Become a Garden Gnome to Grow Your Healthspan and Your Nest Egg
Believe it or not, garden gnomes were real...
Not quite a pointy-hat-wearing, white-bearded man standing just six inches tall.
Three hundred years ago, what we call garden gnomes were called "ornamental hermits."
True to their name, they were paid to live on the property of wealthy landowners. There, these ornamental hermits would be ordered to stop bathing, grow out their hair, and dress in long, flowy garments to look like druids. They were there as decorations... to lend a fairytale, otherworldly quality to the gardens.
Thankfully, we're no longer hiring live-in tenants playing dress-up to enjoy our gardens or find meaning in them. We're now seeing that the act of gardening itself – all the work of digging, seeding, and pruning involved – unlocks a bevy of physical and mental health benefits.
There are cost benefits, too... Food gardening, in particular, has become especially popular as a way to trim grocery bills, especially with the price hikes from tariffs...
Results from a recent Frontdoor survey of 992 Americans found that 54% are growing their own food in hopes of slashing their grocery bills, and 36% are doing so to "counteract expected tariff increases." Plus, 61% grew a food garden last year which saved them $875 on groceries. And 71% planned to garden this year.
But gardening doesn't have to serve just a utilitarian purpose...
You might recall that during the pandemic, folks stuck at home found themselves turning to gardening as a new hobby to connect to nature and relieve stress, according to a 2022 report from the University of California, Davis. During the summer of 2020, researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 gardening enthusiasts in the U.S., Germany, and Australia. The report mentioned that gardeners felt a "sense of control and security that came from food production" and that gardening "heightened experiences of joy, beauty, and freedom." Plus, respondents said that gardening was an opportunity to socialize safely in the open air.
More research regarding the benefits of this meditative, relaxing activity has been emerging, thanks to renewed interest in at-home gardens. And it isn't just our mental health that gets a boost... According to a University of Colorado Boulder study from January 2023, folks who got into gardening were more physically active and ate more fiber than the nongardeners.
The small randomized, controlled study involved 291 folks (mostly middle-aged) in the Denver area who hadn't gardened for the past two years. Half of them received a lesson in gardening, some seeds, and a plot of land for a community garden. (The control group didn't participate in community gardening.)
Researchers collected data from the participants three times during the study. It included surveys on mental health and diet and body measurements, as well as activity levels measured by a device worn on the thigh.
The study showed that folks who gardened reported feeling less stressed and ate more vegetables and fiber (about 1.4 more grams) each day, compared with folks in the control group. It also showed that the gardeners were more physically active, too, engaging in moderate-to-vigorous levels of activity for roughly six more minutes a day, versus the nongardeners.
I agree with the researchers... Gardening is terrific for protecting yourself from chronic diseases and cancer. After all, high-fiber diets can lower your risk of getting cancer (like breast and colon cancers). And reducing your stress and anxiety levels keeps high inflammation (which leads to metabolic diseases like diabetes) at bay.
I love gardening. It embodies the health and wealth ethos of this newsletter perfectly... Growing my own pesticide-free produce means that I don't have to spend extra coin on the organic stuff at the supermarket (especially during these turbulent times of tariff-caused price hikes).
Some of my favorite herbs to grow are oregano and basil. I use these fresh in my dishes instead of using the dried-out stuff in shakers.
I also love getting my antioxidant fix from my tomatoes for sauces, salads, and salsas. Whether you call them fruits or veggies, tomatoes are rich in antioxidants like lycopene. This chemical compound in plants gives foods like watermelons and tomatoes their red color. And it can also reduce your risk of prostate cancer and stroke.
If you're new to gardening, don't worry... Plenty of foods are beginner-friendly. Some of these easy-to-grow foods include blueberries, strawberries, herbs, radishes, and scallions. (If you live in an area with deer, though, buy a roll of wire fencing at your local home-improvement store to stretch over your plants.)
You don't have to have a backyard, either... City dwellers can grow fruits and veggies in pots and indoors, too. Head on over to this YouTube channel on urban gardening for tips if you're tight on space.
And even though it isn't spring, yes, you can start a garden this summer in time for a fall harvest.
Got any good gardening tips or stories? E-mail us at feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com
P.S. Want more on healthy aging (and a way to cultivate your wealth, too)? Look no further than my flagship newsletter, Retirement Millionaire. Get a 30-day, risk-free trial at a special price for Health & Wealth Bulletin readers.
What We're Reading...
- Something different: Norway's "green prescriptions" for dementia patients.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
August 7, 2025