A recent study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder has found that participating in community gardening reduces the risk of developing serious illnesses, including cancer and mental health disorders. The study is the first randomized controlled trial investigating the benefits of community gardening. The researchers recruited 291 adults who had not gardened before and conducted three gardening waves spanning one year each. Half of each wave’s participants gardened, and half did not, serving as a control group.
The study found that gardeners increased their intake of fiber by eating more fresh produce, got more exercise tending a garden, and felt more connected socially, all of which are protective factors against cancer, mental health issues, and various chronic illnesses. Previous observational studies have suggested that gardening, in general, may deliver some of these benefits, but the CU Boulder study is the first to investigate the benefit of community gardening.
Each participant received an introductory gardening course from Denver Urban Gardens and was allocated a standard, 10-square meter community garden plot, as well as seeds and seedlings. The same was offered to the control-group individuals as compensation for delaying their gardening for the course of the study. Lead study author Jill S. Litt, Ph.D., professor of environmental studies at CU Boulder, said that each participant spent an average of about 90 minutes a week gardening and visited their garden at least twice during the week.
The researchers found that being new to gardening was not a barrier to being successful at gardening, as their study only included new gardeners. Of the participants, 18% were male, and half came from lower-income households. Individuals averaged 41.5 years of age, and 34% identified as Hispanic. The gardening waves began in May, just after the last frost in Denver and Aurora, CO, where the gardens were located.
The study's findings suggest that community gardening provides multiple health-promoting benefits and should be encouraged as a way to reduce the risk of developing serious illnesses. The study's authors hope that their research will encourage policymakers to consider investing in community gardening initiatives to promote public health.
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