Outdoor Recreation - Gardening

For some Americans, outdoor activities are as close as their own backyard. According to the National Gardening Association (NGA), in 2003 eighty-four million U.S. households (78%) had at least one gardener, up from seventy-two million in 1994. Gardening participation varied from year to year, based on home ownership rates, the number of sunny days during the growing season, and portrayals of gardening in the media.

A survey conducted by the NGA in 2001 found that flower gardening was more popular than vegetable gardening in the United States, with four out of ten households growing flowers, compared to three out of ten raising vegetables. Householders ages thirty-five to fifty-four (51%) were most likely to live in a flower-gardening household; middle-aged and older households were more likely to grow vegetables. On average, 31% of all households grew vegetables. The NGA predicted that the huge number of baby-boomer households entering the prime gardening ages would likely boost the overall number of flower-gardening households by 17% and vegetable-gardening households by 18.5% by 2010.

Surveyed gardeners reported that they gardened for the pleasure of being outdoors, the aesthetic pleasure gardening provided, the relaxation, and the exercise. In addition to providing pleasure as a recreational activity, gardening also offers an array of health benefits. It provides an ideal form of moderate exercise, and tilling the soil can help soothe jagged nerves, relieve stress, and reconnect people to the natural, seasonal rhythms of the earth.

The exercise benefits of gardening vary. Strenuous tasks such as mowing with a push mower, mixing compost into the soil, using heavy power tools, and chopping wood are as vigorous as tennis, jogging, and weight lifting. More sedate activities, such as watering the lawn, trimming shrubs with power tools, raking, or riding a power mower, burn fewer calories but still offer opportunities to bend, stretch, and strengthen joints.

For many older adults, gardening proves to be an enjoyable way to incorporate exercise and creativity into their lives. For others, it is therapeutic. Hospitals, assistedliving facilities, nursing homes, and adult day care, retirement, and recreation centers offered programs ranging from botany classes and garden clubs to horticultural therapy (gardening as a means of helping to heal illness and promote well-being).