Green Fingers - the benefits of gardening and tips for a healthy gardening lifestyle

You’ve mastered the houseplants - your succulents are thriving and your peace lily is blooming. What’s next? Gardening… don’t wait 'til you move into that sprawling country estate you’ve seen on Pinterest to start reaping the numerous health benefits of gardening.

Wellbeing

Chronically elevated cortisol levels have been linked to everything from immune function to obesity to memory and learning problems and heart disease. A Dutch study asked two groups of people to complete a stressful task and concluded that gardening for 30 minutes after said task resulted in lower cortisol levels. They found that planting and nurturing seeds, even just in small pots, provided great mental health benefits. 

Physical

It’s pretty obvious that gardening provides a whole-body workout for your heart and your muscles. Depending on how hard you work, you could burn up to 250 calories in 30 minutes! And it’s a little more rewarding than your treadmill…

Spend a little too long on your beautiful buddleias? Try soaking in our Seaweed & Arnica Foaming Bubble Bath to ease any aches and pains.

Creativity

Maybe not the most obvious benefit but stay with us! Gardening is a form of creativity, allowing you to express yourself and get creative which is psychologically rewarding in itself. Everyone brings their personal tastes and styles to gardening. Whether you want tidy rows or a wild jungle, find a balance that suits your taste.

Hands

Spend all day swiping through Instagram? Offset your hand strain by fine-tuning those motor skills and muscles with gardening.  Try and alternate use of your right and left hands to balance your body whilst you garden too. Wash your hands after a day of gardening with our organic Garden Mint & Bergamot Hand Wash and follow up with our Hand Lotion to keep hands in tip-top condition.

Immunity

Not only does the Vitamin D you’re soaking in from the summer sun help you fight off colds and flu, but it turns out even the dirt under your fingernails may be working in your favour! The “friendly” soil bacteria M. vaccae has been found to alleviate symptoms of psoriasis, allergies and asthma: all of which may stem from an out-of-whack immune system. This particular organism has also been shown to alleviate depression.

Plus, VEGGIES!

Daunted? Don’t be. We’ve put together some handy tips and pointers to help you get your hands (and other limbs) dirty. 

• Make sure you’re drinking enough water and staying hydrated throughout the day
• No yard? No problem! Try using pots and boxes for your herbs and flowers instead
• Try our Citronella Spray to keep the mosquitos away so your hands can be used for potting – not swatting
• Find it difficult to bend down? Why don’t you try raised beds to reduce the strain on your back? If you do strain yourself, try massaging some of our Warming Salve to relieve sore muscles
• Resilient, hardy & easy to grow plants:
  Herbs– Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Cilantro, Rosemary
  Greens – Kale, Chard, Collard Greens, Arugula
  Chillies – Jalapeno, Serrano, Anaheim
  Edible Flowers – Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Pansies, Calendula
• Don’t try to control nature too much – let her do her thing and she’ll let you do yours

Now go turn those fingers green!