
Making Our Garden Grow
By office on Wednesday, May, 29th, 2019 in General Health & Wellness No Comments
“Biological” dentistry is such a perfect name for what we do here at Green City Dental in Edmonds. “Bio,” after all, means life, and one of our main goals is to help our patients create their best, healthiest lives possible. Every procedure we do, every material we use is chosen for its ability to support life.
It is, after all, only logical. (Get it? Bio-LOGICAL!)
So it also seemed logical to Dr. T…why don’t we put in an organic garden here at the office? And that’s just what we did.
An office garden is something we’ve dreamt about for a long time now, but we were always so busy with accommodating patients and bringing on the right staff, we couldn’t quite make it happen.
Now, we’re finally in a place to support all of our dreams! We’ve put in a ton of herbs, as well as tomatoes, strawberries, kale, onions, peas, and more and look forward to enjoying the fruits (and veggies!) of our labor right here in the office, where all of us are committed to the healthy eating we advocate for our patients, as well.
Truly, there’s much to gain from cultivating your own garden – and not just having the freshest organic produce you can possibly get, and at a fraction of the cost you’d pay at many a local market.
The physical act of gardening is also fantastic for your health, both physically and mentally. One 2017 literature review analyzed results from 22 contemporary case studies of gardening’s impact on health, and found
a wide range of health outcomes [reported], such as reductions in depression, anxiety, and body mass index, as well as increases in life satisfaction, quality of life, and sense of community.
Even after adjusting for potential bias, significant positive effects remained clear.
This study has provided robust evidence for the positive effects of gardening on health. A regular dose of gardening can improve public health.
Need even more reasons? Check out this list.
And don’t think you need a lot of land to cultivate a personal or family garden. You’d be amazed by how much you can grow in a few modest planters in your yard or on a balcony or deck!
Never gardened before? Take a class! Sky Nursery in Shoreline, for instance, often offers gardening classes – along with tons of organic and locally-raised options for populating your own first garden.
There are also plenty of organic gardening guides online, such as this and this and this. Be sure to check out growing guides that are specific to our region, as well.
Another option? Get active in a local neighborhood garden. Snohomish County WSU Extension provides a guide that lists dozens of opportunities in our area, from gardens where you grow your own to others where the harvests are donated to food banks and others in need.
And, after all, helping others is great for your health and well-being, too!