Gardening & Its Benefits to the Mind, Body and Soul
Spending time gardening can have monumental impacts on physical and mental health. What’s more, it can be extremely gratifying to not only see visual rewards of your efforts, but to be able to enjoy them as food as well! Working with your hands, spending time in the sun, and taking good care of your garden so it can grow optimally are soul-filling opportunities to strengthen your relationship with the planet and in turn, grow nutritious food that will continue to make you feel good.
Benefits of Gardening
Gardening can have many positive impacts on physical and mental health. Exposure to sunlight can boost Vitamin D, which is important for bone health, muscle movement, nerve connections to the brain and even immune system function. When spending time in the sun, please take adequate measures to protect your skin, including wearing sunscreen or protective clothing. Depending on the size of your garden plot and the tools available to you, it can also be a good exercise, particularly when first preparing your plot for the season. Working with your hands and spending time in nature can prove to be beneficial for mental health - in fact, recent studies have shown that working with your hands can reduce anxiety, help manage stress, and improve both sleep and concentration. Finally, gardening can provide better, more affordable access to healthy food. What’s more, you do not need a lot of space to garden - porches and balconies with adequate sunlight will suffice. Many communities also have community garden plots available for a small fee.
Sustainability in Gardening
For millions of years, people have been growing food in their homes and communities. As the population has expanded, so has the need for mass food production - unfortunately, so have food waste and unsustainable agricultural practices. There are many ways to practice sustainability in your individual garden.
Have a plan for your plants. Be conscious of the projected output of the seeds you sow. Have a plan for using as much of the food you grow as possible - brainstorm healthy dishes to incorporate them, build relationships with neighbors or other members of the community to share with, and/or learn about canning or similar practices to preserve your food. Be mindful of how much you will be able to grow and when your plants will be ready for harvest so that you have a plan to reduce or eliminate food waste.
Preserve the lifetime of your equipment. Invest in good quality equipment and tools for your garden to reduce waste and save money in the long run. Use reusable seed starters, seek metal tools rather than plastic, use clay pots when applicable rather than plastic, and invest in long-lasting gloves. Note some of these items will be more expensive upfront, but will provide excellent return on investment if you are able to preserve them over multiple seasons.
Use natural pest repellent products and methods. Neem oil or essential oil can prove to be effective in repelling unwanted pests in your garden. DEET-free bug spray is optimal as well to protect the ecosystem you are curating. Some plants themselves can also be effective in deterring unwanted visitors in your garden - see our section on companion planting below. If you live in an area prone to rabbits, deer or similar veggie-loving creatures, consider fences/enclosures made of sturdy wood or metal which can be reused year-after-year and when the time comes, recycled.
Be mindful that even “pests” have a role to play in the ecosystem. While it can be frustrating to put time and money into your garden, only for your efforts to be eaten by something else, try to have a positive mindset and, in the event that your crops are eaten by an insect or animal, remind yourself that your efforts strengthened the ecosystem and did not go to waste.
Make space for pollinator food in your garden. Not only are flowers beautiful, but they provide vital nutrients to pollinators, the true heroes of the gardening world. Even if it is just a patch, be sure to include room for feeding your pollinators. They, and your crops, will thank you.
Preparing Your Garden
While gardening preparation will vary based on your geographic location, we have some general tips to share as well. The USDA and similar organizations provide a bounty of information about the best plants for different growing zones - see the USDA’s Plant Hardiness Zone Map below. Be familiar with what will grow well in your region and when to plant it. For example, I am originally from Southern New Jersey, wherein our climate is referred to as “humid subtropical.” I am fortunate to be able to grow a plethora of plants, from pumpkins to tomatoes and much of what falls in-between. Pumpkins take months to grow from seed sowing to harvest, while leafy greens like lettuce have a relatively short growth period. It bodes well to start longer-growing plants, like pumpkins, indoors early, and move them outside when their roots/stems are strong and the soil has warmed up a bit. Plants that grow quickly, like lettuce and herbs, can be sown directly into the ground after the last frost has passed, and since they grow quickly, they can be re-planted and re-harvested several times in a growing season!
Here are some general tips for preparing your garden, regardless of your geographic location:
Plan ahead. Know the area you have to work with and the plants you want to grow. Consider how to best space the plants to minimize competition for root space and exposure to sunlight. Be aware of the “special needs” of some plants - for example, pumpkins should grow on small mounds so their vines may cascade and their fruits can be turned as they grow to eliminate flatness and round them out so to speak. Tomatoes typically need cages to provide extra structure and stability.
Germinate indoors if you have a shorter growing season and/or want to start your long-growing plants early. You can easily create makeshift greenhouses inside as needed.
Prepare your soil. This may include removing leftover growth from the previous season and/or tilling your soil. We recommend “leaving the leaves” over winter months as leaves form a natural mulch which aids in weed suppression and soil fertilization as they break down. That being said, when it is time to plant again, remove any leaf litter or growth from previous seasons. You may hold onto dead leaves or grass clippings as a natural mulch to lay down again when your plants begin to sprout.
Tilling the soil serves many purposes, including mixing organic matter, weed control, and loosening the area for planting.
While different crops are optimal for different regions and seasons, we compiled a short list of quick-growing edible plants along with some examples of companion plants. Companion planting is the practice of planting different crops in proximity for different reasons, including weed suppression, pest control, pollination, providing habitat for beneficial insects, maximizing use of space, and to otherwise increase crop productivity. The Old Farmer’s Almanac provides a great database of companion plants. Here are some you may find in our gardens:
Lettuce
Companion plants: legumes, root vegetables
Cucumbers
Companion plants: legumes, corn, sunflowers
Radish
Companion plants: onions, peppers, herbs such as dill and oregano
Pak choi
Companion plants: legumes, aliums
Zucchini
Companion plants: radishes, parsley, nasturtiums
Tomatoes
Companion plants: garlic, marigolds, chives
We’d love to hear about your triumphs in the garden, and/or ways that you incorporate sustainability into your gardening practices. If you have never gardened before, don’t be shy in trying it out - it does take patience and commitment, but the rewards on physical and mental health are well-worth the time and energy spent in the garden. It is relatively cheap and easy to pick up as a hobby, and is a wonderful continuous learning opportunity. As Audrey Hepburn said, “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”