Margaret Cheasebro

I just finished planting my little garden in a plot in one corner of my back yard. It's small enough that weeding isn't too big a chore, and it's large enough to yield plenty of vegetables for me as well as a few for neighbors and friends. Even though weeding isn't too big a chore, it's a gardening task I haven't always enjoyed.

But planting my garden gives me lots of pleasure. There's something about being outside in the sunshine, digging in the soil, planting seeds or small sprouts that makes me feel good, healthier. An article, How Nature Heals by Charlotte Hilton Andersen in the May/June 2025 issue of Reader's Digest, explained that being in nature can be so healthy that some doctors prescribe it for their patients.

Taking a walk, hiking in a forest, mountain or by a lake, or visiting places such as botanical gardens all immerse us in the out-of-doors. Doing anything outside, including riding a bike or having a picnic, all expose us to the benefits of nature.

If you don't feel like gardening or hiking, try sitting under a tree for a few minutes. It will help reduce your stress and improve your mood. That can be especially helpful if you're someone who needs time alone. When you sit under a tree, take time to enjoy its beauty and absorb the calmness that often surrounds trees. You will leave feeling like you're ready to handle the rest of your day with greater energy. It even helps your immune system do a better job of keeping you healthy.

Some doctors like to prescribe walking outside or even taking off your shoes and socks and feeling the grass with your feet because those activities have many health benefits. Among them are lowering your blood pressure, reducing inflammation and chronic pain, helping with weight loss, and even lowering levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

I wasn't aware of all the benefits of spending a few minutes outside in nature until I read that Reader's Digest article. I just knew that every time I came inside after gardening my mood improved. I had more energy. I was in a better frame of mind.

I didn't used to relish the never ending task of weeding my garden. Now when I grab my hoe, I do it knowing that every minute I spend in my garden is helping my health to improve. That puts a whole new perspective on keeping weeds under control!

By the last week in April, the weather finally warmed enough here in the northwest corner of New Mexico that there was little chance of frost. So a couple of days ago, I planted my garden space in a corner of my back yard. It's big enough for a variety of vegetables but not so big that it's too hard to weed.

I love spending time in the garden, because I am so focused on digging a space for each starter plant or seed that I don't think about anything else. After I dig a hole, I add a little soil enhancer and some water. Then I carefully plant the vegetable or seed and cover it up before adding more water.

I have tomatoes, sweet red peppers, sweet peas, green beans, basil, cilantro, cucumbers, curly kale, romaine lettuce, a green lettuce whose name I can't remember, butternut squash, and cantaloupe growing in my garden. I have also planted some marigolds, because they help to repel squash bugs. I will add russet potatoes in about a week.

There will be weeding, watering, and waiting for the plants to mature so I can savor their taste. I look forward to the wonderful tossed salads I can make with vegetables from my own little garden. I can hardly wait to sample the butternut squash and cantaloupe! When the sweet peas and green beans are ready to pick, I sometimes pop them in my mouth and relish their delightful taste.

A lilac bush in the corner of the garden added color to my garden planting efforts. Its purple blossoms had just opened. Lilacs are beautiful for such a short time that I felt fortunate to have their fragrant scent surround me. It helped to make the gardening experience even more enjoyable.

While I was planting my garden, I also had time to notice the two spruce trees in my yard and the elm tree in my neighbor's yard. New leaves are sprouting on the elm, and lots of pine cones have fallen around the spruce trees. I don't take as much time to notice those trees when I'm not working in my garden.

If you get a chance to plant your own garden this spring, I hope you have a wonderful time doing it. There is something invigorating about being outside and working with the soil. And there is the anticipation of watching your garden grow until the delicious vegetables are big enough to pick and eat!