After the countdown and the New Year’s kiss comes the talking of resolutions and goals. Rather than get a gym membership or recite positive affirmations in the mirror, why not focus on the garden this year? Here’s how you can set some gardening goals to help you focus on self-care, personal growth, and healing.
Gardening is much, much more than a hobby.
For some, it may start as a hobby to get outside more or to grow their own food or perhaps to beautify their home.
But once you start, you quickly learn that you get so much more from gardening than meets the eye. It’s a way to nurture ourselves and find healing through small, meaningful actions. It’s a way to find emotional growth and support ourselves.
The best way to get the most from the garden is to not put too much pressure on it. These benefits will come naturally and do best when we let go of the idea of perfection.
We grow alongside the plants; nurturing plants mirrors the care we give ourselves when we garden.
This year, I want to help you connect deeper with the garden and, in turn, help your overall well-being.
So, let’s set some gardening goals!
- Create Gentle Gardening Goals
- Focus on Self Care
- Embrace the Seasons
- Choose Meaningful Projects
- Setting Inspiring Garden Intentions
- More Ways to Practice Gardening Wellness
Create Gentle Gardening Goals
Don’t start by setting goals that look more like a mountain to climb than a hill to take a stroll on. People who have chronic pain will know that we give gentle hugs. Those who are working through personal issues will know that we give gentle reminders.
So, this year, let’s concentrate on gentle gardening goals. One of my favourite things to say is to start small five minutes a day. If you have a whole backyard you want to redesign, for example, start by working for five minutes a day out in the garden as opposed to setting the lofty goal of redoing the entire thing in one year.
Five minutes a day will also encourage you to get out there daily rather than stretch your limits in one long gardening session. Being a weekend warrior, where you try to tackle it all on your day off, sets your body and mind up for fatigue.
Instead, try to incorporate gardening into your daily life. Make it a habit to get out there every day. How long and what you do doesn’t matter, but just getting outside and growing a habit is a gentle way to keep up with gardening.
When I first started gardening, I started with just five minutes a day. When I started writing on the website, I made a goal of doing one weekly project. And now, here I am 15 years later with thousands and thousands of articles.
It all started with the idea of starting small and being gentle to myself and my physical limits.
Focus on Self Care
Let this be the year where you put yourself first. I encourage you to think about how to use the garden to help you this year.
Instead of taking on a huge project that will exhaust you, find gardening activities that will calm you. That could be as simple as planting some herbs to grow a healing tea garden or planting some annual flowers to bring you joy every time you step outside your front door.
If you don’t have one already, set up a space outside for quiet relaxation. At my home, that space, for me, has always been my hammock chair. There, I can sit, relax, and enjoy myself. Comfortable seating is really important to have, so you can sit outside and get your garden therapy even when you don’t have the energy to work out in the garden physically.
Embrace the Seasons
Many people think of gardening as a purely summer activity, but we seasoned gardeners know there is always something to be done for the garden in all four seasons.
Some of us are lucky to get these extreme changes in the season. At least, I consider it lucky, as it allows me to frame my gardening goals around these cycles.
If you don’t have distinct seasons, you can still find these moments in the year to use as a timeline. To do so, ask yourself what different activities you want to do?
Winter is known as a time to rest, renew, and plan. During this time, most of the gardening work happens inside of us and in our homes.
Then, in spring, the garden begins to open up. We head outside and see this new birth of burgeoning plants.
Of course, summer is when the plants are in their full glory. So we spend our time tending to it. We harvest, enjoy sitting in those aforementioned comfortable chairs, and enjoy the space.
Finally, in the fall, we begin to slow down once again and close things down for the season. We can take our time to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labours before we do it all over again next season.
Choose Meaningful Projects
This year, ask yourself what you want your garden to be. Perhaps last year, you grew plenty of vegetables because that’s what most people choose to grow, but you decide that cut flowers are what you feel inspired by. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to grow grapes and turn them into wine.
You can find so much joy in putting in some hard work and learning something new from the garden.
I did a lot of work redesigning my garden last year. I moved into a new house that needed a total revamp, so much of my time was spent figuring out what I wanted to do with the space.
This year, I finally get to do more planting. I can ask myself what plants I love the most and choose plants with significance. I’ll finally be seeing my design in action.
I want plenty of fragrance at the front door.
There will be low-maintenance and drought-tolerant perennials.
Plants that I can grow and add to my soap-making.
I want to get back to my roots of growing edible plants in my brand-new vegetable garden.
Find the projects that will bring you the most joy, and spend your winter planning them.
Setting Inspiring Garden Intentions
You will also want to set some inspiring garden intentions alongside your goals. Goals are much more specific and are driven by performing actions. Meanwhile, intentions are finding the motivation and purpose behind those goals.
A great intention is to combine wellness and gardening. Through this, you can grow a wellness garden full of herbs that are good for you, such as chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender.
Another great intention is to try growing new things in the garden. Perhaps this is the year you grow plants to stock up on your personal home apothecary or try out some new interesting varieties of stevia (I love these ones from Richter’s Herbs).
This could also be the year for reflection and growth. If you’ve never done any garden journaling before, it’s a great tool to make notes and see how gardening has helped you throughout the year. Practice gratitude and celebrate the small wins you see in the garden. While it can be helpful with gardening, it also can help your emotional well-being.
Another great intention is to dedicate time to enjoy your garden. Go out in the garden (even when you don’t have a to-do list) to listen to the birds and feel the soil under your hands. Spend your summer evenings out there, but also don’t forget to get outside year-round to reap the health benefits of gardening.
All in all, remember that your gardening goals don’t have to be perfect. They don’t need to be like New Year’s resolutions, where they require some lofty, life-changing tasks. Instead, grow alongside your garden at a speed that works best for you.
