3 . Developing a Growth Mindset
The inability to garden perfectly is actually cause for celebration . Psychologist Carol Dweck developed the distinction between " fixed " and " growth " mindsets , and gardening is a great opportunity to develop the latter . With a growth mindset , we assume that we ' re constantly learning . When something doesn ' t work out the way we had hoped , we view it as a learning opportunity rather than as a " failure ."
We can even look forward to our mistakes . " I love making mistakes ," said Lamp ' l , " because I look at them as a chance to learn something new . Through those mishaps , you can understand what happened and why , and you can be empowered to relate that learning to new things ." So more mistakes just mean more learning and more growing .
I certainly make my share of gardening mistakes and find a growth mindset to be so helpful . For example , this season I experimented with a seeding method that I didn ' t do quite right and ended up with plants that were overcrowded and nearly impossible to disentangle when it came time to put the seedlings in the garden beds . My initial reaction was to feel stress about needing to " do it the right way ," and then I realised all I had to do was the best I could do , and I would learn something for my fall planting .
4 . Connecting with Others
Few things boost our well-being like good relationships , and gardening offers ample opportunities to connect with others . Lamp ' l noted that " gardening is one of the best ways to connect strangers " and quickly become friends " because we have that gardening thing in common ."
I ' ve experienced that quick connection myself when meeting other gardeners , and there ' s so much to talk about — not only the nuts and bolts of gardening but the emotional and spiritual connections we can experience with our gardens . " It ' s a collective effort ," said Lamp ' l , " and we ' re all better together when we share our experiences ."
5 . Connecting to Your World
Gardening provides a connection not just to other people but to our world . Many people feel that connection in a visceral way when they eat food they ' ve