Resolve to Grow a Garden for Health in 2010

By Diane Wright Hirsch, Extension Educator/Food Safety

It is only a few days into January and by now most of us have broken (several times, at least) those resolutions we made while under the influence of New Years-the holiday that holds the promise of a fresh start.  But it is never too late to get back on track with a broken resolution. And it is not too late to make a new one! 

January is when most gardeners start thinking about spring and preparing for the gardening season.  This is the time when they pour through seed catalogues, make repairs to garden equipment, and draft garden plans.  Even if you haven't so much as planted a tomato in recent years, this might be the year to plant your first. (though frankly, I was glad I did not plant a tomato last year-with the blight ravaging most Northeast crops!). Why not try resolving to grow a vegetable garden in 2010.  The benefits to physical and mental health could surprise you....

Gardening has become quite the hot topic-even at the White House. Why? Because the first lady believed that by serving as model, the White House vegetable and fruit garden can influence how families spend time and feed their kids.  Did you catch Michele Obama on Iron Chef the other night?  In addition to walking the garden walk, she is also talking the good food talk.  People with home vegetable gardens tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and she understands this.  And more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet can reduce your risk for many of the chronic ills that plague us.

Ask any gardener and they can probably recite a whole list of reasons that gardening is good for you.  But first, keep in mind that gardening is exercise.  In recent years, there has been a call to Americans to increase exercise as a way to reduce the risks for premature death, heart disease, high blood pressure, and obesity.  The couch potato life is killing us.  So, instead, try growing potatoes!  During the gardening season you can leave the gym behind and make gardening your source of (cheap) moderate exercise.  Believe it or not, you can burn up to 200 calories per half hour engaging in a variety of gardening activities.  Watering can use up to 61 calories per half hour; raking and bagging leaves, 162; weeding, 182; and digging, spading and tilling, 200.  Some estimate that 45 minutes of active gardening can equal up to 30 minutes of aerobics. 

If you are worried about bone health and osteoporosis, a recent study by researchers at the University of Arkansas looked at bone mineral densities and physical activity levels of more than 3,000 women and found that gardening was second only to weight training in boosting bones. "Yard work involves pushing a mower, digging holes, pulling weeds, and carrying soil, dirt, or gravel. These are all strenuous, weight-bearing activities that build bones," says Lori Turner, Ph.D., R.D., associate professor of health science and lead author of the study. "And while any weight-bearing exercise will also bolster bones, people in the study were more likely to stick with gardening," Turner says. "People consider gardening a leisure activity with the end result of a beautiful yard, instead of a chore or exercise. "

Gardening also has positive effects on mental health.  The therapeutic effects of looking at trees and plants or surrounding yourself with peaceful garden environments have been documented since ancient times. Horticulture therapy has its roots in the 19th century when Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and considered to be the "Father of American Psychiatry," reported that garden settings held curative effects for people with mental illness.  So think of how it might help lessen the everyday stresses that affect us all.

If you decide to start gardening, or if you are a veteran yearning for the first signs of spring, it is a good idea to prepare yourself before heading out to the garden for the first time in the season (or even at the start of each gardening day).  Anyone who has experienced the aches and pains that follow an afternoon of weeding or raking know what I am talking about!   So, before starting, be sure to do some arm, back, neck and leg stretches.  If you find yourself sitting in one place for a long time, stand up and stretch to ease tired muscles.  To prevent back strain when lifting heavy bags of soil or digging out large rocks, be sure to bend from the knees and keep your back straight. 

For many, the garden can be their very own piece of nature.  An article by the Colorado Extension Service emphasized that the garden is also a great place to learn the "joy" and sense of accomplishment that comes from work.  Gardening teaches that much in life does not always give instantaneous rewards (unlike another popular pastime, video games).  Rewards are often to be enjoyed in the future-like when you share a basket of just-picked beans with your neighbor.  And, no supermarket sells a tomato that tastes as good as the one you pick from your own vines.

For more information about starting a vegetable garden, contact the Home and Garden Education Center at ladybug@uconn.edu or 1-877-486-6271.