Gardening for Your WHOLE Life

March 29, 2023
Durango CoOp is a community partner of Mercy Hospital in the work to battle food insecurity; featuring vegetables and fruit.

Garden!!! Garden, not just for the free vegetables. Gardening is for the whole you.
Gardening builds you up emotionally, physically, spiritually, socially, and professionally. Just get out there and you’ll see.

Emotional Physical Spiritual Social Professional
  • Reduce symptoms of anxiety, attention deficit, stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Enhance memory retention, happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem
  • Adequate vitamin D levels (produced in the skin from sunlight*) produces serotonin, a “feel good” hormone
  • Full-body exercise has broad disease prevention and mood boosting impacts
  • Fresh veggies like peppers, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and broccoli can protect against disease and reduce the impacts of aging
  • Vitamin D produced in the skin from sunshine* protects against cancers and other diseases
  • Gardens remind us of the positive paths that we choose to take
  • Work, constant learning, patience and reliance on love and vision to keep us going
  • It forces us to soften up and see that true, sustainable success comes from cooperation with the land, and other people
  • Whether in a community garden or in the yard, others with an interest in gardening will appear
  • Gardening groups exist in nearly every community and are a good way to connect with others
  • Don’t forget to swap your excess with the neighbors or a local food pantry
  • Anything that improves your health, stamina and stress levels can help improve careers, but there’s more!
  • Hobbies (like gardening), increase one’s creativity, reduce burnout and supports a better attitude at work

 

Tips

Make sure to get the all clear from a medical provider. Stay current on tetanus shots and use sun protection including sunscreen, a wide-brim hat, bug spray and plenty of water. You may get the best tasting tomatoes you’ve ever had

Great how-to resources

Health & Wellness