Weather permitting, I plan to spend my bank holiday gardening. Not because my garden is in desperate need of some tender loving care (although the 5-inch grass and weeds might suggest otherwise), but because research claims it will improve my wellbeing.
Gardening is a good form of exercise (burning 180 calories an hour), increases knowledge and skills, and improves your diet. It is also said to have cognitive benefits. Researchers suggest that planting a seed requires hope, a key component in recovery from ill health, according to psychologist Esso Leete.
Following a report by the mental health charity Mind, which called for eco-therapy to be clinically recognised, treatment centres that use gardening, such as Thrive and the Northgate Clinic, have been sprouting up all over the country.
Sophie Rivett-Carnac works for the charity Garden Organic. Its One Pot Pledge campaign aims to get gardening novices growing, one step at a time. Rivett-Carnac believes the delayed gratification of gardening has positive effects. ‘This is one area of life you cannot speed up,’ she says. ‘We are powerless in a wonderful way. It makes you calm down, it’s meditative.’
If you don’t have a garden, why not invest in a pot or a window box, and watch as your seeds, and happiness, grow?
What to grow if you’re a first-time gardener
Rocket: It’s notoriously expensive to buy in supermarkets, but quick and easy to grow at home. Plant the seeds in a pot, water well, cover with clingfilm, and put it in a warm place. When the shoots come through, remove the clingfilm and watch your crop grow.
What to plant this weekend
Lettuce: It’s the perfect time to start growing some lettuce. Gardener’s World presenter Alys Fowler advises cropping the leaves before they are fully grown. That way the plant will continue to grow throughout the summer.
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