Century Park Blog

Gardening is all about caring for plants. When you garden, you’re also caring for your own physical and mental wellbeing.

Here are all the ways your green thumb is good for your health.

Gardening Counts as Exercise

An afternoon pulling weeds, spreading mulch, or planting flowers feels like exercise — because it is.

Gardening is considered moderate-intensity exercise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Just two mornings tending your garden will easily get you on your way toward that goal.

Gardening Boosts Your Memory

"There’s some research to show that time spent in green spaces working in gardens can help those with memory loss, specifically by lessening their symptoms of depression and anxiety," says ecologist Joshua Lawler, Ph.D., professor and director of the Nature and Health Program at the University of Washington.

Gardening can also boost your brain power beyond dementia care. Research has shown that short gardening sessions for healthy adults over age 65 can improve levels of certain brain nerve growth factors associated with memory and cognitive function.

Gardening Can Help Improve Your Diet

When you get into gardening, you get to enjoy the (literal) fruits of your labor. Taking home your bounty and eating more fruits and vegetables can help improve your diet.

Adults should aim to eat 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables every day, according to the CDC.

Whether you follow a plant-based diet or serve up a side of leafy greens with chicken for dinner, food always seems to taste better when you grow it yourself.

Gardening Lets You Soak up the Sun

When your skin is exposed to sunlight, your body makes more vitamin D. This crucial vitamin helps support nerve, muscle, and immune health.

Vitamin D is even more important as we age. Having a vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Plus, sunlight can help lower your blood pressure. Just don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

Community Gardening Serves up Social Connection

Gardening with friends can counteract the harmful effects of social isolation, especially on those with poor mental health.

Gardening Relieves Stress

Gardening is good for you.

Researchers looked at more than 5,000 gardeners in the United Kingdom and found that two or three gardening sessions per week were found to bring about the most benefits in terms of improved wellness and lower stress.

It turns out working in a garden for enjoyment is a highly restorative activity!