AT THE start of a new year, many of us start with a determination to have a healthier, happier life.

And whilst there are various ways to achieve that, you might be surprised to find that your garden could provide the answer.

According to Harvard Medical School, 30 minutes of hard work in the garden can burn off a comparable number of calories to badminton or yoga.

So, the next time you feel worn out after gardening, just remember the physical health benefits!

Of course, gardening is much more than simply a physical workout.

Perhaps the impact on mental wellbeing is the most notable – particularly during the last two difficult years when their garden undoubtedly helped many people deal with these unusual challenges.

A King’s Fund report showed that gardening resulted in “significant reductions in depression and anxiety”, whilst Tokyo and Exeter Universities found “robust evidence” about the physical and mental benefits of gardening. In fact, the benefits of plants and green spaces are now so well documented that medical professionals are beginning to see gardening as an important means of helping improve the wellbeing of some patients.

Although not everyone is fortunate enough to have a garden, most will have space for an indoor plant and the value of those shouldn’t be overlooked. They remove the invisible air-borne pollutants that exist in all homes coming from everyday household cleaning products, decorating materials, upholstery and furniture.

This, together with a plant’s natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, means that they are continuously improving the quality of the air that we breathe.

In addition to these direct physical and mental benefits, home-grown vegetables are undoubtedly one of the best ways to source fresh, healthy food and reduce food miles. Just imagine the satisfaction of growing your own herbs and veg, and collecting on the very day you plan to use them in your meal – it just doesn’t get any fresher than that!

If you’d like to try growing your own fresh, healthy meals, here’s a few ideas about how you might start:

l Potatoes should be grown from certified seed potatoes which have been tested, are disease-free and true to variety. Seed potatoes are available now in reputable garden centres and you can start them off indoors, encouraging them to sprout (technically known as chitting) so they have a start when you plant them out. Potatoes will generally be planted out in March/April, with First Earlies harvesting as early as June/July. Second Earlies can be harvested in August/September, while Maincrop potatoes can be harvested into October. The early potatoes are those wonderfully tasty ‘new potatoes’ but don’t store as well as the maincrop varieties are able to be harvested and kept for use throughout the winter.

l Brassica vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, sprouts and broccoli can be grown from seed starting in the next few weeks or purchased as seedlings in the garden centre in springtime when it’s time to plant them out.

l Root vegetables such as carrots or parsnips can be difficult to transplant and prefer to be grown from seed sown directly into the place where they’ll grow.

l Salad vegetables are mostly very easy to grow from seed and can be started indoors in the next few weeks until it’s warm enough to let them grow outdoors. It’s also an economical way to feed the family – for the price of a lettuce in the supermarket, you could buy a pack of seeds that could grow several hundred lettuce! Many salad vegetables only take a few weeks from sowing to harvesting, so we suggest that you sow a few little and often and you’ll have a continuous crop for many months of the year. Extend the season by starting or finishing the crop indoors when the weather is too cold for growing outdoor.

l Microgreens, miniature vegetables that make an attractive and tasty garnish, take only days to grow from seed and are an easy kitchen window-sill crop. As with the salad vegetables, sow little and often to have a continuous crop.

Hopefully this gives you some suggestions to help you with your plans for a healthier lifestyle and even helps your budget!

If you need more help and advice, our plant team are always delighted to help and you will find lots more information on the seed packets and online at merryhatton.co.uk

Happy gardening for 2022!