Blog by Melinda Nestlerode
We are living in challenging times. Our nation is polarized politically, civil discourse appears to be a quaint memory, the Middle East is embroiled in multiple catastrophic battles, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ongoing, anonymous people on the Internet spew unverified vitriol, our climate is changing with devastating results, prices are rising…Add to that the everyday stressors of work, family, aging, and health problems, and we have a recipe for stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. It’s no surprise that an April 2025 press release from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that depression in U.S. adolescents and adults has increased by 60 percent in the last decade.
As individuals, we have little control over most of the world’s problems. What we do have, though, is a relatively inexpensive, easily accessible activity which has been proven to benefit our mental, physical, and emotional health. Gardening!
Studies have shown that simply being out in green nature reduces stress and improves our sense of well-being. Gardening in our own environments adds significant benefits, such as mental agility (planning the garden space, researching each plants’ location and water requirements), physical strength (hauling bags of soil amendment and mulch, digging, pushing the wheelbarrow), emotional satisfaction (watching that seed or plant-start grow into a gorgeous vegetable or lovely flower), and heightened nutrition (eating those lovingly tended veggies).
Indoor gardening is equally beneficial for our health. In a Japanese study, subjects viewing houseplants registered lower electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, blood pressure, pulse rate, and muscle tension, as well as reduced stress, fear, anger, and sadness. Houseplants beautify our homes, and like all plants, through photosynthesis they remove carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen.
Studies have shown that students who have plants in the classroom, or even those who can view plants through a window, have improved test scores, concentration, and focus. According to Melinda Knuth, an assistant professor of horticultural science at North Carolina State University, “There’s been evidence to show that plants help us by decreasing our stress and anxiety as well as increasing our creativity, reducing our cortisol levels in our saliva in both educational and work settings.”
Plants improve the experience of patients in hospitals as well. Patients who can view plants and trees through a window of post-operative wards have been shown to have improved moods, require less pain medication, have fewer surgical complications, and have shorter hospital stays.
Gardening has also been associated with a lower prevalence of dementia. An Australian study found that gardening was more effective than walking, education, or reducing alcohol intake in protecting against dementia.
Even eating the fruits and vegetables produced as a result of our gardening has been shown to have positive mental health benefits. Two recent Australian studies demonstrate that the micronutrients found in these foods improve mental health and reduce depression.
An April 2025 article published in Texas A&M Agrolife summarizes the mental health benefits of gardening as follows: Anxiety and stress reduction; attention deficit recovery; decreased depression; enhanced memory retention; improved happiness and life satisfaction; mitigation of PTSD; increased creativity, productivity and attention; reduced effects of dementia; and, enhanced self-esteem.
With all of the positive, healthy advantages that gardening provides, how can we not get out there and put our hands in the soil? Even touching the soil improves our mental health. Soil contains Mycobacterium vaccae, a bacterium that is absorbed through the skin which triggers the release of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a natural antidepressant and mood lifter, strengthens the immune system, and provides a general sense of well-being.
Happy Gardening!