Growing for Wellbeing recognises the impact of gardening and growing activities on our overall health and wellbeing. There are therapeutic benefits of nurturing plants, connecting with nature, and fostering a sense of community. In this blog will explore ways in which you can experience the positive effects of gardening on your wellbeing. It contains activities for enhancing our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. If you haven’t already started, any time of year is the perfect time to start tending to your garden if you have one, or house plants if you don’t. There may also be a community garden nearby that you could join.
Therapeutic Aspects of Gardening
Living Life to the Full team member Theresa explains; Horticulture and gardening has a long-standing relationship with mental health hospitals where gardening occupied a large part of daily life for people. Initially in mental health settings it was recognised as a way of keeping people engaged, out in the fresh air and coincidently provided to be a method of relaxation. Caring for plants and vegetables involves various levels of responsibility, instilling a feeling of accomplishment and pride meanwhile forming a strategic part of a perhaps otherwise uneventful day when someone is struggling to keep up with their usual daily routine (Hospital magazine, 1998).
In more recent times we have what’s often called ‘green gyms’ where the benefits expected include companionship, relaxation, decision making, planning skills and education. In addition an appreciation of seasons and plants, communication skills and an active interest in one’s surroundings regardless of the level of involvement and ability of individuals this aids recovery for some people – there’s usually something for everyone.
Gardening for Keeping Physically Fit
Tending to a garden keeps you functionally fit. Lifting pots, pruning, clipping and planting with lots of different balanced bends and twists can help your joints and strengthen your muscles. It is also important to make sure you have proper posture while doing these things as you can easily strain your back. It is best to squat while gardening, it is one of the best ways to keep your balance and keeps your ankles, hips and back strong without over-straining. Or use a kneeling pad or raised beds. You should always check with your health care practitioner before embarking on any heavy or strenuous work, especially if you have joints problems or its been a long time since you did much exercise.
Some Tips from the LLTTF Team on – Growing Fruit and Vegetables from Scraps
As well as saving on food wastage you feel a huge sense of achievement instead of tossing left over veggie stems, and seeds in the bin after cooking, you can give them new life by
re-growing them into plants. Many fruits and vegetables can be turned into a fresh new crop easily with soil, water and sunlight and can enjoy fresh produce at your fingertips from scraps.
Here are a few suggestions and how to get them growing:
Celery – remove roughly 2 inches from the base of a bunch of celery and place in a shallow bowl with water, spraying the top daily to keep it moist. Replace it with fresh water every couple of days until a new root system emerges, then transplant into the ground.
Herbs – herbs will propagate through cuttings-snip at a node (where sections of the plant merge), and place the cut portion in a jar of water on a windowsill. Replace the water every one or two days until roots emerge, then transplant to a container or the ground.
Garlic – garlic is one of the easiest foods to grow from kitchen scraps-simply take cloves and place them pointy-side up in the ground, 4-6 inches apart. Plant them outside in fall before the first frost and enjoy fresh garlic the following year.
Green Onions – If you’re only using the green part of the onions, retain the white part with a small amount of pale green and place it in water on a sunny windowsill. Refresh the water regularly and use green portions as they grow, or transplant into a pot with soil for more extended use.
Peppers – save the seeds from your next bell or hot pepper. Plant them directly into the soil, and water them regularly. Once a new plant emerges, transplant it to a larger container or outdoors, where it will thrive best in direct light and warm temperatures.
Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes – it is easy to accidentally start growing new potatoes – if left in a bag in the cupboard for too long you will find them covered in sprouts. If you cut potatoes into 2-inch pieces and let them sit on the countertop for a couple of days to dry, you can then sow them directly into the ground in early spring and enjoy homegrown potatoes in early to midsummer.
Tomatoes – plant the seeds from your tomato into a small pot, keep well-watered on a windowsill, and wait for a new plant to emerge. Once the plant reaches several inches tall, transplant it to a larger pot.
Pineapple – unlike other fruits, pineapples are grown from other pineapples, not seeds. Take the top of an existing pineapple, dry it out and plant it. Although it takes years to grow a pineapple, it is well worth the wait.
Ginger – if you have some left over ginger, give it new life by planting it and growing more. Soak the root in warm water overnight, then plant it sideways in a container, cover with soil and place in a sunny spot. Keep the soil moist, and in a few months, you’ll have enough ginger to harvest.
Other Home-Grown Ideas if you have a garden or balcony
If you are inspired to grow vegetables at home in your garden. Here are a few more of the easy to grow at home in your garden ideas:
Peas – sow March to June, harvest 2-3 months after.
Peas are easy to grow and enjoy cooler weather. Sow them directly into the ground from March to June and look forward to the incredible sweet flavour of fresh picked peas from June to August. All they need is support for their stems – simply erect some chicken wire or netting between supports at each end of the row. You’ll be amazed at how good fresh peas taste – and the more that you pick them, the more they produce.
Runner Beans– sow April to July, harvest 2 months after.
Runner beans are climbers so give them plenty of space and train them onto wires or a plant support frame. Keep them well watered and they will reward you with a constant supply in summer. Regular picking is essential.
There are many more to have fun and experiment with.
Enjoying Plants in Your Home without the Expense
Not everyone has a garden but it is still possible to do some of these suggestions using empty household items on a window sill, for example, cutting the bottom off an empty juice bottle, turn it upside down and use as a cloche for small individual cuttings, you can buy grow bags to sow tomato plants straight into it (but this can take up a bit of room-1 metre).
Chilli’s also grow well in a pot on the windowsill and look nice. If you visit the bargain basement section of a garden centre or supermarket for ‘past their best plants’ down in price, you take them home and nurture them back to life.
It is easy to propagate plants you already have at home. You can take clean ‘cuttings’ of stems to create many more plants. Cuttings need roots before they’ll take and exist by themselves, so if there are no roots at the initial stages you need to encourage the cutting to grow some. This is done either by planting up the cutting directly in potting compost or in something like a small container, vase or you can use a glass with just water that you change and refresh every few weeks.
Other Ideas for Your Garden or Plant Area inside or outside
Perhaps there is an area of your garden that would be suitable as a place of meditation. Plants help to create a positive, calming mood, setting the perfect scene for practising mindfulness. If you do this outside you may find it easier to relax and connect with nature, or you can choose an area of your home with some nice plants. Beautifying your indoor space with plants makes a soothing atmosphere and contributes to well-being and comfort. The indoor air quality also is much better due to plants’ ability to pull in stale air and breathe out fresh oxygen.
Mindfulness is an evidence-based approach to help prevent recurrent depression and has a growing evidence base for it’s usefulness in helping people with anxiety or struggling with physical health problems.
Find out more about our mindfulness book,
Planning what to grow and then seeing your hard work come to a successful fruition is confidence-building and satisfying. So go on, make a plan- maybe you could use our Activity Planner to get going, and in a few weeks’ time you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labour.
For more free worksheets to help you go to www.llttf.com
Happy planting! The LLTTF Team.