World Naked Gardening Day is coming, but what's it all about?

Gardening is one of the most rewarding hobbies out there; it’s cheap, good for our mental health and re-connects us with nature.

But the most avid of gardeners won’t necessarily have heard of World Naked Gardening Day before, which involves exactly what it says on the tin: gardening, naked.

Celebrated on the first Saturday of May each year, it’s a celebration of weeding, planting, and trimming hedges all in the nude.

It’s a funny, light-hearted event that seasoned naturists and rookies alike enjoy.

But why does it exist?

Predictably, it has its roots in naturism or nudism which – rather than exhibitionism or something sexual as one might assume – is essentially all about body postivity.

The event – and naturism generally – celebrates being in harmony with nature, communal living and mutual self respect.

And rather than aiming to make a political statement, World Gardening Day is largely just a bit of fun. If you think you’d be into gardening in the buff, of course.

Founded in 2005 by Mark Storey, consulting editor for Nude & Natural magazine and permaculturalist Jacob Gabriel, the idea was first introduced in the mag and was such a hit it spread internationally at a speed.

“Gardening has a timeless quality, and anyone can do it: young and old, singles or groups, the fit and infirm, urban and rural,” the event’s Facebook page reads.

“An elderly lady in a Manhattan apartment can plant new annuals in her window box. Families can rake leaves in their back yard. Freehikers can pull invasive weeds along their favourite stretch of trail.

“More daring groups can make rapid clothes-free sorties into public parks to do community-friendly stealth cleanups.

“Why garden naked? First of all, it’s fun! Second only to swimming, gardening is at the top of the list of family-friendly activities people are most ready to consider doing nude.

“Moreover, our culture needs to move toward a healthy sense of both body acceptance and our relation to the natural environment.

“Gardening naked is not only a simple joy, it reminds us – even if only for those few sun-kissed minutes – that we can be honest with who we are as humans and as part of this planet.”

So now, each year, everyone from all corners of the globe is encouraged to tend their gardens nude, boosting their self-esteem and vitamin D levels along the way.

And don’t worry – with a little common sense, no one will arrest you for stripping down.

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