Seniors garden to keep the blues away

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Vickie Dye loves to garden. She says it makes her feel relaxed, and it makes the rest of the problems of the world go away, if just for a while. She and her fellow gardeners are growing vegetables, flowers and more at the Welden Yerby Senior Garden at 9175 Stahala in northeast El Paso. It's a haven for anyone over 50 who wants to play in the dirt and grow things. For these gardeners, it's much more than that.

Time outdoors has been proven to reduce blood pressure, depression, anxiety and loneliness, according to a recent study in Nature Prescriptions.

"It gets me out of the house so that's good for my wife's mental health!  Digging in the dirt has a lot of plusses.  It relieves stress and there's just the healthy benefits because you're growing your own veggies," says Ben Avalos. He's been growing things here for more than a decade, and is in the middle of a fruitful pea harvest. Other crops we noticed flourishing this time of year include tomatoes, garlic and onions.

Also growing: opportunity. There are more than a dozen empty plots, just waiting for a caretaker. For roughly $85 a year, El Paso residents over 50 can tend their personal plot. The city provides potting soil, water and some equipment. Gardeners bring the seeds, the TLC and an open mind.

"We have people from all over the world so you're making friends w/ people from China, Korea and all over the U.S., so we share what we grow and the knowledge of what we bring from our backgrounds in gardening," says Dye. She notes there is a governing board, with meetings and rules, including leaving prejudice at the garden gate.

For more information on gardening in El Paso, including at the Welden Yerby Senior Garden, click here: https://epcommunitygardens.wordpress.com/public-gardens/