Gardening for Your Health

There are so many benefits your body gets from gardening. Not only does it improve your mood, reduce stress, and gets you out into the fresh air, but gardening is also a great form of physical exercise. Incorporating gardening into your life can be a powerful way to improve heart health. Gardening provides varied exercise, from vigorous digging and raking to lighter impact activities such as planting or weeding. Whether you are retired, working, or fresh out of diapers, gardening is an activity that anyone can reap the benefits from. Just 30 minutes a day can make a difference.

Stress is also known to lead to health problems, including heart disease. Gardening and being around green spaces are one way to help you reduce stress. Spending time in nature among the flowers, insects, and wildlife lowers cortisol levels, reducing stress, blood pressure, and heart rate, with the added benefit of improving your overall mood.

Gardening promotes heart health through physical exercise, but it also has the chance to improve your health by providing you with access to fresh, nutrient-rich produce. Growing your own fruits and vegetables can help encourage healthy eating habits. Growing vegetables gives you the opportunity to try something new, such as kohlrabi, kale, brussels sprouts, or some interesting varieties of tomatoes, melons, or cucumbers. Our Kansas Garden Guide is a helpful resource for learning what to plant, when to plant, and how to grow them successfully. Not only are you helping your finances by growing your own food, but you are also decreasing your risk of heart disease by adopting a more active, nutritious lifestyle.

Gardening is also a great way to unwind and be creative. It allows you to determine what to plant and what brings you joy. If growing vegetables isn’t your thing or you don't have space for a vegetable garden, container gardening might be for you. You can even sneak in a vegetable or two into a container filled with beautiful flowers.

Additional Resources:

Container Gardening for Pollinators

S51 Kansas Garden

by Markis HIll, Horticulture Turf and Ornamentals Agent, February 2026