Plant your beets in your birthday suit. Water your knock-out roses in the nude.
Naked gardening is a thing and Jackson, Mississippi is getting in on the action.
According to a recent study by Lawnstarter, Jackson is ranked 98th best U.S. city for naked gardening.
The study examined the 200 biggest U.S. cities, so unfortunately, the smaller populations on the Mississippi Coast means they didn’t make the cut.
But, why is Jackson a good place to get naked in the garden?
Well, there are several factors that Lawnstarter used to determine the ranking.
Here’s how the study did it:
The study first gathered the places where naked gardening is safe and legal, examined nudist population sizes, indecent exposure laws and gardener-friendliness as well as weather and sex offender lists.
These topics were then assigned to one of the four categories: (1) Nude Gardener-Friendliness,(2) Local Interest, (3) Weather Forecast and (4) Safety.
Cities were then given a score for each category and then ranked (best to worst) depending on where other cities scored.
Out of 200 cities, Jackson is ranked 98th on the list.
Here’s a breakdown of the scoring:
Overall score: 46.50
Nude Gardener-Friendliness: 56
Local Interest: 154
Weather: 105
Safety: 175
Still wondering why naked gardening is gaining popularity?
An expert weigh in:
“Beliefs about what is beautiful take time to change, so my guess is one act of public nudity won’t move the needle, but lots of it — coupled with positive messages about the benefits of public nudity — definitely could,” said Tessa West, associate professor of psychology at New York University.
“Modeling behavior is important. If people see different types of bodies out there and people feeling truly comfortable in their own skin, that could make them realize, ‘Hey, I look beautiful in the nude, too.’”
West also shares a few benefits of nude gardening:
“For benefits, I would say an increase in vitamin D, learning to feel comfortable in your skin, and exploring new physical sensations,” West said.
However, West notes a few things to watch out for, too:
“Dangers include sunburn, accidental injury if you’re not careful (hint: don’t sit down in the dirt!), and bug bites where you don’t want them.”
Plan to give it a try? Here are tips for first-time nude gardeners:
- Wear sunscreen — everywhere! Remember, some of these body parts have never seen the sun, so they are very vulnerable. This is true for all skin tones and races.
- Make sure you aren’t using any chemicals (like weed killer) that might come in contact with your body. If you need gloves to handle your gardening chemicals, it might not be a good time to go nude.
- Bring a towel or blanket. Crouching down over your plot of land to dig out beans is fine, but most of us naturally sit down when our legs get tired — it’s an automatic behavior we don’t think about. Think proactively, and put something down on the ground that will be kind to your behind.
Wondering who made the top 10?
Here are the 10 best cities for naked gardening:
1st: Miami, Florida
2nd: Austin, Texas
3rd: Atlanta, Georgia
4th: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
5th: Los Angeles, California
6th: Orange, California
7th: Pasadena, California
8th: Seattle, Washington
9th: Houston, Texas
10th: Raleigh, North Carolina
Check out the full list and more about the study online.
