By William Cramp Fit Flyer reporters | Gardening helps fifth-grade teacher Ms. Morales teacher, think positively: “It helps my mental health, giving me an outlet. I feel like everyone needs one, and this is a good one to get me outdoors.”
Gardening is an activity that can reduce depression and anxiety, according to a research study published in the National Library of Medicine.
Ms. Morales said she told Fit Flyer reporters that she gardens by herself because it’s one part of her day when she doesn’t have to be giving instructions. It gives her a reason to go outside even if she doesn’t want to. It also helps her own children to eat more vegetables because they help in the garden, she said.
Please read more from Ms. Morales’ interview. Her answers have been lightly edited.
Question: Please describe your garden.
Ms. Morales: I have a vegetable garden in my backyard, a small herb garden in front of my house in a raised bed built by my husband, and then we plant flowers in various places around our yard.
Around our pond in our backyard, we grow a lot of tall green plants that take up a lot of space, some that are planted especially to keep mosquitos away.
I like to plant wildflowers each year to see what comes up because it makes me happy. I also grow cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and hot peppers. We like to take on something new each year.
Question: When do you garden? How often do you garden? And why do you garden?
Ms. Morales: I garden all year long. I prepare my outdoor stuff at the end of April and I do my planting on Mother’s Day weekend. I take care of my flower garden every single morning in the summertime. The vegetable garden you have to be consistent with from spring to fall.
I started gardening because I was having health issues and it took my mind off things. We built a little pond, and my husband said we need plants back here. I realized that when I was playing in the dirt, I wasn’t thinking about other things. It became a form of meditation, and it makes me feel successful.
Question: How did you start your garden?
Ms. Morales: I started with just vegetables because my mom always had one with cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants. I always thought, I couldn’t wait to have my own backyard to do that. I would advise someone to start small, not too much at once, do a little research, because everything grows differently. Stick with it! It feels good at the end of the season.
Question: What gardening challenges have you faced?
Ms. Morales: Growing colorful flowers is really hard. We’ve tried doing it from plants, seeds, cuttings, and then we just decided to have (the garden) green and not colorful. Then, lo and behold, we saw one day that colors started showing up.
We also have trouble growing cucumbers in more than just one spot. We learned to buy more than one variety in case one doesn’t work out. You’re not always going to be successful.
I’ve killed houseplants, so when that happens, I read to see what is going wrong.
Illustration by Mia, 7th grade, MaST, 2025-2026.
