Benefits of Gardening
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” -Audrey Hepburn
Last month on KPFT 90.1, I had the privilege of speaking with Betsy Longoria, president of Westbury Community Garden, and Betty Baer, a horticultural therapist who works with Urban Harvest. To hear the broadcast, visit Media/Events.
During my research, I learned about benefits of gardening that I had not yet considered. We all know how good it is for our bodies to consume delicious, healthy food. Gardening also provides aromatherapy and helps with the following:
Positive attitude
Less anxiety
Heart health (moderate-intensity exercise)
Brain health (problem-solving, learning, sensory awareness)
Mental health (combats depression; sensory experience regenerates the body and mind)
Stress relief (lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol)
Self esteem (being able to nurture a plant from seed to fruit-bearing)
Hand strength and dexterity (hand muscles will be more agile; by alternating the use of the right and left hands, using the non-dominant hand will help keep the brain functioning as you age)
Great exercise (carrying bags of mulch, hoeing rows, planting seeds, picking weeds, etc.)
Immune regulation (due to beneficial bacteria in the soil)
Vitamin D-producing results from the sun (your limbs exposed to the sun (without sunscreen) for just 10 minutes during midday)
I have found that many people, after retirement, struggle with socialization opportunities. Joining a community garden is a good way to combat loneliness while reaping the health benefits of gardening. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community gardens are "collaborative projects on shared open spaces where participants join together in the maintenance and products of the garden, including healthful and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables." Community gardens often have learning opportunities for nearby neighborhoods and schools, as well.
According to MD Anderson, the restorative effects of nature occur involuntarily even if you don’t enjoy your time outside. Stress is relieved within minutes of exposure to nature (as measured by reduced muscle tension, anxiety and blood pressure). Memory performance and attention span improves (20% after spending two hours interacting with nature). Levels of cancer-fighting white cells increase 50% (after spending two or more consecutive days in nature).
Jasmin Regalado, with MD Anderson, shared the following with me:
Gardening is healing; studies done at our research center at MD Anderson Cancer Centre have proven many health benefits of being outdoors, including gardening. We encourage gardening among our staff and also our patients when it is safe and they are able.
I am piloting a project this fall for a "healing" garden outside our rehabilitation department at MD Anderson. It is in the planning stage at the moment.
Also, without any religious bias, there is a story about a man named Jesus, who before he was captured, a most stressful and unbelievable moment in his life, found solace in the garden of Gethsemane. And so is Buddha, who apparently found enlightenment under a tree or among lotus flowers. It is a truism that writers of all kinds often find solace and inspiration, as well as protection from the outside world and its demands, from gardens.
Churchill, Jane Austen, George Bernard Shaw, Jefferson and the great emperors and kings of ancient times found gardens the place to restore.
And perhaps my own awe and great solace visiting the Musee de I'Orangerie standing inside this elliptical room with Monet's water lily paintings displayed approximately 180 degrees... ala panoramic view of his garden at Giverny.
And my cancer patients who visited the garden at Westbury before they passed away. I can share about one young man (I think he was in his twenties and we had to take his leg and part of his lung out to extend his life.) He told me after his stroll on crutches around the garden, “This must be how it feels in paradise." He told me on the phone he was not afraid to die anymore.
Here’s to your health!