DIG IN WHY YOU SHOULD START PLANTING TODAY

In addition to the benefits of planting discussed in the article, here are more reasons to get the seeds and ground ready.

1. Increases physical activity

If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate exercise into your lifestyle without making it a pain, here’s a great way to do so. A busy day in the garden can be a great form of exercise. While tending a garden, we perform functional movement that mimics whole body exercise. We perform squats and lunges while weeding. Carrying bags of mulch and other supplies works large muscle groups. Digging, raking and using a push mower can be physically intense activities. Gardening also can improve balance, strength and flexibility.

2. Improves mood

Research has shown that simply spending time in the outdoors, especially around plants, reduces cortisol levels (the stress hormone) in many. The outdoor environment is conducive to deeper breathing, more mindfulness, and a welcome break from high-tech life. A 2007 study found a bacterium in plant soil called mycobacterium vaccae that triggers the release of serotonin, which lifts mood and reduces anxiety.

In a multi-year study published in 2011, people with depression participated in a gardening intervention for 12 weeks. Afterward, researchers measured several aspects of their mental health, including depression symptoms, finding that all of them were significantly improved. And those improvements lasted for months after the intervention ended.

3. Improves cognitive functioning

Researchers in Korea gave 20-minute gardening activities to people being treated for dementia in an inpatient facility. After the residents had raked and planted in vegetable gardens, researchers discovered increased amounts of some brain nerve growth factors associated with memory in both males and females.

In a 2014 research review, analysts found that horticultural therapy — using gardening to improve mental health — may be an effective treatment for people with dementia.

In fact, in the Netherlands and Norway, people with dementia often participate in groundbreaking Greencare programs, where they spend a large part of the day working on farms and in gardens.

4. Fosters connection

The evidence-based benefits on cognitive and emotional health are many, and that’s besides of the physical health benefits of consuming produce in its most natural, untainted form—and then there’s also the fun part. Planting your own garden or veggie patch allows for such fun and connection within the family, as all of you tend to your shared labor of love together. Go for it!