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Gardening can boost your confidence, self-esteem and body image, a new study has found

According to a new study, gardening can increase our confidence, improve our self-esteem and boost our appreciation of our bodies. This confirms what we already know about gardening being the perfect activity to get us through the current social distancing regulations.

The research, conducted by Anglia Ruskin University, looked specifically at allotment gardening. 84 allotment and community gardeners from London were asked to complete a body image ‘measure of state’ before and after spending time on their allotments. This was then compared to scores from non-gardening groups.

Both groups were also asked to rate themselves on several body image traits, including ‘body appreciation’, ‘functionality appreciation’ and ‘body pride’.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/gardens/a32027282/allotment-gardening-boost-body-image/

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Oregon’s free online vegetable gardening course draws in 18,000 people following stay-home orders

The coronavirus crisis has increased interest in individuals wanting to grow their own food during stay-at-home orders, massive layoffs and community planting postponements. About 1,000 people a day are signing up for a free, online vegetable gardening course offered by Oregon State University Extension Service.

As of April 1, more than 17,656 people had registered for the introductory course, according to OSU Extension, which waived the $45 fee through the end of April.

The course offers information that can be accessed anytime online on how to plan a garden, prepare the soil, care for plants and harvest.

People are also being encouraged to donate surplus produce to local food agencies through the Plant a Row for the Hungry effort.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/oregons-free-online-vegetable-gardening-course-draws-in-18000-people-following-stay-home-order.html

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Plant a Victoy Garden To Combat Your Isolation Woes


🌱 Plant a Victory Garden to combat your coronavirus fears and isolation woes.

👨‍🌾 During World War II, those at home grew Victory Gardens to ease food shortages & boost morale. While there may not be a shortage of food, those quarantined at home may find their garden to be a place of joy, wonder and peace. BONUS… you’ll end up with some pretty great things to eat.

“SOW the Seeds of VICTORY”! 💪
🛒 SHOP our Homestead Seed Bank, NOW: https://www.seedsnow.com/products/homestead-seed-bank

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Gardening self-care: Vegetables you can plant right now (indoors and out) during the coronavirus

As you practice social distancing, use this time to introduce two new friends into your life: a shovel and a pair of gloves.

During stressful times, nature can be a peaceful refuge. And, coinciding with the timing of coronavirus, we’re also at the start of something a little brighter — gardening season.

“There’s a meditative feeling you get from the repetitive tasks of gardening,” says Teddy Moynihan, founder of Plowshare Farms. “Plus it’s an action you can take to nourish yourself in the face of something that feels like we have no control over.”

While stay-at-home orders are in place, outdoor activity is still permitted, meaning you’re in the clear to venture into your backyard or garden plot. (Just don’t bring others along to watch you plant.)

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/gardening-vegetables-plant-vegetables-containers-garden-yard-coronavirus-philadelphia-new-jersey-20200330.html

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Fearing Shortages, People Are Planting More Vegetable Gardens

People still struggle to find food at grocery stores during this pandemic, but Jameson Altott is not as worried. He grows more than half the food for his family from his large garden at home, outside Pittsburgh.

“We are lucky to have preserved a lot of food and we still have canned fruits and vegetables and jams and berries in the freezer and meat in the freezer,” Altott says.

There has been a surge of people interested in growing their own food. Oregon State University’s Master Gardener program noticed this, and made their online vegetable gardening course free through the end of April. Their post on Facebook was shared more than 21,000 times.

“We’re being flooded with vegetable orders,” says George Ball, executive chairman of the Burpee Seed Company, based in Warminster, Penn.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/03/27/822514756/fearing-shortages-people-are-planting-more-vegetable-gardens

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The therapeutic value of the garden in trying times

If someone were to say I must self-isolate in the garden for the next few weeks, I would shake him or her by the hand. If I could. Here’s a thumbs up from a distance of six feet or more.

The neighborhood sidewalks and nature trails are thronged with the cabin-fevered, so what better place to be outdoors and yet away from others than in your backyard and garden?

You can sit out there with the newspaper and a cup of coffee, but in time both of those pleasures will come to an end.

The mark of a true gardener is a person who does not see a finished landscape but a series of tasks that need to be tackled. This isn’t as onerous as it sounds because it gets to the essential elements of gardening: creativity, honest toil and the satisfaction of a job well done. Aches and pains come along for the ride, but that’s why we have bathtubs.

READ THE FULL POST: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/gardening-self-isolating-coronavirus/2020/03/23/30bae166-6a08-11ea-9923-57073adce27c_story.html

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Gardening a great way to stay active when your’re stuck at home

Being stuck at home doesn’t mean you have to stay inside – the current spring weather is perfect for working on the landscape and doing some gardening.

Gardening is a great way to get fresh air, exercise, stay productive, and grow some of your own food.

Herbs, in particular, are great to have in the landscape for many reasons – they are beautiful ornamental plants, attract butterflies and bees, and they can be used for seasoning to make food taste delicious.

Another bonus is that many herbs are deer-resistant!

There are herbs to try for every level of experience, from beginner gardener to advanced.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/2020/03/22/gardening-great-way-stay-active-when-stuck-home/2884284001/

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The History Of Gardens In Times Of Turmoil

Spring weather and extra time at home may have you thinking about putting in or tending to a garden. It’s something past generations always did in times of turmoil. Home gardens provide extra fruits, veggies and herbs when store shelves may be bare.

During both World Wars, the U.S. government encouraged Americans to grow their own food to relieve shortages. Gardening was promoted as a family-friendly activity that provided exercise and stretched food budgets.

With wartime food rationing in 1942, the Oregon Victory Garden Advisory Committee formed to help people grow personal plots of fruits and vegetables. Community groups and government agencies partnered to offer free public classes, they produced and distributed how-to manuals, provided hands-on assistance through home visits, and broadcast gardening information on KOAC radio – later known as Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The coordinated effort worked. All over the state, residents dug up and cultivated their yards, public parks, empty lots and even a portion of the Oregon Zoo.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/victory-gardens-america-coronavirus-history-oregon/

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Five Gardens You Can Virtually Tour While Under A Quarantine

Given the current reality of quarantining, it isn’t exactly prime time to explore the gardens of the world, but House Beautiful has rounded up virtual tours of five breathtaking gardens from across the globe. Get ready to explore the lush and serene gardens of England, France, Chicago, and Hawaii, and live like a Rothschild, Claude Monet, or a British Royal. Anything is possible from your living room!

START TOURING NOW: https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/gardening/g31746949/gardens-you-can-virtually-tour/

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How to plant a well-being garden for your physical, mental and social health

There is an ever-growing body of scientific evidence that gardens and gardening are good for our physical, mental and social wellbeing. Having something to nurture brings a sense of unpressured purpose to our lives. And if you choose the right plants and design, you can enhance the wellbeing your garden provides.

A considered, layered approach to planting can block traffic noise; the right trees and shrubs can combat pollution; certain flowers can keep pollen counts low, while still encouraging bees and insects; and scented plants can reduce stress. Here’s how to do it.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) looks great in mixed borders or pots, can be used in many recipes, and is proven to enhance alertness, memory, reduce anxiety, improve mood and aid relaxation.

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita) Be sure it doesn’t take over, so place in pots (in sunny spots). Peppermint will enhance attention, alertness and memory as well as reduce stress.

Lavender (Lavandula) A therapeutic garden classic, fantastic for improving concentration, reducing stress and anxiety, increasing relaxation and improving mood. Plant near a back door or seating areas for maximum exposure.

Thyme (Thymus) A great robust ground cover that, if planted along the edge of a path or gaps within paving, will release its beautiful scent when stepped on.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/mar/14/how-to-plant-a-wellbeing-garden

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Gardening column: Big tips on fertilizing your garden

I don’t know if fertilizer is flying off the shelves yet, but I am guessing a few more people might be interested in gardening this year … you know … stocking up!

Growing your own produce is fun and eating it fresh from the garden is rewarding. Growing organically remains popular — so much so that each generation seems to think they invented it!

Regardless whether you garden flowers, veggies or manage turf — using the least amount of inputs is always best.

The two broad groups of garden products are synthetic (human-made), chemical types or organic/natural based chemicals. Both are chemicals.

For example, the chemical composition for bone meal, a natural product can range from 10-30% phosphorus, depending on the type of bones and methods used to process it. Products used as organic fertilizers are usually available separately, so you can mix up your own concoction.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.mankatofreepress.com/news/lifestyles/gardening-column-big-tips-on-fertilizing-your-garden/article_1f83e760-67f8-11ea-998f-9fc94aab9627.html

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Dame Helen Mirren says gardening helps soothe her anxiety and keep “her dragons” away

Fred Duval – Getty Images

Dame Helen Mirren has revealed that gardening helps to soothe her anxiety and keep her “dragons” away.

The multi award-winning actor said: “I am not very good at turning off but gardening is a wonderful thing to do because it is absorbent, meditative, a learning process and it is physical. It is a really good way of keeping those dark dragons away. I do have them. I do, yes,” Helen told The Mirror.

Last summer, the British actor spoke of the challenges she faced when it came to her mental health. Speaking on the My Self Worth podcast — which was made in ­collaboration with The Prince’s Trust — she said she often felt boring and not exciting enough.

“These negative thoughts are always lurking there under the surface. Everybody feels this way, you are not the only one. What always comes up in my head is that I’m boring, I’m stupid, I’m not exciting enough.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a31071382/helen-mirren-gardening-helps-anxiety/

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The nine-year-old American girl who builds houses for the homeless – using all the power tools herself!

A nine-year-old builds houses from scratch and they aren’t the kind for dolls. 

When Hailey Fort was just five-years-old, it broke her heart to see a homeless man on the street. After asking her parents how she could help him, she’s been assisting the homeless by providing food and housing ever since.

Hailey of King Fort, Washington is building a mobile shelter for her homeless friend Edward and others like him. She plans to build 12 this year.

Edward recently lost his job working at the local supermarket and Hailey made it her goal to make sure he could sleep someplace warm and dry.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3111720/Nine-year-old-girl-builds-makeshift-homes-homeless-grows-food-garden.html

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How To Plant a Forest Garden That Grows 500 Kinds of Food and Requires Virtually No Maintenance

Historically, farms and forests have been at odds. Conventional wisdom says we have to cut down the forest to make way for agriculture.

But a growing movement called agro-forestry “capitalizes” on the free services forests provide farmers and gardeners.

Not only do trees protect more delicate edible plants from the elements and extreme weather, they provide nutrients, water, pest control and pollination services.

Although you might not find all your traditional annual veggies in a forest garden, you will discover hundreds of new varieties of edible plants you never knew existed, that are often more nutrient-dense and flavorful.

And if you choose your plants carefully, they will propagate themselves each year and live symbiotically among the hundreds of diverse species around them, requiring no tilling, planting, fertilizing, weeding or watering.

This is what Martin Crawford has done in his 2-acre forest garden in England for over 20 years — let it do the work for him for the most part, after a few years of research and legwork.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://returntonow.net/2019/10/28/forest-garden-with-500-kinds-of-food-requires-only-a-few-hours-of-work-per-month/?fbclid=IwAR1n5udnKnaFLBC9hI9pCnNv4R3ryKXXzQKfOlXeurHyYcURiXHMSPVTN6o

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MORGAN FREEMAN TRANSFORMED HIS 124-ACRE RANCH INTO A BEE SANCTUARY

MORGAN FREEMAN’S MISSISSIPPI RANCH IS NOW A SAFE HAVEN FOR BEES

Famous as one of America’s favorite narrators, Morgan Freeman is hoping to tell a new story for the world’s declining honeybee population by giving them his 124-acre (50 hectares) ranch to live on. The 81-year-old actor took up beekeeping as a hobby in 2014 and converted his Mississippi ranch into a bee sanctuary.

FREEMAN FED HIS NEW BEES SUGAR WATER WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED

Back in 2014, Morgan Freeman decided to turn his 124-acre ranch into a pollinator sanctuary, specifically bees.

He brought in 26 bee hives from Arkansas and planted acre upon acre of bee-attracting vegetation including magnolia trees, lavender, and clover.

At first Freeman fed the bees sugar water himself as they adjusted to their new home, and has said that he’s never been stung despite not wearing a protective suit or hat.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://brightvibes.com/1211/en/morgan-freeman-transformed-his-124-acre-ranch-into-a-bee-sanctuary?fbclid=IwAR2PfKr58TM88DEdYroeGVQcLBXRSo6iPp3g6evjhZoUJsgDUyCcnVJLXq4

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Doctors Are Now Prescribing House Plants for Anxiety and Depression

Thanks to science we now know that nature is basically a wonder drug. Spending time outside helps hospital patients recover faster, eases depression and anxiety, boosts the immune system, reduces blood pressure, and even increases happiness. The only trouble with trees is that it is impossible to prescribe in pill form.

But while you can’t shrink a tree to the size of a prescription bottle, you can miniaturize nature in the form of potted plants. And for certain patients, British doctors feel that’s a great place to start. Some are actually prescribing houseplants to those suffering from anxiety and depression to help lessen their symptoms.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/doctors-prescribing-house-plants-anxiety-depression.html?fbclid=IwAR0iitcmBZvNORe0umeGJdj0V_BnNvgYsvwmqyt_OMQw7QRGoN3eubE8V_0

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Uses And Benefits of Kelp Meal Fertilizers

Why Choose Organic Fertilizer?

Many people are confused by the use of organic fertilizers because these products naturally contain lower concentrations of nutrients than chemical fertilizers.

This fact may lead you to believe they are not as good, but this is not the case.

When you use strong chemical fertilizers, you run the risk of accidentally applying too much and damaging or even killing your plants.

Organic fertilizers are more complex than chemical fertilizers.

They often contain ingredients which must be broken down by fungi and bacteria in the soil in order to be utilized by plants.

While this may seem like a disadvantage at first, it actually means organic fertilizers naturally release their nutrients slowly and steadily to keep plants consistently fed without the risk of damage.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://plantcaretoday.com/kelp-fertilizer.html?fbclid=IwAR3Z3kAT04YyyFr0T937nMZNNmm6zgAZRFp-6QBCEuvVuV0GGtvC_tR1IZU

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Hemp Houses are Being 3D-Printed in Australia

An Australian company is 3D printing hemp bioplastic walls, floors and roofs to be used in the construction of eco-friendly prefabricated homes.

The carbon-neutral homes will take only weeks to construct and will store massive amounts of CO2 in their walls.

The company, Mirreco, hopes their 3D-printed hemp polymer panels will become the material of choice for residential and commercial builders around the world.

Not only is hemp bioplastic easier to work with than concrete, it’s way more environmentally friendly.

The hemp biomass used to make it sequesters carbon dioxide when its growing and stores it “forever” when its turned into plastic.

And unlike concrete, hemp is a renewable resource. There is simply not enough sand in the world to sustain the growing demand for conventional concrete, Business Insider explains.

READ THE FULL STORY AT: https://returntonow.net/2020/02/26/hemp-houses-are-being-3d-printed-in-australia/?fbclid=IwAR1QT_SWWp-IsTPKK2nejMP8hh4yRzYBLq6bFZh3U3ZMUiV7AbpcPy6bwgc

 

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Atlanta Turns 7-Acre Vacant Lot into Largest Free Food Forest In the Country

Instead of developing it into townhouses, the City of Atlanta recently voted to transform a vacant, old, overgrown pecan farm into a food forest.

The 7-acre public park will feature fruit-producing trees, shrubs and vines along walking trails, a community vegetable garden and restored native forest and stream-side areas by 2020.

The vegetable garden has already been planted alongside preexisting walnut and pecan trees. More than 100 fruit trees have also been planted including figs, apples, plums and peaches.

The plans include a community composting facility, rainwater collection system, a medicinal mushroom walk,  and an apiary to house bees for pollination.

READ THE FULL STORY: https://returntonow.net/2019/06/27/atlanta-turns-7-acres-vacant-lot-into-largest-free-food-forest-in-the-country/?fbclid=IwAR2UC548cZpTuQkOlAby1kJc0V_nMVrgK2Zk54-FsWFDjLuETtbMkf9mr6E

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When You Eat Celery Every Day For A Week Your Body Will Receive These 14 Health Benefits

Celery is one of the most nutritious vegetables we can consume, as it is a rich source of magnesium, potassium, and vitamins C, A, B, and K. It is also high in phytonutrients, which act as potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents, strengthen the immune system, boosts the intracellular communication, and repairs DNA damage.

Researchers have confirmed the numerous health benefits of celery:

  • Celery treats and prevents chronic inflammation
  • It regulates the pH balance of the body
  • it helps weight loss since it is low in calories but high in fiber
  • Celery helps digestion and treats stomach issues and constipation
  • It is 96% water, so it hydrates the body
  • It lowers the risk of gastritis and gastric ulcers
  • It treats urinary tract infections as it has potent diuretic properties
  • It soothes the nervous system and helps you fall asleep

READ THE FULL ARTICLE: https://realfarmacy.com/celery-week/?fbclid=IwAR0Mik_9cpX4fn5MngbzL3CgCt8BdMh7nAbzWyM-TWv0kNFDAON8MSffYV8