How Allotment Work Boosts Your Mind and Body

Volunteering is a great way to get outside and improve your self-esteem and confidence. You'll help make a difference in your local community and develop new skills. Gardening in an allotment can be the perfect volunteering opportunity to get you out of the house and get some exercise. 

Whether you're interested in volunteering on an allotment or renting your own, we'll discuss how it can improve your health below. 

Grow Your Own Fresh Fosod

Having an allotment gives you a space to grow seasonal fruits, herbs, and vegetables for a low price. You have control over the growing process, so the produce won't be wrapped in plastic packaging or sprayed with preserving chemicals. 

Cooking with the food you've grown yourself can be immensely rewarding, and you'll notice that the taste is better, as industrial farming, storage, and shipping can reduce the nutrient value and flavour of fruit and vegetables. Start with easy crops, such as courgettes and runner beans, to get accustomed to the growing process before moving on to more challenging plants. 

Save Money Long-Term

Once you've set up your allotment with different fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowering plants, you can enjoy significant long-term savings. Seeds and bulbs cost a fraction of the finished product, reducing your shopping bills.

By focusing on staples like potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes, you won't have to rely on a trip to the supermarket for your key cooking ingredients. Growing food that you cook and eat can be an immensely rewarding process that connects you to the ingredients in a way that shop-bought food cannot replicate. 

Supports Mental & Physical Health

Tending to an allotment is a gentle form of exercise, with tasks such as digging, mowing, planting, raking, and weeding burning calories without you realising. The activity also improves your mobility and endurance, much like pilates or regular long walks. 

Exercising outdoors is a proven stress reliever, as it reduces levels of adrenaline and cortisol, the body's primary stress hormones. At the same time, it stimulates the production of endorphins, which help improve your mood. 

Understand the Risks and Practice Health & Safety 

While gardening in an allotment offers real physical and mental health benefits, it can be risky. You may use sharp tools on uneven soil, so make sure to wear gloves and sturdy footwear. If the allotment has a shed or storage space, always store your tools safely and within easy reach. 

When clearing the roof of a shed or balancing on a ladder, you can fall and injure yourself, especially if the ground isn't clear of cables or tools. Consider filing a fall from height injury compensation claim to help you take steps towards recovery. Personal injury solicitors will assess whether you're eligible for compensation and can represent you in a no-win, no-fee case, so you don't have to worry about high legal fees if it's unsuccessful. 

This is a collaborative post and the author's views do not necessarily reflect those of our blog. We may receive monetary compensation for our endorsement and or recommendations