Harvest Big Benefits From Gardening

A bumper crop of research shows that being in nature is incredibly beneficial to your body and your brain. Gardening, one of the most common ways of experiencing nature, gets you "in" on that impressive list of gains:

• Improves fitness
• Improves cognition
• Improves mental well-being, including self-esteem
• Decreases anxiety and depression
• Strengthens the immune system
• Reduces risks for certain health issues
• Enhances sleep quality and duration
• Lowers blood pressure
• Offers new and stronger social connections
• Encourages healthy and adventuresome eating for all ages

Researchers have theories on how gardening (and nature) make us healthier. One such theory is called attention restoration. Many of us are mentally fatigued from the highly scheduled, distracting, multitasking ways of life. Like an overworked muscle, the result is a reduced capacity to perform. You have less ability to concentrate, stay attentive and focus. Gardening is restorative. It provides what scientists call "soft fascination," the ability of an environment to ease thinking and engage the brain in different ways. This causes chemical changes in the brain, thereby reinvigorating it. According to a companion theory, the stress recovery theory, gardening can also activate a part of our nervous system that counteracts a cascade of reactions caused by stress. It helps lower the amount of harmful stress hormones circulating in the body, supports relaxation of the mind and body, and buoys our body's response to and recovery from stress. 

Gratefully, we're on the cusp of summer, making it prime time to get gardening. Researchers say any time outside is beneficial. However, one study aimed to find out how much time communing with nature would yield the biggest benefits. Their study found that 120 minutes a week (17 minutes a day) is the benchmark for good health and well-being. Those minutes can happen all at once or over the course of several shorter stints – and certainly, the more minutes you can enjoy, the better!

I've been a reluctant gardener, known more for a brown thumb than a green one. However, all it took was one cherry tomato plant that produced a handful of memorable deliciousness to push me to persevere. Gardening is a rewarding yet humbling way to cultivate tasty foods and beautiful plants, and I'm happy to report it's also so much more. Dig in.

Resources

These resources can help you grow your skills.

• Minnesota State Horticultural Society
• University of Minnesota Extension
• Local garden centers
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum