Forty-three per cent of more than a thousand people questioned on behalf of Forest Garden agreed that time in the garden had helped them cope during the spring and summer months of lockdown.
The physical benefits of gardening were well recognised too, with 47 per cent of over-65s saying it’s a popular way to keep fit.
During lockdown, a quarter of men surveyed spent up to three hours more per day in their gardens than they normally would.
Growing fruit and vegetables was a motivator during lockdown for more than a quarter of people, which is underlined by raised beds and planters being the most popular grow-your-own products sold by Forest Garden, not to mention the explosion of demand for seeds with one company selling 100 million lettuce seeds, 25 million herb seeds and 15 million beetroot seeds.
"This survey shines a welcome spotlight on how gardening has been one of the heroes of the Covid-19 crisis," said Kathryn Rossiter, Thrive CEO.
“It shows that at a time of great uncertainty, many more people have discovered gardening as a positive activity for health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.
“It backs up extensive research which shows the combination of physical exercise, meaningful activity and time in nature that gardening provides can reduce stress, anxiety and depression by giving us a sense of control, purpose and achievement.
“I hope those who have found gardening during lockdown will continue to enjoy these benefits as we hopefully ease back to more normal life.”
It’s heart-warming to discover that all this gardening has given a sense of peace during such an extraordinary period in all our lives
Lynsey Grinnell, Forest Garden
Lynsey Grinnell, head of marketing at Forest Garden Ltd, said: “It was fantastic to see UK gardeners using their extra home time in such a sustainable way. And it’s heart-warming to discover that all this gardening has given a sense of peace during such an extraordinary period in all our lives.”
Forest Garden is a supporter of Thrive and has products to make gardening more accessible for those who need to sit, kneel, stand or use a wheelchair to garden.
The Accessible Gardening range includes a variety of designs, including raised beds, table planters, troughs and ladders to enable everyone to make the most of their garden.