2025 is going to be a busy year in the world of gardening. With so many new gardeners starting their gardens this year—welcome, all of you!—we’re going to take some time here at the Gardzen blog to touch on some fundamentals and basics. Newcomers may be hearing them for the first time, established and experienced gardeners may need a reminder. While gardening is generally a safe and healthy activity, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure we have the best experience possible. With that in mind, let’s dig in and learn a few tips for gardening safely in 2025!
Keep an eye on the weather: While indoor gardens are awesome, for many of us gardening is an outdoor activity. This means we’ll be out in the fresh air under an open sky—and that can lead to a few health and safety issues. In hot or sunny weather, take precautions to avoid both sunburn and heat illness by wearing loose fitting clothing that covers your skin, drinking plenty of water, taking frequent breaks, and avoiding strenuous outdoor activities when it’s really hot outside. Use sunscreen if you’ll be outside for any length of time; even 15 minutes of direct sun exposure can cause sunburn. And while a little rain isn’t necessarily a huge deal, if there’s any sign of thunder/lightening or high winds please seek shelter. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure, and it’s best to be cautious when dealing with extremes of weather.
Avoid repetitive motions and bad posture: depending on the size and nature of your garden or yard, gardening can involve a fair amount of physical labor. Hauling bags of mulch, digging a new garden bed, or transplanting young trees and shrubs can all be demanding on our bodies. When gardening it’s best to follow some basic safety rules for intense physical activity: avoid excessive repetitive motions that may lead to muscle strain; lift with your knees, not your back; and get help with bulky, awkward, or overly heavy loads. Even a simple repetitive motion like raking leaves or digging in a raised bed can leave us with a sore back or worse later on, so use good posture, intersperse repetitive motion tasks with other activities, and stay hydrated.
Use good quality tools—and take care of them: While gardening can be as simple or as complex as we make it, most of us will need at least a few tools. We strongly recommend acquiring and using good quality tools from a reputable vendor. Good tools last longer, are safer to use, and make gardening a much more enjoyable activity all around. Once you have the right tools, make sure you’re taking care of them appropriately. Regular maintenance, cleaning, and sharpening help insure that your tools last longer, do better work, and are safer for you and your plants. We do recommend a good pair of gardening gloves, by the way—they can spare you splinters, cuts and bruises, and blisters.
Avoid pests and parasites: When working with or around plants, you’ll run into all sorts of insects and wildlife. This is normal and part of the fun; gardening connects us to the larger natural world and reminds us that we’re part of it. However some critters—like mosquitoes, ticks, and biting flies—are best avoided altogether. We recommend wearing protective clothing, using an appropriate insect repellent, and reducing or eliminate habitat for these potentially annoying or even dangers bugs. Ticks and mosquitoes in particular may carry diseases that can infect humans, so again prevention is better than cure.
Avoid dehydration: It’s simple enough to say “drink plenty of water while doing garden work” but the reality is we all forget sometimes. Dehydration can be a serious issue if it progresses too far, and it can sneak up on you. While we may associate thirst and dehydration with hot weather, the reality is that while we’re physically active dehydration can happen under any conditions. So keep water handy, spend some time in the shade, and keep yourself hydrated.
Know how to use a first aid kit—and have one available: Gardening is a relatively safe activity, but even in the safest places accidents can and do happen. It’s important that every household and vehicle have a good first aid kit and that everyone knows where it is and how to use it. Your local Red Cross chapter may offer first aid courses, and we recommend taking them. It is unlikely that you’ll have a serious accident whilst gardening, but it’s not impossible and it’s best to be prepared in case something unexpected does happen. Additionally, smaller bumps, bruises, and cuts are inevitable while doing garden work, and they need prompt care as well. So have a first aid kit, learn to use it, and make sure everyone in your household or garden knows where it is.
Welcome to the World of Gardening!
Gardening is a wonderful hobby, vocation, or lifestyle. Plants make good companions, there’s always something new to learn, and the results can be beautiful and/or delicious. Gardening is safe and fun, but keeping it that way requires us to follow a few basic guidelines for gardening safety. We hope this list of tips helps you garden safely in 2025 and beyond. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out and let us know; Gardzen is all about community and we love to hear from you!
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