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“I've always wanted to be outside and I feel happiest when I am in nature," says Alfie Nickerson of Burnt Fen Flowers. "Growing things from seed was always my favourite part, realising what can come from something so small." It seems he's not alone in this yearning, with a recent study indicating that more than 70 per cent of 18 to 35-year-olds are interested in gardening, and 83% of young people describing gardening as ‘cool.’ Far from the stereotype of being a hobby for the retired generation, millennials and Gen Zs are now heading outdoors come rain or shine, large homestead or urban balcony. With a reputation for being firmly on their phones and indoors, what's caused this sudden shift in a generation?
“I think one of the reasons that there's been a rise in young people gardening is because there's so much research and hard data now available in the mainstream media about how engaging with nature is beneficial for our mental health and our bodies,” says expert young horticulturist and ecological grower Poppy Okotcha. Given the rise of loneliness – an epidemic that is particularly affecting young people – Poppy points to gardening as an “amazing way of connecting with people and community. A community or an allotment garden is a great antidote to this, but so too is the great abundance of food that comes when you're growing your own produce, which encourages you to reach out to people around you and share with them.”
Amy Chapman from @inthecottagegarden agrees: ”Once I'd started gardening, I felt my anxiety easing off for the first time ever really. There's something about being outside, getting my hands in the soil, nurturing something (and not being on my phone) that just makes all my problems fade away a little bit." Poppy also points to a miraculous bacterium in the soil called mycobacterium vecchiaia, which has a similar effect on us to antidepressants, “so having hands in the soil and interacting with plants has a very genuine impact on our mental wellbeing,” she explains.
The stresses of modern life weigh heavy on the young. Gen Z has grown up in a time of extreme political and social turmoil, with many of them missing large portions of their time at school or university because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Poppy believes gardening to be the perfect tonic for the trials and tribulations of modern life. “There's so much hard data which indicates that being out in nature is restorative for the mind, particularly for those who live a fast-paced lives mainly spent inside and on screens. Just spending more time outdoors makes us far more resilient to stress,” she explains. Amy agrees that “because our lives these days are so fast-paced and noisy,” gardening can offer “such a contrast and relief. You can't really rush nature, it goes at its own pace, so you have no choice but to slow down and wait in the garden, and listen to the birds and insects.” Poppy also suggests that the process of gardening (from sowing seeds to weeding) can be a very mindful practice, which can ease anxiety and afford you a meditative space.
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Not only does the physical act of gardening help young minds and bodies through the release of endorphins, but gardening can teach you a lot about life, and, according to Poppy, totally change your philosophical outlook away from goal-based culture and towards something slower and more appreciative. “Engaging with gardening can be a really fertile ground for cultivating an alternative philosophy that's not based on extraction, but rather on collaboration and interconnection and relationships, because when you start gardening you start understanding that you're part of something much bigger.” Alfie of Burnt Fen Flowers agrees that living the life of a gardener means you can live outside of painful rules and expectations. “I think young people regularly get bored of being told what they can and can't do,” he explains, “and gardening is a space where nothing is perfect, where you can enjoy the much smaller things and forget about the bigger problems out there.”
The current socio-economic climate also goes some way to explain the rise of gardening in young people; the cost of living and young people's inability to buy properties has, according to Poppy, made them look for alternative cultures away from those that bred the issues we're sitting in today. Gen Z's rightful fixation with the climate crisis also goes some way in explaining why they've taken up their trowels in the fight for a healthier planet. “Food and land justice intersects with the climate crisis, which is an issue constantly at the forefront of young people's minds,” explains Poppy. Gardening and growing produce goes some way to mitigate these effects and to contribute towards potential solutions, or new more sustainable paradigms of living for future generations. In order to keep your gardening sustainable, Poppy recommends using organic soil, and local seeds and plants with minimal plastic use. Amy also enjoys the guilt-free element of gardening, in a world that can sometimes feel like our every move has a negative impact. “I think people become bored of being told what they can and can't do and gardening is a space where nothing is perfect, where you can enjoy the much smaller things and forget about the bigger problems out there. It's about the regular small satisfaction through spring and summer, and also the excuse to be outside.”
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It's not just our mental health that gardening can help but our physical health (which of course are inextricably linked). Moving our bodies and taking in fresh air is always a good idea, but Poppy points to evidence that being exposed to a vast number of microbes (whether through eating produce or by touching and smelling plants and flowers) can actually expose us to a wealth of healthy bacteria. For anyone fascinated with gut health, eating good quality fresh produce from the garden is a great way of maintaining a diverse microbiome – yet further reason to start growing.
The evidence is clear that young people can benefit massively from time spent outside gardening, but what's the best way to start, particularly given that a large proportion of us live in small urban spaces with minimal outdoor space? Sam Smith, who started the grow-your-own subscription service as an amateur gardener during lockdown, believes that any small outdoor space (be in a balcony or even a windowsill) can be enough to grow fruit and vegetables. “No matter what’s going on in your life or the wider world, gardening is a way to feel like you are still making some kind of progress. Seeing a shoot sprout or a fruit form, it forces you to be present and gives you the responsibility to care for something. It’s the kind of day-to-day escape we all need,” he says. Poppy points to community gardens and allotments as good places to start (although be warned, allotment waiting lists can be rather lengthy). She also suggests keeping your eyes peeled for local neighbours or friends who might have an outdoor space that they don't have the time or resources to tend to. “You can exchange your services and produce for their land,” she says, which websites like Lend and Tend also facilitate.
