Gardening and food preservation can improve food security, decrease the number of trips to the grocery store, and provide physical activity according to Iowa State University Extension specialists. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in people planning meals and preparing food at home more frequently. One avenue Iowans may consider this time of year is planting a garden to provide some fresh produce.

Associate Professor and Extension Horticulture Specialist at Iowa State University Cindy Haynes says gardening has multiple benefits for beginners and veterans alike, “Gardening is a great stress reliever. And right now, everyone’s stressed out being at home all the time. So being outside, connecting with nature, working in the garden, it’s just a lot of things to reduce your level of stress. And it also gives you a lot of physical activity. And it’s not a super-intense physical activity, I think it’s more of a moderate intensity activity. So, you get the physical exercise, as well as the nice stress reliever, as well. And then most people who are vegetable gardening and growing their own food, are more likely to eat their own food that they’ve grown and do something with it. So, that’s the other health benefit, that you’re probably going to eat a little healthier, too.” She says people can have the benefits from large backyard gardens or from small container gardens on patios.

ISU Extension and Outreach has provided quickinars, online lessons that take five to 15 minutes, focused on gardens, food preparation and food preservation – starting with soil preparation. They’re titled Sow, Grow, Eat and Keep and are available to the public online, click here.