SEATTLE — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
Going “barefoot in the garden” might take on new meaning this weekend, as Seattle has just been ranked the second-best city in the nation for naked gardening.
That’s right—Seattle trails only Miami in a new list of the top U.S. cities for stripping down and digging in, just in time for World Naked Gardening Day, which takes place Saturday.
The rankings come from LawnStarter, a lawn care company that evaluated 500 U.S. cities across 11 metrics, including weather, legality of public nudity, and online search interest for terms like “naked gardening” and “World Naked Gardening Day.”
“When you think back to Adam and Eve, it’s all about being naked in the Garden of Eden,” Jeff Herman, editor with LawnStarter, said. “I guess some people continue to think the best way to garden is to garden in your skin.”
Helping Seattle earn its high rank? The city’s tolerant attitude toward clothing-optional behavior, and one notable local advocate.
Mark Storey, a Seattle-area philosophy professor and co-founder of World Naked Gardening Day, said baring it all while working in the soil can be both grounding and liberating.
“Most people actually kind of enjoy being one with the soil,” Storey said. “To remove the clothes while we’re doing it—it’s actually a healthy thing. It’s healthy intellectually, it’s healthy socially.”
While some cities embrace the idea, others aren’t quite ready to ditch the overalls. Anchorage, Alaska, and Kenosha, Wisconsin, ranked among the coldest spots to garden naked. Boulder, Colorado; Auburn, Alabama; and Flagstaff, Arizona also showed less enthusiasm for au naturel horticulture.
How do other Washington cities rank for naked gardening?
Other Washington cities on the list include:
Bellevue – 214th
Vancouver – 112th
Tacoma – 93rd
Kennewick – 89th
Yakima – 76th
Spokane – 21st
Still, Storey encourages the curious to give it a shot.
“Whatever your comfort level is—friends, family, or by yourself—if you can give it a try, I’m willing to bet money you’re going to walk away thinking that was pretty cool,” he said.
One final word of caution from LawnStarter: Whether you choose to garden clothed or not, never operate a lawnmower in the nude.
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