GARDEN FOR HEALTH

BY Dr. Sanjiva Wijesinha

As we near the end of 2022, I find myself beginning to appreciate even more the many benefits of gardening. Of course, in these days when meals are so expensive to put on the table, growing food is not only pleasurable but economical as well!

An appreciation of the health benefits of gardening isn’t limited to a person of my age who is getting close to contemplating retirement. Gardening is a universal hobby that can be indulged in by anyone – from children and teenagers to those who have full-time jobs, as well as old folks at home living out their retirement.

How nice it is to be able to eat food that you have grown yourself! It surely tastes better than the produce you buy from any market or the supermarkets. In our tropical climate, home gardeners should find leafy greens easy to grow. In the same vein, vegetables such as capsicums, brinjals, lady’s-fingers, tomatoes and beans will thrive if given care, water and the occasional dose of fertiliser.

Cultivating flowers, even if you cannot eat them (in most cases), can also give you a sense of purpose and wellbeing, providing a feast for the eyes and nose… if not the tongue.

Quite apart from the pleasure of growing and consuming your own nutritious leaves, vegetables and fruits, cultivating a garden gets you out in the sunshine and fresh air. It’s a welcome ‘head clearing’ activity for someone who spends most of his or her day at an office in front of a computer or on their feet inside a building.

We all need exercise to im­prove our stamina, strength and suppleness. While gardening won’t give you much cardio­vascular exercise, it can help keep your muscles toned, strong and supple.

Digging up soil, pruning branches, pulling out weeds, carrying bags of soil and pots are all activities, which – if done properly – ensure that you get your muscles and joints moving, and help to maintain your body’s strength and suppleness.

In addition to the physical benefits you gain by gardening, you’ll also receive a boost for your mental health. While tilling the soil and nurturing the plants that grow in it establishes an obvious connection to nature, the process also allows you to create spaces for rest and relaxation.

Even if the amount of space you have to cultivate is small, it can still be a haven where you can sit and contemplate, relax and reflect. So place a chair out in your small urban veggie patch and spend a little time observing this green world that you have created. Then you can detach yourself (even for a short time) from the busy world.

You can spend time in your garden and enjoy what you have helped create without worrying about the mundane jobs that are waiting for you back at the workplace!

Cultivating your own garden fosters a sense of wellbeing. Even spending time in the garden of a friend or neighbour can play a crucial role in maintaining balance and perspective in your life.

The English poet Dorothy Frances (Blomfield) Gurney once wrote: “One is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth.”

And you’ll know how true that is if only you would take up the hobby of gardening – for the sake of your health, as well as your diet…