Exploring the link between gardening and better mental health

After the birth of her youngest child, Manu Prigioni found herself in a tough place. 

Bushfires had torn through the Blue Mountains during her pregnancy, destroying about 200 homes and damaging even more. 

It was a frightening time for those who lived there, and against this backdrop, Manu's natural desire to keep her children safe evolved into what she describes as "obsessive-compulsive tendencies".

Germs were the enemy, and she cleaned furiously. Her home was spotless, but she was washing her hands frequently and having repeated panic attacks. 

Knowing she needed help, Manu reached out to a community health service and was put in touch with a psychologist — who happened to be into gardening. 

"That was a fluke," Manu says. 

"She happened to be a really amazing organic grower, and … it was exactly what was needed."

Her psychologist suggested exposure therapy, and for Manu, getting her hands into compost and soil — which contain microbes like bacteria and fungi — was part of this. 

The exposure treatment was a slow process "because it was terrifying", she says.

But little by little, it got easier. 

And eventually, being in the garden helped lead her back to a part of herself she had forgotten. 

Before migrating to Australia, Manu grew up in Italy and spent her early childhood outdoors. 

"From zero to six years old, I lived in a little village and my grandpa looked after me because my parents were both working," she says.

Most days, Manu and her "nonno" (grandfather) would be outdoors. 

"We would pick flowers. We would forage for different seasonal things, like chestnuts and hazelnuts … then we would sit in specific places together to look at the fields," she says. 

"And I realise now that … had a big effect on me when I was growing up. 

"I'd kind of forgotten because for decades I hadn't lived with a garden."

Gardening linked to greater life satisfaction 

While experts agree that gardening alone is not a treatment or fix for mental illness, a growing body of evidence links it with higher levels of mental wellbeing and life satisfaction.

A study published in 2023 found a significant association between longer durations of gardening and greater mental wellbeing and life satisfaction, based on survey results from almost 5,000 adults in Brisbane aged 46–80.

Senior researcher Jonathan Kingsley, from Swinburne University of Technology's School of Health Sciences in Naarm/Melbourne, says mental wellbeing and life satisfaction scores were "dramatically increased" in survey participants who did 2.5 hours or more of gardening per week and even more so among those aged 64 or over. 

But he said people who gardened less than this also reported greater wellbeing. 

"We found that people who gardened [from] one to 149 minutes, so just under two and a half hours, had better health outcomes than the zero [gardening group]," he says.

While those surveyed were Brisbane-based and the study did not find that gardening was the cause of better mental health, Dr Kingsley says it adds to a large body of research showing a significant link between the two.

"Every study you're finding on this is saying the same things … there are clear mental health, and life satisfaction and wellbeing benefits."

Canberra-based psychologist Zebunnissa Khan, who lives on Ngambri and Ngunnawal Country, agrees. 

She says gardening is a mindful activity that asks us to be present in the moment, and engages at least four of our five senses: touch, sight, smell, sound (and potentially taste, if you're growing things to munch on). 

Ms Khan says for people with depression, practising gardening and other hobbies that they enjoyed when well can also help create a feeling of safety. 

"They remind your brain, 'Oh, I'm actually safe. I'm not in survival mode. Something bad is not about to happen,'" she says.

"It's actually something I really strongly encourage for a lot of my clients."

Ms Khan says gardening can also help activate the brain's dopamine and serotonin pathways. 

"These are the pathways in the brain that are linked to pleasure, motivation and wellbeing. These are our happy chemicals," she says. 

Dr Kingsley says gardening also has potential as a public health intervention. 

"We know it's important … but then we've got to make the connection of, how do we make sure everyone gets those health benefits?"

Building cultures around growing, cooking, eating

Back in the Blue Mountains, on the land of the Gundungurra and Darug people, Manu is doing her bit to ensure more people have access to gardening and its benefits. 

In 2019, she co-founded Farm It Forward, a charitable youth organisation that runs food gardening programs for young people in disadvantaged areas. 

"The real crux of it is … the fact that it facilitates connection with other humans as well," Manu says. 

Manu is also researching food-growing in high schools as a way of building social connection and wellbeing, as part of a PhD with the University of Technology Sydney. 

"[We need to] activate cultures around growing, cooking, eating together," she says. 

Getting started with gardening

If you're new to gardening and looking for a place to start, Manu's number one suggestion is to go for a walk down your street. 

"Seeing who grows things, and maybe catching some neighbours in their front yards and not being shy. Just getting chatting, you know," she says. 

For people who live in homes without yards or with limited space, such as apartments, Manu suggests starting small.

"If you want to start just growing a couple of things in pots … even just your herbs that you use for cooking, like parsley, that's easy to grow," she says. 

"But the big thing I still really encourage [is talking to others who garden in your area]. 

"I know it's scary … but we've forgotten that actually, we really need to go and interact."