8 Amazing Social Benefits of Gardening

Sharing is caring!

The healthy benefits of gardening stretch far beyond exercise and a better diet! Personally, I love the amazing social benefits of gardening – gardeners are some of the BEST people, after all!

Guiding…

Teaching…

Sharing…

Caring…

What’s not to love about another gardener?!

Give them a compliment on their flowers or plants and you’re likely to get a pinch of seeds so you can grow them, too.

The social benefits of gardening may not be the loudest and shiniest perks that first come to mind, but they’re one of the truest.

Ask any gardener about their gardening adventures…. Role models… favorite happy accidents or best mistakes…

The tales and experiences become a thread in the stories we continue to grow year after year. Isn’t it a beautiful journey, after all?

Family photo with zinnias - Social Benefits of Gardening
My family standing by my dad’s zinnia bed a few summers ago – mommy, daddy and two daughters

Social Benefits of Gardening as a Hobby

Gardening is respite for a weary heart and a cluttered mind. You’ll gain many benefits gardening solo, but it’s also great fun to share your joys with other gardeners.

Here are some of the best social benefits of gardening as a lifelong or even a brand-new hobby.

Come together as a community.

Teamwork makes the dream work! Gardening collaboratively on a community garden project brings a lot of advantages to all the gardeners involved.

Creating a community garden spreads all kinds of positivity and cheerful emotions. The new space becomes a joyful celebration of all the hard work and dedicated efforts of an amazing gardening team.

Community garden projects become even more successful as gardeners work together toward a common goal.

Some ways you can get involved in a community garden:

  • Participate in gardening fundraisers or events.
  • Collaborate on a shared neighborhood food garden.
  • Look into creating a community garden at a shared public space. (Talk to the township about possibilities.)
  • Volunteer to help at a library garden or other local spot.
  • Work on creating a seed bank.
  • Come up with other fun ways to work together on a community garden!

Make new friends.       

Making new friends as a gardener basically comes with the territory. Gardeners are some of the best people!

  • Find new gardening friends in your local area to enjoy garden adventures together.
  • Form a local seed swap group for in-person gatherings as appropriate when safe.
  • Host or join virtual garden parties where you make crafts, succulent planters, or topiaries.
Adorable Garden Girls - Daughters in Yellow Dresses in front of Zinnia Cutting Garden

With new gardening friends, so much is possible! Expand your learning horizons and your garden’s true potential.

Enjoy seeing the beauty of your garden in neighbors’ yards.

If your neighbors also like to garden, count yourself blessed!                                                       

Share extra plants, bulbs, and seeds with your neighbors! The benefits are two-fold.

You’ll get to enjoy the beauty of your favorite plants twice over.

And, besides enjoying more beautiful plants and flowers in your neighborhood, you and your neighbors may find some special bonding time over gardening!

Look forward to mail from a seed pen pal.

Meeting new gardening friends is just one of the social benefits of gardening.

Actually keeping in touch with those new friends is where it’s at!

  • Enjoy having a few garden pen pals who want to exchange seed mail.
  • Create unique custom seed envelopes to delight your garden friends.
  • Connect with gardening influencers and garden bloggers for even more tips on growing.

Seed mail can truly be a pick-me-up, especially during the off-season for those who can’t grow year-round. Happy swapping!

Volunteer your talents to help others.

Sharing your skills and experience with others who enjoy gardening can be a wonderful use of your talents.

You may find that some elderly neighbors could use a little help with their gardens!

Or, you can offer to help with the local church gardens! Churches generally have lovely spaces devoted to gardens and could truly benefit from some experienced gardeners.

Your child’s preschool (or grandchild’s) may be another venue that could use some garden volunteers.

Serve as a role model in a school garden club.

Speaking of school gardens, you may find that the local elementary schools even have a garden club.

If this is the case, you can likely donate your time and efforts to help beautify the gardens around your child’s school.

Raised beds in a school garden - Social Benefits of Gardening - Be a Mentor!

It’s so rewarding because of the many amazing social benefits of gardening with kids!

  • Teach interested kids about gardening while they’re young!
  • Improve the school grounds with beautiful flowers and landscaping.
  • Produce actual food for school students or a local food pantry or multiservice unit.
  • Develop a four-seasons garden club curriculum so the kids can learn about the school garden’s needs all year long.
  • Make meaningful connections as a positive role model in kids’ educations.
  • Offer kids a choice between traditional recess and time outdoors making a positive impact through volunteerism.

Enjoy social seed swap events and gatherings.

Seed swaps – whether online or in person – allow you to meet so many new people.

The shared hobby makes it easy to see all the social benefits of gardening paying off when you spend time connecting with likeminded individuals.

Some of the online seed swaps are so easy – you simply sign up, pay the entry fee, and mail your seed packets to the designated collector.

Then you may get back as many as 25, 50, or 100 new and different seed packets to enjoy!

And those seed packs are often labeled with the senders’ names, making it even easier to connect and become friends!

Connect to a gardening community on social media.

Sometimes an in-person gardening group might not be possible or the right fit. Or, perhaps it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

Consider getting involved on gardening social media sites to build a great network of gardeners who truly brighten your day. Hit me up on Instagram – @bunnysgardenblog – I’m always looking for new garden friends to follow!

Social Gardening Advantages - Icons of Social Media and a Bumble Bee

Final Thoughts: Social Benefits of Gardening

Even during a pandemic, the social benefits of gardening are unmistakable!

Perhaps even more powerful, as we feel so alone in other areas of life, yet so connected with these amazing tribes of gardeners we’re finding and building.

Gardeners who may be in this for the long haul, like we are.

Are you ready to embrace the social benefits of gardening?

Let’s recap:

  • Building a Community
  • New Gardening Friends
  • Spreading the Beauty of Your Garden
  • Seed Mail Pen Pals
  • Volunteering Opportunities
  • Role Model / Gardening Education
  • Social Seed Swap Events
  • Social Media Gardening Support

What are your favorite ways to be social as a gardener? Let’s chat in the comments below!

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