Great news for gardeners!

Most people who enjoy gardening know there are emotional and spiritual benefits to nurturing beautiful flowers and delicious fruits and vegetables. A study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in May shows there are specific, measurable health benefits to digging in the dirt.

The study focused on older adults over a two-week period. Each performed nine specific gardening tasks for 10 minutes, with a five-minute rest period between tasks. During their activities, the heart rate of the participants and their oxygen uptake were measured and compared with similar measurements taken while they were sitting for five minutes.

Results showed that leisure gardening provides a range of low-to-moderate exercise intensities. Digging and turning compost were significantly more intense than hand-weeding, mixing soil, filling containers with soil and transplanting seedlings.

Sin-Ae Park, the study's lead author, says, "Gardening activities require no special skill or athleticism, and we now have study results that show that these are appropriate activities for accumulating physical activity during the day."

Gardening references in Scripture remind us of the natural, essential link between God's people and the earth, and are an integral part of our faith tradition.

The Old Testament begins with God's gift of the earth and its abundance, and the Garden of Eden. The sign of renewed life after the flood arrived as an olive branch in the dove's beak.

In Mark, Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed that falls on different kinds of ground (4:1-9), thriving only when it "fell on rich soil."

Also in Mark, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to the mustard seed (4:30-32). This seed, Jesus says, is "smallest of all the seeds on the earth," but becomes "the largest of plants."

A garden takes center stage during Jesus' agony in the garden (Lk 22:39-53).

The very bread Jesus and his disciples broke came from grain grown by farmers/gardeners.

The study presented by Park was focused on older adults, for whom the results might be particularly important. "Older adults may have health or physical limitations for other activities," says Park. But it's no exaggeration to say that older adults "can plant a seed for their health, literally and figuratively."

Clearly, there are benefits for everyone who gardens.

Whether it is a container garden on an apartment balcony or an expanse of lawn, trees and flowerbeds surrounding a house, the simple acts of planting, tending and reaping are personal and productive.

When we're close to the soil, we can reflect on the beauty and wonder of the world. We brighten our surroundings by nurturing beautiful flowers -- and give them to others who might be ill, depressed or feeling forgotten.

Good gardens create environments where birds, butterflies and other inhabitants of God's world can thrive. The sounds of the wind through tall trees or the fragrance of roses can shut out some of the unpleasant man made smells and noises. The sight of a thriving garden can lift the spirits of all who pass by.

Teaching children about gardening helps them develop an appreciation and respect for plants. It also teaches each of us patience -- although when waiting for juicy strawberries to ripen or flower buds to open, this can be a difficult lesson!

That there are quantifiable physical benefits to gardening is certainly a bonus to its spiritual and emotional benefits. Recent attention to the activities that go into gardening will, I hope, encourage others to try tilling the soil.

In doing so, we move closer to our spiritual roots, closer to health and closer to God.

Maureen Pratt is a regular columnist for Catholic News Service.