READ: Gardening Eased Lockdown Loneliness as Pandemic Hit
A 3-year study by the University of Essex found that “horticulture schemes helped to maintain mental health despite national well-being plummeting.”
It followed people with mental health issues as they worked on therapeutic community gardens run by a charity (Trust Links) between 2019 to 2022. The study’s participants self-reported that their life satisfaction and mental well-being increased by 9%.