MAC and Brie Make

(Photo taken at a cabin in Vermont)

Gardening is Good for You

Lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are becoming increasingly prevalent. Urban environments in particular can lead to adverse health outcomes, due to local pollution (urbanites are also more likely to have high-fat diets and sedentary lifestyles, which can also be bad for health).

Enter gardening.

There have been several studies on gardening and health. Researchers Masashi Soga, Kevin J. Gaston, and Yuichi Yamaura did a meta-analysis of these studies and published their findings in Preventative Medicine Reports back in 2017.

They found that studies on gardening and health had consistent outcomes. Gardening led to:

• Reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms
• Reductions in stress, anger, and fatigue
• Reduction in obesity
• Increases in life satisfaction and psychological wellbeing in general
• Increases in longevity in elderly subjects

Some studies also did a 3-month follow-up with people prescribed gardening (which is called “horticulture therapy”), and found that the health improvements were still there–meaning that the benefits of gardening can have long-lasting effects! In addition, the studies controlled for differences in socio-economic status, meaning that gardening is beneficial for everyone. [1]

Gardening is Good for the Bees

Animals pollinate over 80% of flowering species, and the busiest animal pollinator is the bee. While urban green spaces are good for bees, gardens can be even better because gardens are more likely to have a wider variety of plants. A wider variety of plants means that a wider variety of bee species can be supported, as some species like some plants more than others. [2]

But although some bees can forage from nonnative plant species, they still show a preference for native plants–native bees prefer native plants. But it’s still complicated, because nonnative plants still can provide a food source for bees when native plants aren’t blooming, and thus provide a steadier food source. [3]

Regardless of what exactly is grown in the garden, a 2016 paper published in Ecology and Evolution showed that gardens can make life easier for bees.

“Our study shows that gardens can increase resource intake and thus foraging success in social bees even beyond natural habitats,” wrote Kaluza, et al. [3]

In conclusion: if you are able to garden (whether at home or at a community garden), you should give it a try. It could be good for both you and the bees around you.

Sources/FURTHER READING

[1] Gardening is beneficial for health: A meta-analysis

[2] Assessing five decades of garden bee studies

[3] Urban gardens promote bee foraging over natural habitats and plantations