ground and harvest them as you need them—for example, carrots and beets keep very well this way.

Things to consider before starting on a winter garden

You may be tempted to dive right in. But there are some practical considerations. Taking the time to plan ill save you headaches later.
A winter garden does not mean waiting until winter to plant a garden. Planning a winter garden begins in the spring, with the ultimate goal of harvesting in the winter. Timing will be perfect (October) for planting garlic from cloves. Winter gardening is basically about extending the growing season.
Some plants are grown for autumn and winter harvesting, whereas others are planted to "overwinter" for an early spring harvest.

Either way, timing your planting is important, and timing depends on the type of vegetable you're planting and your "hardiness zone."

What, when and where to plant

For your winter garden, your most important date to know is your "first frost" date. You'll want to plant your seeds early enough that the plants will be established before getting subjected to a light freeze. So your first step is to check your hardiness zone to see when your first frost is expected.

Most winter veggies are planted in mid to late summer so they are strong and ready for when the temperatures drop, and then ripe for harvest in winter or early spring. Timing this depends on how long each plant takes to reach maturity. Some vegetables, such as parsnips and Brussels sprouts, actually develop a better flavour if they are kissed by a light frost.

You don't necessarily have to designate a separate winter garden space. If you already have a summer garden going, most of your veggies will be harvested by late August, leaving an empty bed just in time for planting autumn and winter crops.

You can also plant many veggies in containers. Container gardening is a great way to have a small garden if you live in a condo or have limited space.

When you have a larger garden, think about how far you will want to walk to access your garden in the wintertime.
You may want easy access for grabbing something from the garden on those cold, dark wintery evenings.

The point is to consider how the season will impact your energy level and lifestyle, and plan accordingly. You also need to consider where other critters might have access to your garden goodies—like deer, if you live in an area where this is an issue.

Tips for preparing and planting a winter garden

• Don't remove soil unless building the raised beds causes drainage problems.
• Don't till wet soil. Tilling, forking or digging holes in wet soil does damage by squeezing the soil particles together, compacting it and eliminating the air spaces needed for healthy soil life.
• Don't use peat moss, pine bark or washed concrete sand. These products are problematic, especially when compared to the natural organic choices.
• Don't spray toxic herbicides. Spraying toxic herbicides anytime is a bad idea, but in the winter, it's even worse because they don't kill dormant grasses and weeds.
• Remove unwanted vegetation wisely. Scrape away any existing weeds and grass and toss that material into the compost pile.
• Always remove the grass before you do any tilling. Tilling first drives the reproductive part of the grasses and weeds down into the ground, which will create a weed problem. Organic herbicides can be used in the summer, but physical removal (including the root) is still better.
• Raise the beds. The top of the beds should be flat and higher than the surrounding grades with sloped edges for drainage. This lifting happens naturally if proper amounts of amendments are added to the native soil.
• Add amendments such as compost or other organic fertilizer.
• Make mycorrhizae your new best friend. Mycorrhizae are fungi that interact symbiotically with the roots of plants, resulting in great benefits for both. Garden supply stores are now carrying several mycorrhizae products that will make your garden plants thrive, dramatically improving root strength, water and nutrient transport into the plant, and better competitiveness against weeds.
• Moisten beds before planting. Planting beds should be moistened after being prepared and before the planting begins. Do not plant in dry soil because tender young roots will dehydrate quickly as they try to grow; roots of any transplants should be sopping wet and thoroughly hydrated.
• Plant high. Set plants high with the top of the root balls slightly higher than the surrounding soil. This is especially critical on woody plants—make sure the trunk flares are uncovered and visible. Setting the plant too low can cause poor growth or drowning.
• Mulch beds after planting. Add 5-8cm of organic mulch after planting. Use tree trimmings for trees, shrubs and ground cover, and a thin layer of compost for annuals and perennials. Never pile mulch onto the stems of plants.
• Harvest winter veggies in the warmth of the day. Wait until the plants have had a few hours to get well above freezing in their protected environment.

Create a microclimate by protecting your plants

If you live in an area where temperatures routinely drop below freezing point, you may need the assistance of row covers or cold frames for successful winter gardening. These don't have to be fancy or expensive.

"A cold frame is a simple bottomless box with a removable glass or plastic lid that protects plants inside from excessively low temperatures, wind, snow, and rain. It creates a microclimate that is a zone and a half warmer than your garden. The result is a harvest of fresh vegetables all winter long."

Row covers are simply lightweight plant protection blankets that can be draped over a row of plants during cold spells. You can choose from a variety of row covers, based on how much sunlight they let in and how much air circulation they allow. Simple row covers can be held in place with metal anchors, dirt, bricks, rocks, or even filled water jugs. Once the covers are no longer needed, you can store them away until next year.

Another lightweight, portable structure to shelter plants is called a cloche. Cloches are informal structures, very similar to a "hoop house" or "high tunnel." These are built using PVC pipe bent into hoops, with plastic sheeting draped across the piping and anchored down with rocks or filled water jugs. Of course, it's always useful to have a greenhouse, as your budget and space allows.

Growing your own food is the wave of the future. We must all become better stewards of the land. A garden for all seasons is a great step forward, and the seeds you sow now will reap great health benefits later for you and your family.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped you appreciate the benefits of gardening both for our mental health and physical well-being. And perhaps inspires you to start right now on a winter garden.