Mental health and gardening

I’m so glad my DH is a keen gardener. I love the way he makes it look but loathe doing it myself. I also loathe housework but do it because mess and dust cause me stress. I can’t relax if the house needs cleaning. Everyone has different ways of reducing stress. I just lie down and read or watch tv. No desire to be outdoors or by the sea etc. An hour or so of quiet resting and I’m fine again.

fiorentina51
Several of the programs I’ve watched seem to back up your mention of the social aspect- not the solitary gardening, unless that’s your go to stress reliever.
We have a lawn -that’s more of a challenge since we’ve had a dog, but I gave up on borders when I discovered the tortoise ate anything we planted. So we have half a dozen pots with flowers or veg. I don’t mind that, and enjoy sitting out in the garden relaxing.
But the stress relief comes from being part of the Friends of xxxx, the local park. Removing weeds, planting out, organising refreshments for those doing the heavy stuff, all with company to chat with is a great stress reliever.

Monty Don has/had serious mental health problems and freely admits that it is gardening that has helped him. Perhaps that is why the programme bangs on about it so much. That and the emphasis on peat free compost.

Peat free compost is the work of the devil. I’ve been growing plants for thirty five years and have never had anything thrive in peat free compost. Having to be stuck with that would not do a lot for my mental health!

Greyduster I couldn’t agree with you more and nor could a lot of professional horticulturists. Non peat products have to be rammed with chemicals and cost twice as much and the success rate is more than halved. Europe is not going down the peat free road so their nurseries will be outcompeting ours. Peat is not the bad boy climate alarmists think. Peter Seagrove wrote some interesting articles explaining why it is not harmful to use it.

Greyduster

Peat free compost is the work of the devil. I’ve been growing plants for thirty five years and have never had anything thrive in peat free compost. Having to be stuck with that would not do a lot for my mental health!

Is this why we're not having great success with our plants in pots?

We have been using peat free compost with great results and preserving the peat bogs is a bonus. 😉

Yes, I won't go back to peat-based compost but I did wonder why some plants are not doing as well.

My last bag of peat free compost sat unopened for a month, the last of three. Now I would have to take a hammer and chisel to it to break it up. It is as solid as a brick, how could delicate plant roots get through that? It dries out at the top of the pot leaving the bottom a soggy solid lump. I have gardened since being a child and have never had such poor germination. Seeds are now very expensive and not to be wasted nor the time lost having to start again I have now given in and am using peat reduced compost.

We also have a compost bin and mix it with peat free. Perhaps that why we have been getting better results.

Our own compost was spread on a fairly empty border; we have some magnificent weeds wildflowers and healthy-looking tomato plants coming up 😁

But the poppy, cornflower and daisy seeds I put in there haven't germinated. Of course!

My cornflower seeds are coming on a treat! 🤣

Lovely! I have tall daisies but not where I planted them 😁

And oregano everywhere .....