Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette A typical compost tumbler will produce compost for a small garden throughout the summer.

Gardening activities experienced explosive growth in popularity during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020. According to several studies, people turned to gardening for a number of reasons, primarily to relieve anxiety, stress and depression, while at the same time increasing their access to food during a time when grocery store shelves were empty or nearly so.

A survey conducted by researchers at the tier-one research University of California, Davis, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) and international research partners, led to a report, “Gardening During VOVI-19: Experiences from gardening around the world,” which states that more than half of the respondents said they felt isolation, anxious and depressed during the early days of the pandemic, and 81% reported concerns over food access.

In addition to psychological benefits, studies have found that gardening is also beneficial to physical health. A report published by the National Institutes of Health states that it combines physical activity with social interaction along with exposure to nature and sunlight. Sunlight, the report says, lowers blood pressure and increase vitamin D levels in the summer. And the fruit and vegetables that are produced have a positive impact on the diet.

“Working in the garden restores dexterity and strength, and the aerobic exercise that is involved can easily use the same number of calories as might be expended in a gym,” states the Royal College of Physicians report, Gardening for Health: a regular dose of gardening. The health benefits derived from consuming homegrown produce are as impressive as the exercise gardening offers.

Different vegetables have a variety of unique health benefits, the Mayo Clinic Health System reports. Peppers contain capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce heart disease. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that may help slow the aging process and reduce the risk of some cancers. Spinach may boost your immune system and broccoli protects your body’s cells from damage.

Those who choose to raise vegetables in a community garden find added benefits as opposed to gardening in their backyards, the Mayo Clinic report states:

Gardening brings people together and strengthens social connections. The gardening community is rich with people willing to share their expertise, time and occasionally plants with new gardeners. Master gardeners are local volunteers dedicated to educating and empowering fellow gardeners. Community garden plots bring together people with diverse backgrounds to work on a common goal. Many gardening friendships begin over celebrating a success or bemoaning a gardening misstep.

Social connections are important because they help lower stress, improve resilience and provide support during difficult times in life, the report says. A strong sense of belonging lowers your risk of depression, anxiety and suicide.

Gardening, the UC Davis survey found, gave people a sense of control and security that came from food production, as well as experiencing increases in rates of joy and freedom in garden spaces.

But, does a small garden produce enough fresh produce to make a dietary difference? According to the survey, 33% of California gardeners said their plots generated about 25% of their produce needs. And, with home growing, gardeners can determine what they put into their soil and the environment. Smaller gardens are ideas for organic methods, and can be beneficial in other ways, including greatly reducing trash.

For instance, when it comes to raking all the fallen leaves into piles every fall, rather than filling plastic trash bags with them, turn the leaves directly into the garden. There is a huge variety of nutrients and minerals packed into the leaves. As they break down in the garden over the winter, they add those nutrients and minerals to the garden soil, resulting in the perfect natural fertilizer. Lawn clippings are a great source of nitrogen, if dug into the garden when they’re still green; they are great “browns” too, once dry. Browns are great sources of carbon in a compost heap.

Food scraps, such as vegetable peels, when added to dry grass clippings or dry leaves, be easily converted to a rich compost in a compost tumbler. A compost tumbler is a sealed container that can be rotated to mix the composting materials. Compost tumblers are available in several sizes and can be located near the garden or just outside the kitchen door. They can be purchased at gardening centers or made out of a discarded 30- or 50-gallon drum. Simply put vegetable wastes into a plastic trash can with a lid and add some water. Secure the lid to the can, drill some holes in the bottom, lay it on its side, and roll it over once a day. Every company producing them swears theirs is the best, but the best compost tumbler is the one that works for the gardener.

Egg shells are another scrap too valuable to toss in the trash. They can be rinsed under the tap and saved in a coffee can to be crushed as the can fills. Once they are dried, they can even be ground into a course dust in a blender. They provided a healthy dose of pure calcium to the garden soil.

Water for the garden can be as expensive as using the garden hose, or as cheap as collecting rain water from your downspouts in plastic barrels located beneath the spouts, or beneath the end of a rain gutter.

Gardening is good for the body and the mind, for reducing the amount of trash thrown out and for the environment. And many people agree that gardens are prettier than lawns.