Gardening - Health Benefits Abound

Spring Isn't Cancelled!

Getting Outside

Getting outside (while maintaining proper social distancing) as the weather warms is a natural way to place more distance between one's self and an airborne virus. This may seem counterintuitive but there's science behind it. That's because the sun produces ultraviolet radiation. True, sunlight (UV-A and UV-B) take longer to inactivate viruses than UV-C (which the atmosphere blocks), being outside (with a hat and sunscreen) still puts you in an environment that puts viruses at a disadvantage.

Dirty Hands Clean The Mind

While you're trying to remain safe amidst the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, gardening not only passes the time, it provides different health benefits to you. Digging in the soil can be therapeutic for many because it rivets attention into growth versus worry. The lifting, squatting, carrying, digging, weeding, and harvesting provide the physical benefits of exercise while observing, reflecting, planning, and appreciating provides the emotional benefits of a job well-done.

Growing Your Own Health

Growing your own food in your own garden also reduces your dependence upon a centralized food system that can contribute to virus transmission. Not only because you know who's weeded, watered, fertilized, and harvested your food, but also because of less packaging by sellers, less stocking by stores, and less handling by other shoppers. So in addition to the physical and mental benefits to yourself from simply gardening, you’re also privy to a wide range of health benefits from eating freshly grown fruits and vegetables. There’s no better time than now to improve your diet and form new habits.

Keep in mind, however, that rabbits, chipmunks, and other pests don't know it's "virus season" - so consideration about one's beds is a good start. The Pest Thwarting Garden Bed keeps your plants safe from slugs, rabbits, and ground-based weeds. In addition, it has a fabric liner that allows drainage without losing soil. And its V-shape allows you to interplant a diversity of plants, such as root crops in the middle and shallow-rooted lettuces along the perimeter.

And soon enough, the warm wet weather will bring mosquitoes temperate climates -- so girding your garden and protecting yourself become priorities. Trapping them is easy with our One Acre Environmentally Safe Mosquito Trap. Or, if you feel insects have rights, too, you can simply deny them purchase on your skin with The Mosquito Blocking Shirt, Pants, Hood, Gloves, and Socks.

Thinking ahead is also good gardening practice — your perennials will have gaps where your annuals once were come the Fall - that's when you will want to plant bulbs for the next spring. The Perfect Hole Digging Drill Bit from Hammacher Schlemmer will help with this. It not only tills the soil but also extracts it, leaving you with a symmetrical hole perfect for planting.

Keep checking back with Hammacher Schlemmer for more helpful tips and product recommendations.