1stop Organic Gardening

Could it be true that gardening can keep us alive longer? Well last night I watched Catalyst on the ABC which was about aging and the things that help us live longer. Mostly it was about keeping your brain active by continuing to learn – say a new language, or a musical instrument, or learning to use a computer.

But here’s the thing – gardening can help you live up to 30% longer. The basic reasoning behind it was that gardeners are always looking forward. Looking forward to spring bulbs flowering, planning ahead what seeds or seedlings to grow for the next season; that kind of thing – oh, and the stress relief that gardening brings.

I’m sure those things play a major role in a gardeners longevity, but I think there’s more to gardening and longevity than that – especially organic gardening. There’s

• being outside in fresh air;
• getting vitamin D from sunshine;
• the gentle exercise from digging, bending, moving things around, walking that keeps your joints moving;
• social aspects, such as sharing with other gardens; giving of excess produce or plants;
• the simple joy of growing things, creating beauty

And that’s just gardening in general. I think organic gardening and especially growing your own food (or some of it) organically can add many years to your life – and the quality of your life. Or maybe, more to the point, that the quality of commercially grown food and the time it gets to your mouth – uuurrrmmm… just doesn’t give the body what it needs to live those extra years. And don’t let me get started on fast food!!!

So as I see it, organic gardening could be the very fountain of youth. If you’ve never grown food organically, but want to give it a try – take a look here. Obviously I’m a BIG fan of organic gardening and grow most of our own food from just a small plot and just an hour or so a week – both greatly satisfying and delicious.

Happy Organic Gardening, Healthy Living…

Julie

Filed under: Uncategorized on May 10th, 2008