Garden Therapy
An article currently on line at Web MD extols the virtues of gardening for good-for-your-heart, aerobic exercise and peace of mind. I have to say I agree absolutely! I would love to hear about your garden: where do you live, what do you plant, how does it make you feel? Over at Dr. Charles' place they are gearing up for the 2006 tomato competition; look on his page for the "First Sunday in May" post.
My sister and I have birthdays about 5 weeks apart in April and May and last weekend our parents took us to a wonderful place in Mason, New Hampshire, called Pickity Place. If you have a chance to get there and have lunch, do so. You'll be glad you did!
I would have loved to have walked through the gardens at this lovely herb farm, but by the time we'd finished lunch it was pouring rain, and we decided that skipping the gardens today gave us an excuse for another trip back very soon.
I love to garden: herbs, vegetables, and flowers all mingle in my beds. As soon as spring arrives I get out there to turn the leaves over, looking for those first green shoots that tell me my perennials have made it through another winter. Then the first green sprouts of things that have reseeded themselves start to show up. So far this year that means tickseed flowers, dill, parsley, and feverfew, but it's early yet, and I may have other surprises.
I am an organic gardener, which has its own challenges. For example, I have the most beautiful swamp milkweed in my garden, that I planted last year. By the end of the season, it was COVERED with aphids. In case you don't know aphids, they are a disaster to most of the other plants in the garden, and difficult to get rid of organically (if anyone has any secrets, please tell me). The milkweeds are very attractive to butterflies, so I don't want to get rid of it completely, but now that it's sending up its first shoots and I can see it, I think I am going to move it to another location.
As the Web MD article points out, gardening can be good exercise to strengthen the heart and other muscles, increase flexibility, and give you peace of mind. At this time of year my garden promises the renewal of all life, the warmth of the sun, and the richness of a compost pile full of fat worms. The herbs are greening up, and rubbing them with my hands is a delightful experience of scent, that brings thoughts of herb-flavored foods from my kitchen, shared with my family and friends. As I write this there is half of a wren's egg sitting in front of me on my computer tower, which I found in my garden bed. Evidence once again, that life begins anew...
Laurie
"An optimist is the human personification of spring."
Susan J. Bissonette
Related Topics: Watch and Learn: Women and Heart Disease, The Healthy Gardener
Technorati Tags: Gardening, heart, health, organic
My sister and I have birthdays about 5 weeks apart in April and May and last weekend our parents took us to a wonderful place in Mason, New Hampshire, called Pickity Place. If you have a chance to get there and have lunch, do so. You'll be glad you did!
I would have loved to have walked through the gardens at this lovely herb farm, but by the time we'd finished lunch it was pouring rain, and we decided that skipping the gardens today gave us an excuse for another trip back very soon.
I love to garden: herbs, vegetables, and flowers all mingle in my beds. As soon as spring arrives I get out there to turn the leaves over, looking for those first green shoots that tell me my perennials have made it through another winter. Then the first green sprouts of things that have reseeded themselves start to show up. So far this year that means tickseed flowers, dill, parsley, and feverfew, but it's early yet, and I may have other surprises.
I am an organic gardener, which has its own challenges. For example, I have the most beautiful swamp milkweed in my garden, that I planted last year. By the end of the season, it was COVERED with aphids. In case you don't know aphids, they are a disaster to most of the other plants in the garden, and difficult to get rid of organically (if anyone has any secrets, please tell me). The milkweeds are very attractive to butterflies, so I don't want to get rid of it completely, but now that it's sending up its first shoots and I can see it, I think I am going to move it to another location.
As the Web MD article points out, gardening can be good exercise to strengthen the heart and other muscles, increase flexibility, and give you peace of mind. At this time of year my garden promises the renewal of all life, the warmth of the sun, and the richness of a compost pile full of fat worms. The herbs are greening up, and rubbing them with my hands is a delightful experience of scent, that brings thoughts of herb-flavored foods from my kitchen, shared with my family and friends. As I write this there is half of a wren's egg sitting in front of me on my computer tower, which I found in my garden bed. Evidence once again, that life begins anew...
Laurie
"An optimist is the human personification of spring."
Susan J. Bissonette
Related Topics: Watch and Learn: Women and Heart Disease, The Healthy Gardener
Technorati Tags: Gardening, heart, health, organic
8 Comments:
In the United States, 500 people die of cardiovascular disease every day.
You answered: TRUE
The correct answer is: FALSE
The daily toll is about 2,600 people. Two out of every five Americans die of cardiovascular diseases.
If 2,600 people died, then TRue...500 people did infact die. You didn't ask for a total number to die...you didn't ask for a minimun number of people to die. You just asked if 500 people died.
For the aphids: fill a spray bottle with soapy water. Or Neem oil. and let 'em have it.
Thanks for the tip about the aphids. I have used soap, but will certainly now try the neem. It smells bad enough to scare me off, so hopefully it will do the same to the aphids!
Hi Laurie, I just wanted to tell you how I keep aphids down. A few drops of dishwashing detergent in a quart of water and a spray bottle will work if it is on a small area. It is safe for you and nature, but it kills all bugs, not just aphids. A strong spray of water, even without the soap, will dislodge the majority of them, too. If you put too much soap, it will harm the new green leaves. I hope this helps.
Two additional ways to control aphids are: Manual agitation (a great stress reliever) and a sacrifice crop, like nasturtiums.
"Squashing" the critters insures that it will not multiply. Use gloves and gently drag your fingers over the bud or leaf coated in aphids.
Underplanting nasturtiums will give the buggies something to munch on besides your primary crop. The blooms and leaves will remain intact as the aphids eat until they are too large to move.
Another choice: Ladybugs will also help to keep the aphid population under control. The same plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden will keep the attention of ladybugs between their munchings of the pests.
Master Gardener from WA State
Hi,
Last year I spent many hours "rolling" the plant stems and "flattening" the leaves between my hands to keep those darn aphids from reproducing. I could not keep up with the enormity of their numbers. The two problem plants were swamp milkweeds, grown for their attractiveness to butterflies, but apparently also very attractive to aphids. I have moved them out of the garden to an area farther away from my vegetables, in the hope that the vegetables will be protected because the aphids will go to the milkweeds, about 25 feet away. I can companion them with nasturtium, but I want to eat them too! If I put them in the garden as well as with the milkweeds, will I then attract bad bugs to the vegetable garden as well? Last year I put them with summer squash because I read they were good garden companions. Also, I have other hummer attracting plants, but is there anything in particular that attracts the lady bugs? Thank you for your input! Laurie
Hi Laurie,
You indicated that you were interested in others gardens so I thought I'd write. I am a pathologist who recently took early retirement to help with my elderly parents. My father has CAD disease and is about 10 yrs. post CABG; mother has arthritis and diabetes. Growing up in central Indiana we always had a big (half acre) garden which supplied tons of produce that my mother and I canned, froze, pickled or bottled. Dad and mom so missed their garden that I encouraged them to consider container and deck railing garden. Having just returned from their house I can report that this has been the best activity for their mental, physical and spiritual health. Dad has over a dozen tomato plants growing in 5 gallon plastic buckets, a variety of peppers, peas trained up a trellis and cukes and zucchini spilling over the deck railing. They have plastic lawn chairs placed so they can water their little plot and watch the butterflies and birds. Dad talks excitedly about seed catalogues and newer varieties of beets and carrots that don't require so much soil depth. They are happy, content and for the first time in years, forward looking. It provides time in the outdoors, gentle aerobic exercise, mental stimulation and a sense of accomplishment. It's been the best thing a doctor could order.
Hi Laurie,
I have solved my insect problem with the following potion that I mix in a 1.5 liter hand held pump sprayer.
2-3 tbs of Chineese mustard or
cayenne pepper or a combo of both.
Fill with warm water 7/8 full and shake to mix.
Add 1 oz any hand dishwashing soap (which makes this potion coat the plant and insects). Shake again with sprayer screwed on.
Your plant will no longer taste good to insects and also rabits.
Post a Comment