Why Preparing a Fall Garden May Be Good for Your Health

As summer draws to a close, now is the perfect time to start planning your fall garden or even looking out to next spring. Based on where you live and the type of plants you want to grow, planting season can extend all the way through October.

A benefit of growing fall vegetable gardens is that they are packed with foods that have high nutritional value. Common fall vegetables range from cruciferous greens like broccoli and Brussels sprouts, to nutrient-dense leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collards, or root vegetables such as parsnips and beets that are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

In addition to these crops, other vegetables commonly planted in the fall include cauliflower, mustard greens, lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard, English peas, bush beans, potatoes, winter squash, cabbage, kohlrabi, and bok choy. Even though they are common in summer gardens, you can also plant radishes, carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash again in the fall.

If you planted a summer vegetable garden this year, be sure to harvest any last-minute vegetables before prepping your garden for autumn plants.

Plant Spring and Summer Flower Bulbs

If you don’t have the time to care for a vegetable garden but enjoy flowers, autumn is the best time to plant flower bulbs that will bloom the following spring and summer. Bulbs require little maintenance after planting and will look beautiful as they bloom for years to come.

To achieve continuous color in your garden, choose from daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths for early spring blooms, then follow them with mid-season tulips, lilies, gladiolus, and other varieties that bloom into the summer.

Bulbs will typically bloom again the following year and indefinitely into the future. They will even multiply over time. So in a few years, it’s a good idea to thin out the bulbs and plant some elsewhere or share them with others.

Plant a Winter Herb Garden Indoors

If you live in an apartment or have limited outdoor space for gardening, but you still want to test your green thumb, consider an indoor winter herb garden. These small gardens can provide fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, oregano, and dill to add to your meals and recipes. Or you can dry them and share with friends and family.

All you need to get your herb garden started are seeds, potting soil, pots that drain, something to place underneath the pots to catch excess moisture, and a sunny windowsill. If you want to plant light-hungry herbs such as basil, thyme, rosemary, and sage, it’s a good idea to supplement your herb garden using artificial growing lights in the winter.

[Related: 8 Simple Secrets to Living Longer]

Gardening Keeps Older Adults Active in the Blue Zones

In all the world’s original blue zones, places known for their longevity, residents continue to garden into their 80s, 90s, and even 100s. In addition to planting, people are nudged into ongoing physical activity by gardening as they have to continuously water, weed, and harvest their plants over long periods of time.

Nicoyans in Costa Rica, for example, do physical activities like gardening and farming throughout their entire lives. And in the blue zones region of Okinawa, Japan, almost all people grow or have grown a garden in the past. 

[Related: Okinawa’s Longevity Lessons]

Gardening is the perfect low-impact exercise that naturally works different parts of the body using a wide range of motions. Moving naturally is one of the Blue Zones Power 9® Principles, practices that we recommend for health, well-being, and longevity based on our research on the longest-lived populations in the world.

Gardening to Relieve Stress, Improve Mental Health & More

While the physical benefits can be significant, research suggests gardening can do much more. It can relieve stress and improve mental health. In fact just a few minutes of gardening can help lower levels of cortisol – the stress hormone. Scientists have also found that stirring up microbes in dirt can stimulate our production of serotonin, which our brains and nervous systems need to function properly.

[Related: 7 Benefits of Gardening and Yardwork on Your Mental Health]

Gardening can also promote social interaction and make people feel more connected to the natural world around them, while simultaneously providing them with fresh, nutritious food that promotes healthy eating.

Not only is eating more plant-based foods a characteristic found in the original blue zones, but home-grown garden produce can be much healthier than store-bought food. That’s because it can be eaten sooner after being harvested, while it’s fresher and its nutrient levels are at their peak.

Tips for Your Gardening Journey

• If you’re a beginner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has some great advice on how to start a vegetable garden. Your local USDA extension office is another great resource. 
• Looking for easy plants to start out with? Read our article, 7 Easy-To-Grow Plants for Beginning Gardeners, and look for some of the fall vegetables we’ve mentioned.
• Want to plant a garden outdoors but don’t have enough land or sunlight? Research to see if there is a community garden that you could get involved with in your area.
• Want to plant a fall garden at your school or youth organization? Here are lessons and activities on how to engage children and youth through gardening from the American Horticultural Society.

Lisa Oliver Monroe is a journalist and author of a travel book about America’s Historic Triangle (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown). Her writing has been published by Virginia Living, Boomer Magazine, Kirkus Media, Advance for Nurses, and Colonial Williamsburg,  among many others.