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Health Benefits of Gardening for Seniors
Lisa Reisman • Aug 28, 2019
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Health Benefits of Gardening for Seniors
As spring turns to summer, and warmer humid weather comes our way, getting a garden ready to bloom could be the perfect way to spend your time outside. Gardening has many therapeutic and health benefits for older people, especially if it’s a garden producing fruits and vegetables. Many people in the older community allow their age to hold them back from certain outdoor activities, especially if it involves them bending over in the heat. With the right preparations and a few simple changes, gardening can easily become a safe and beneficial activity for any age.
Getting Started
If plants aren’t your topic of knowledge, check out a couple of beginner books on gardening to get started. Weather affects the types of plants that are grown in each region. The south, including Atlanta, tends to be very warm and humid throughout the summer months and can be a great city to start your first garden in. According to the University of Georgia Extension regarding agriculture, one should try to select a site that receives between 8 to 10 hours of sunlight a day, preferably near a water source on the outside of the home. Soil should be well textured and deep enough to self-drain, if the plant is not planted in a pot. Additionally, make sure the soil isn’t prone to excessive weeds to save yourself the trouble of having to pull them every week— the more common Georgia weeds are called Nutsedge and Bermudagrass.
It’s helpful to have a plan of some sort before you plant the seeds you choose— making a chart on paper can help you gauge how much space to allow yourself. Since many plants can be grown through Georgia’s winter as well, plan to use the same space as one harvest finishes for the following season’s variety. This drawing can help remind you which plants and vegetables are current and which ones need to be rotated from year to year. Visit your local gardening centers for purchasing seeds, or feel free to replant already-sprouted plants to get a head start on the growing process. If you go to the route of starting out with small plants, make sure they’re free of insects and look healthy.
Small Changes for Successful Gardening
Rethinking the landscape can help set yourself up for success and lower maintenance overall in the gardening process.
-Raised garden beds can be a great pre-gardening project to help the soil drain better and make harvesting the crops easier on your back. If possible, make a trip to Home Depot or local home improvement center and look for timbers you can stack to bring up to waist or wheelchair level. The shopping and building of these raised beds can be challenging if you don’t drive or have a way of getting around. Don’t be afraid to ask family members or caretakers for help getting started, because the benefits and convenience of having a raised garden bed will make a huge difference in the long run.
-Vertical gardens are another way to start, and for some this may be the better option if space is limited. You can even create vertical gardens indoors if the sunlight is right. Growing plants upward can be done with large pots of soil and by using things to support them like tomato cages, bamboo stocks, or fences which can all be found at gardening centers as well.
-Protect your garden with barriers like fences or some sort of transparent tent in order to keep animals like squirrels, deer, and other pests away from edible garden items.
-Organize an irrigation system, like a scheduled sprinkler, to help water your crops. The best time to water any plant is in the evening so the heat doesn’t evaporate the water before it’s gotten to the roots. This will allow yourself to spend time on other things and can be helpful if you’re traveling.
Health Benefits
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists gardening as a recommended strengthening exercise for people over the age of 65. Activities that improve muscle strength are recommended for seniors 2 days a week in conjunction with aerobic activities to prevent age related health problems like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and cancer.
Gardening as a whole requires people to dig, hoe, lift, and engage different muscle groups, which will strengthen over the course of your gardening experience. This can provide the perfect amount of movement and allow seniors to regain self-worth while staying active. Gardening for many seniors, can be therapeutic and improve things like anxiety and depression. Taking on the responsibility of maintaining a garden will give seniors a reason to start their day in a positive way and help improve overall mood.
Gardening also allows for more quality time to be spent with family and friends if you choose to make it into more of a group activity. Conversations and teamwork surrounding a garden will boost morale and overall happiness especially when you start to reap the benefits of your harvest. Gardening can also improve health by allowing for people to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables if they’re growing crops themselves. Buying organic produce can get expensive, so gardening can be seen as an investment if you’re planting food that you are able to eat year round. All healthy diets include fruits and leafy greens, so being able to have a salad in your backyard that you grew will make a well-balanced diet more attainable. If gardening is something you’re interested in starting, consult family and friends to help you get the ball rolling; it’s a rewarding activity that will leave you with few regrets and a lot of vegetables!
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