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Gardening is more than a hobby—it’s a natural way to nourish both the body and mind. Growing your own fruits and vegetables makes it easier to enjoy fresh, nutrient-rich produce picked at its peak, while spending time in the garden connects us with the living world around us. Healthy garden soil contains diverse communities of beneficial microorganisms, and our interaction with natural environments may support a healthy relationship with the microbes that live around and on us. Gardening is exercise, too. Digging, planting, weeding, lifting, and walking through the garden build strength, flexibility, balance, and endurance. Reaching, bending, and stretching as we care for plants can keep our bodies moving in ways that feel productive rather than like a workout. Perhaps one of gardening’s greatest benefits is mental health. Being outdoors, working with plants, watching seeds grow, and enjoying the sights and smells of a garden can help reduce stress, encourage mindfulness, and provide a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Join Master Gardeners Bill and Artemesia to explore how gardening may be one of the healthiest things you can do - because when you grow a garden, you are growing a healthier you, too.

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Where do most plants come from? Well, SEEDS, of course! So now is the time to start your cool season garden from seed. For this topic called “Seed Starting for the Fall Season”, UC Master Gardener Dece Morgan talks to fellow Master Gardener Teena Spindler about the most inexpensive way to start a bountiful vegetable garden. Some seeds don’t take much to germinate but others may take a little coaxing. The key is consistent water (soil moisture). Start now to prepare for California’s second growing season coming up!.

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This week on “In the Garden with UC Master Gardeners”, it’s ‘This Month in the Garden’ for August. UC Master Gardeners Katrina Kirkeby and Teena Spindler are back to help you get through the heart of summer with tips for your garden. Unless you live right on the coast, Just “Say No” to thoughts of planting most varieties of permanent landscape plants. BUT … Just “Say Yes” to Bananas! If you have the space and a good source of water and fertilizer, you can be successful and have your own fruit in a little over a year. Katrina and Teena always have a great time sharing their gardening experience with you every month on the “In the Garden” that always airs on the first Thursday of the month at 8:30 a.m. PST on 88.9 KUCI Irvine if you are in our broadcast area. You can also find our show on this podcast platform or on our website KUCI.org/listen.