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The Healing Power of Gardens

nytimes.com

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Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#41

Post by jniedrauer »

agumonkey wrote: post #29
_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

> putting food on a plate that came from your yard, from your care. Can't second this enough. This connection between soil (direct environment) to your gut is, as stupid as it seems, a marvellous thing.[1] > There's something about sitting in a green (or red, or blue, or yellow, etc.) space that you made. Few time I walk in a forest (semi-wild) I feel like a forest is like a big nest. Enough roof, enough sunlight, en…

> there are times where your spidey senses will wake up though, which is also super surprising because it's not like fear or stress. It's N times more acute senses and focus. Almost a pleasure.. especially considering how dull a modern daily life can make you feel.

After about 3 weeks into a multi thousand mile hike, senses that I didn't even realize I had started to wake up. I could sense animals in the woods around me. I couldn't say if this was sound, smell, or something else, but I just knew they were there. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, immediately knowing that something was going after my food. I also began to sense water sources from very long distances. This was probably a combination of smell and recognizing terrain patterns. Weather was another big one. I gained an intuitive sense for the storm patterns in the mountains, and I could see them changing with the terrain as I moved.

It took half a decade for the positive side effects of that hike to wear off.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#42

Post by Pfhreak »

malandrew wrote: post #35
_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

Can you suggest the best resources you've found for learning about gardening?

Start with a small plot and grow some peas or beans. They are easy to plant and grow, and usually produce a ton of food.

I LOVE "Food Grown Right, In Your Backyard: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Crops at Home". It's approachable, it talks about growing vegetables primarily, but it also talks about how to set up a bed, how to fertilize, etc. It's aimed at beginners and it is full of pictures.

The important part is that you can basically experiment with a small plot one year, and see what you like. I built one raised bed. Then the year later, I added two more. Now I have 6 raised beds plus a whole bunch of beds on the ground. I started with carrots and peas. Now I grow basically all the fruits and veggies. :D

After I got comfortable with my veggies, I started looking into French potager gardens and companion planting flowers in my vegetables. I pawed through a bunch of books and didn't find one I loved, but found a lot of blogs and things to search through.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#43

Post by Pfhreak »

perfmode wrote: post #19
jrumbut wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Edit: I just saw your other post, this one in isolation made me think you had tried gardening once and given up. That just happens sometimes! Hard to explain failures are often caused by one or more of over watering, pests (including at the root level), too little soil, or bad soil PH. Symptoms of pests include visible bugs, mold, eggs, or webs (check under the leaves) or a weird smell. PH problems sometimes manifest…

i’ve had great results growing basil. I had a plant we named Harry, who thrived in Palo Alto despite erratic care. Harry would drink as much water as we could give it and would be visibly wilted when thirsty. Otherwise, incredibly happy sitting in the sun and producing leaves.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, and I've had mixed experience with basil. I'm trying to grow it hydroponically at home now, and it seems to be going pretty well.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#44

Post by imartin2k »

Oddly, I have never felt the allure of gardens, I don't have any plants myself, and if I'd have to choose between a city environment and nature, I'd in most cases choose the city (and not because of its parks). Both when I am happy and when I am sad. I like a good sunset but that's it. I'm clearly in a minority with this, it seems.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#45

Post by aloer »

I've had a theory for some time now based on my own observations:

A big part of why nature is so calming is the absence of repeating patterns. In our artificial life everything follows standardized forms and patterns. It's a sterile world. The most obvious example being rectangles and perfect 90 degree angles everywhere. But I would also count things like uniform colors, evenly spread (artificial) light, predictable sounds etc.

That makes me think that somehow something like this absence of patterns - and the knowledge/assumption for our brain that they are not to be expected in nature - helps us.

The beauty in this is that nature _is_ full of patterns. But on a different level, no two patterns are ever the same. When you look at a green tree you simply won't assume to find two leaves with the same color and shape. That's the difference.

Some years ago I got myself an empty canvas frame and put natural linen fabric (https://www.fabric.com/buy/ff-357/kaufman-antwerp-linen-natu...) on it. No painting, just the linen. For the same reason: It's calming to look at

Or maybe I'm just weird :)

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#46

Post by billmalarky »

_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

>I'm a sucker for games like Minecraft, Factorio, etc. Raising a garden is like a slow motion version of those things. It's a fusion of creative and scientific/engineering brains. It's great.

I can't believe you didn't mention Stardew Valley. It is a smash hit game and your comment is basically a short essay as to why it is so popular and enjoyable.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#47

Post by blunte »

aloer wrote: post #45

I've had a theory for some time now based on my own observations: A big part of why nature is so calming is the absence of repeating patterns. In our artificial life everything follows standardized forms and patterns. It's a sterile world. The most obvious example being rectangles and perfect 90 degree angles everywhere. But I would also count things like uniform colors, evenly spread (artificial) light, predictable…

What you say regarding patterns is true compared to human-made thubgs, but I'm not sure that is what is the root attraction.

For me it's the practically endless possibility that I will see or hear (or even smell) something new if I'm using my senses (instead of busy thinking about human problems).

There's little difference betweey explanation and yours, but I selfishly think it's all about our experience.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#48

Post by blotter_paper »

aloer wrote: post #45

I've had a theory for some time now based on my own observations: A big part of why nature is so calming is the absence of repeating patterns. In our artificial life everything follows standardized forms and patterns. It's a sterile world. The most obvious example being rectangles and perfect 90 degree angles everywhere. But I would also count things like uniform colors, evenly spread (artificial) light, predictable…

I feel like walls should be covered in green/blue stochastically transforming patterns meant to elicit the same response that nature does, ideally with feedback from an EEG headset that picks up on what patterns are most calming for a given person.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#49

Post by Pfhreak »

billmalarky wrote: post #46
_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

>I'm a sucker for games like Minecraft, Factorio, etc. Raising a garden is like a slow motion version of those things. It's a fusion of creative and scientific/engineering brains. It's great. I can't believe you didn't mention Stardew Valley. It is a smash hit game and your comment is basically a short essay as to why it is so popular and enjoyable.

Oh yeah, I love Stardew Valley. And it's an obvious miss in a thread about gardening.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#50

Post by fillskills »

Pfhreak wrote: post #11
hanniabu wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain Agreed, and it's also not a stressful task in itself for some reason. I'm somebody that's over analytical and tends to succumb to analysis paralysis, but when it comes to garden work I never experience that. (possibly because I know plants are resilient and it's hard to mess up?)

The only thing that stresses me is when my plants fail and I don't know why.

Happy to help out. When you are ready to plant the next one we will be happy to help
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