Outdoor · Calorie burn
🪴Calories burned gardening
A 155 lb person burns about 140 calories doing gardening for 30 minutes — roughly 281 calories per hour.
Calories burned by weight & time
| Body weight | 15 min | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 125 lb | 57 | 113 | 170 | 226 |
| 155 lb | 70 | 140 | 210 | 281 |
| 185 lb | 84 | 167 | 251 | 335 |
| 215 lb | 97 | 195 | 292 | 389 |
MET value: 3.8. Estimates use the standard MET formula and will vary with intensity, fitness and terrain.
Frequently asked
How many calories does gardening burn?
Gardening burns roughly 140 calories in 30 minutes (about 281 per hour) for a 155 lb person. Heavier bodies and higher intensity burn more.
How is calorie burn for gardening calculated?
We use the MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method: calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × body weight in kg ÷ 200. Gardening has a MET value of about 3.8. This is the same approach used by the Compendium of Physical Activities.
Does gardening burn enough to lose weight?
Exercise helps, but weight loss is driven mostly by total energy balance. Gardening contributes 140–281 calories per session — useful, but a small change in what you eat usually moves the needle faster. Tracking both sides is the point.
More outdoor activities
Both sides of the equation.
CalorieScan AI logs what you eat from a photo and syncs your workouts from Apple Health — so calories in and out finally live in one place.
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