There are many therapeutic benefits for seniors from gardening. It becomes their favorite activity since they get fresh air, they meet people they care about, and they are active to improve their health.

We need to also remember that you are planting and harvesting fresh vegetables and fruit that they can eat, and cultivating beautiful flowers that they can admire as well.

Major Benefits of Gardening for Seniors

Seniors have many benefits if they cultivate their gardens. Here is a shortlist:

• Mentally Challenging - Gardening trains the mind to use its best workings by presenting various tasks and challenges. Gardening keeps the mind active by requiring close attention to detail while planting, pruning, watering, and harvesting.

• Gardening develops strength and endurance - If you have a big garden, you might have to walk more, which will help you increase your endurance, strengthen your cardiovascular system and tone your limbs.

• Growing your own food slows down the progression of osteoporosis and deters it if you wait for too long. Senior gardening strengthens bones to delay osteoporosis and prevent it in the first place. Osteoporosis is common among seniors, especially women.

• Relieves Stress - Gardening reduces stress among seniors. It is a hobby that makes you lose track of everything other and allows you to put your mind to the task at hand. Lowered blood pressure is also a result of reducing stress.

• Social Interaction - Like many other rewarding activities geared to seniors, gardening gives you the opportunity to interact and make new friends as you work and garden with others. Participating in gardening clubs and making new friends can help seniors' mental health as well as make their lives more rewarding and enjoyable.

Customizing Your Garden for Your Senior Years

Gardening these days can be overwhelming. It might be good to think about making your space smaller and make it smaller.

How much time can you spend tending your garden? How much exertion can you endure without losing the pleasure of gardening?

Don't waste your time worrying about your neighbors if you are creating a garden for food. Grow only the plants that you personally like and grow only enough for you. Don't over-produce so you will end up freezing excess vegetables.

Consider gardening in raised beds or containers. An open deck or a sunlit porch would provide a perfect food plot, with rows of deep containers that are easy to care for, water, and weed.

Adaptive Tools for Gardening

New words have appeared in the gardening vocabulary; one of them is ergonomics, which comes from the Greek words ergon (work) and nomos (study of work).

Newly designed tools such as the ratchet action pruner, adjustable rakes with back relief, garden kneeler seats, and lightweight carts are available from garden centers and online. These devices are needed for gardening chores.

Gardening for Seniors: Tips to keep them safe

It is not just about having fun but about providing a safe environment for seniors. Here are some safety precautions to keep seniors safe when gardening:

• Make sure to check that you are healthy enough to participate in gardening before starting any gardening activities. Talk to your doctor, and tell them you want to do some gardening, and ask if you are healthy enough.

• It is important to stay hydrated while gardening because your body will sweat more when it is hot, and therefore you will lose more water. If you are feeling very thirsty, then you may already be dehydrated. Even if you don't feel thirsty, drink some water regularly to replenish the fluids you lose while it's hot. Also, make sure you use sunscreen to protect yourself from harmful rays from the sun.

• Gardening is fun, so you might as well make it fun by making it safe and healthy as well. * Try using raised bed gardens as they can reduce the amount of time you have to stop, which can stop putting pressure on your back.

• Keep your paths free of any debris and make sure that the ground is fairly level. Accidents happen all the time when grandparents trip over things in the way. You want to be sure that they are on a clean path.

• Gardening is a physical activity, and you should warm up before you start gardening. Thinking of gardening as exercise can make it more enjoyable.

• Many seniors have accidents because they don't warm up their muscles in the beginning and don't maintain their warm muscles when taking a lot of breaks. Warm muscles equal loose and flexible muscles.

In conclusion

The good news is that gardening can become a lifelong passion and have great rewards for the hard work you invest. Seniors can benefit from gardening as well, as it keeps them both mentally and physically active.

As long as you practice it responsibly, you can do it safely for many years. Senior activities help keep older adults happy and hopefully help them live longer and more fulfilling lives.