Feed Your Body, Heal Your Mind

Gardening has long been cited as having benefits besides those offered by eating fresh fruits and vegetables. As far back as 1798, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, promoted gardening to improve the condition of the mentally ill. This is not to say that anyone reading this is mentally ill but most of us have some sort of stress that comes from living in today's world. A study of regular gardeners by Tennessee State University found that stress reduction was stated as one the the greatest benefits of gardening.

The colors, smells, and textures found in a garden are a boost for the mind and spirit. One study (Kaplan 1973) showed that the colors, smells, and overall beauty of plants gave a sense of tranquility and enjoyment. Another study (Sempik et al. 2003) showed that having responsibility for and control over plants slowed the physical and mental deterioration in the elderly. A 2004 study of New Zealand gardeners revealed the relationship between gardeners and relations with others, self acceptance, and purpose in life.

Gardening is a form of excercise that is far less boring than the touch-your-toes type and a recent study from Indiana University suggests that even a small amount of physical activity can improve the mood of people suffering from severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder.

Gardening offers hope, an anticipation of a promising future. When we plant a seed in the soil it's with the expectation that it will grow into a plant. Those who have every reason to give up have planted gardens of hope. Nelson Mandela had a garden in prison, the prisoners at Guantanamo planted a secret garden, and many cancer patients tend their gardens with a sense of hope.

Gardening for health actually has a name, horticultural therapy. Who knew? The University of Florida IFAS Extension gives this definition: "Horticultural therapy is the practice of engaging people in horticultural activities to improve their bodies, minds, and spirits." The site also has a list of proven benefits of horticultural therapy:

• reducing physical pain
• providing sensory stimulation
• improving memory and concentration
• easing emotional pain from bereavement or abuse
• cultivating nurturing feelings
• encouraging social interaction
• teaching responsibility
• reducing stress and anger
• enhancing productivity and problem solving

Even if your don't like carrots and green beans, get out there and garden for your general well being. You'll feel better.

Grow your own playhouse

A sunflower playhouse provides children with a castle to defend, a secret hideout for bandits, or their very own Millenium Falcon to race threw space fighting the evil Galactic Empire. They can also provide a healthy snack for the kids while the children play if planted with vegetables like watermelon and pole beans. A sunflower playhouse will expose children to some of the ways plants grow, flower, and fruit and children should be included in the planting. The large seeds of the sunflower, pumpkin and beans are easy for children to plant and these seeds are also not that picky about the depth they are planted at. Here are the supplies and directions for planting a fun, organic playhouse that will expose children to some of the growing habits of plants.

Go to http://urbanagsolutions.com/ and look for "Grow your own playhouse" under knowledge base for complete planting and care instructions.

Let the children play and learn!

A sunflower playhouse is more than just a really cool Fortress of Solitude; it is a chance for children to learn the many different ways plants grow and behave. As the new plants emerge, point out the difference between cotyledons and true leaves. Mixing some sweet corn with the sunflowers will give an example of a monocotyledon to compare all the dicots to.

Point out the different ways plants look for sunlight. The sunflower will stretching high into the sky. Melons and pumpkins will quickly cover the ground, preventing other plants from growing in the area and shading the vines out. Bean have modified leaves (tendrils) that allow them to use other plants and structures for support as they climb up in search of more sunlight.

As the pumpkins and melons flower, point out the different parts. Pumpkins have nice big incomplete flowers that are easy to examine. Point out the difference between the complete flowers of the beans and the incomplete flowers of the pumpkins and melons. After harvesting, examine all the different ways plants protect their seeds.

Sunflower playhouses offer an endless opportunity to learn about the natural world. It will nourish both the mind and the body from the time the area is prepared for planting, to harvesting the fresh organic snacks provided while playing. It will encourage children of all ages to never stop learning and never stop playing.

Vegan Plant Nutrition

Here are some sources for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium that are derived from either organic or geological materials. No animals were harmed in the writing of this note!

As always when working with fertilizers, gloves and eye protection should be worn at all times. When working with powdered fertilizers, a mask should be worn that covers the nose and mouth to avoid inhaling any fertilizer dust particles. To avoid damage to plants or polluting the environment, please conduct a soil test every 3 years to avoid toxic levels of these nutrients. Simple soil tests are available at local garden supply dealers. The local extension office will also test samples sent to them for a fee, or consult with a landscape professional.

Nitrogen (N):

Cotton seed meal: 6% available Nitrogen by volume (N/V)

Cottonseed meal is made from the oil of the cottonseed. It is a byproduct produced when cotton is ginned. Like all organic sources of fertilizer, cottonseed meal will release it's nutritional content slowly over a period of time. As a byproduct of the agricultural industry, cottonseed meal may contain trace amounts of pesticide residue.

Comfrey: 1.8% available N/V

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a ferocious consumer of nitrogen. Comfrey's roots seek out every scrap of nitrogen they can find and use it to create it's big, thick, velvety leaves. The leaves are rich in nitrogen and break down quickly. When added to compost, comfrey leaves accelerate the composting process. Fresh comfrey leaves can be added directly to the soil by either turning them in before planting starts or mulching around existing plants and covered with 1/2 inch of soil. A "tea" for plants can also be made from comfrey leaves by soaking them in water for two weeks. Use the water from the "tea" to water your plants adding nitrogen to the soil. Urban Agriculture Solutions recommends the Russian comfrey (Symphytum x uplandicum) bocking 14 cultivar for home cultivation as it is sterile and easy to keep under control.

Alfalfa Meal: 3% available N/V

Alfalfa meal is a pretty dynamic soil amendment. Besides the nitrogen content, alfalfa meal contains triaconatol, a natural plant growth stimulant. When fermented, beneficial microbes go to work helping plants take up minerals from the soil. The composting process is accelerated when alfalfa meal is added to the heap and the temperature of raised garden beds can be raised allowing for earlier planting when combined with heavy mulching. Alfalfa meal is a product of the agricultural industry, so care should be taken to avoid purchasing alfalfa meal that has been contaminated with pesticide residue.

Soybean Meal: 7% available N/V

Soybean meal is made from oil extracted from the soybean. Look for it at feed stores and agricultural supply dealers. Soybean meal is a product of the agricultural industry so be aware that it may contain pesticide residue.

Phosphorous (P):

Colloidal Phosphate: 2% available P/V (20% total P/V)

Colloidal phosphate is phosphate that is surrounded by clay partials. For the best results it should be mixed with compost and an acidic soil amendment like peat or alfalfa meal to unlock the phosphate and make it available to plants. The presence of beneficial microbes found in compost and alfalfa meal will help plant take up the phosphorous. Always ware a mask when working with rock dust.

Rock Phosphate: 3% available P/V (32% total P/V)

As with colloidal phosphate, rock phosphate is best used in combination with an acidic soil amendment and compost. It is mined from ancient phosphorus deposits in the sea. Rock phosphate is not the most sustainable source to provide plants with phosphorus, but if the soil is deficient a one time application combined with erosion prevention methods should provide the area with phosphorus for many years. Always ware a mask when working with rock dust.

Potassium (K):

Green Sand: 7% total K/V

Green sand is mined from ancient sea deposits. It improves soil tilth in clay soils, promotes beneficial microbe interactions, and helps soil retain moisture. The potassium in green sand is not water soluble so if proper soil retention methods are practiced, one application could go a long way. Always ware a mask when working with rock dust.

Granite Meal: 4% total K/V

Granite meal is crushed granite stone mined mostly from the eastern United States. The softer granite found in the south east is considered the best to provide K to plants. Always ware a mask when working with rock dust.

Wood Ash: 8% total K/V

Wood ashes from fireplaces are a great source of K. Wood ash can also be used to raise the PH level of soil making it more alkaline so it works well for plants like asparagus(yumm!) and okra. Be sure to know the PH level of the soil before adding wood ashes as damage to plants may occur. Also, runoff of wood ash into the water shed will raise the PH of the water, so care should be taken around lakes, streams, rivers or if the source of water on the property comes from a well.

Chicken Poop for the Soul!

Chicken manure is great for the garden. The fresh manure has a nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium (N, P, K) of around 3-6-1. It can be applied to plants after the first few true leaves appear, and anytime after. (Fresh manure of any kind, however should never be applied closer than 6 weeks before harvest. Compost the manure completely first being sure the compost reaches at leas 150 degrees F).

By soaking the manure in water for 72 hours, a nitrogen fertilizer can be made. The water will absorb the nitrogen and then can be filtered into an applicator and applied to the soils around plants. The leftovers from this process are low in nitrogen but high in phosphorous making it ideal to apply to plants just before they flower and fruit.

Chicken manure also contains microorganisms from the genus' Pseudomonas, Proteus, Enterobacter, Bacillus and Micrococcus that digest crude oil and other petroleum products very effectively. Universities in China and Nigeria are using chicken manure to clean up contaminated soil and rivers. At Trinity Collage in Dublin, bio-mimicry principals are being used to developed nanotechnologies that utilize the natural characteristics of these microorganisms to digest petroleum products. When applied directly to contaminated soil, chicken manure has been shown to decontaminate the soil almost 30% faster than other chemical means designed for the same purpose.

As always, when working with any manure, please ware gloves and eye protection. Anyone who may be pregnant should avoid contact with chicken manure and children should always be supervised by an adult.

The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters Guild is a simple plant community or “guild” that saves space in the garden and creates a symbiotic relationship between the members of the community. The Three Sisters Guild contains corn, a vining member of the legume (Fabaceae) family, and a ground covering vine (typically summer or winter squash). It has been used by native people of the Americas to improve yields and reduce maintenance for centuries.

The corn provides support for the pole beans to grow on. The squash provides ground cover, preventing erosion and suppressing weeds. The leguminous or nitrogen fixing beans pull nitrogen for the air that can be made available to the corn and the squash. The three plants working together not only reduce maintenance but also increases the productivity of the garden space.

You can get a little creative, too. Replace the corn with sunflowers, or the squash with pumpkin or water melon.

The functions served by the members of the three sisters guild can be found in plant communities through out the natural world. Each plant will have it's own niche to fill: nitrogen fixer, protection from harsh elements, ground cover, etc. By utilizing the natural habits of each species, we can create more productive yields in our gardens, reduce the labor required to grow a garden, and keep our gardens healthier eliminating the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Dandelions: Dynamic nutrient accumulators of the plant community!

Most people see dandelions(Taraxicum officinale) as a nuisance. But this little herbaceous plant serves many functions in the natural world. First of all, the long deep tap root will pull nutrients from deep in ground, making the nutrients available to other plants in the area. Permaculturists refer to plants that perform this function as nutrient accumulators. The nutrient accumulator pulls minerals from deep in the earth and makes them available to other plants when the leaves of the nutrient accumulators die back or parts of the root break off and start to compost.

Dandelions have something to offer people too. The leaves are delicious when harvested before the plant flowers. Dandelions are as high in calcium as 4 oz of milk. Dandelions are also high in vitamin A and C, as well as potassium and iron. In the South, the flowers are traditionally fried and served at BBQ's. The petals of the flowers can also be used to flavor wine. Dandelion wine is like summer in a bottle on a dark, cold Indiana winter night. Dandelion roots can be dried and used to make a tea. The root is considered a diuretic and has been said to stimulate appetite and detoxify the liver.

Because dandelions are so good at pulling things up from deep in the ground, care must be taken when harvesting them for human consumption. Why not allow a couple of dandelions to grow under organic blueberry bushes, or in a spot in the vegetable garden that they will not compete too much with the crops. Just be sure to pick the flowers before they go to seed!

Using vinegar as an herbicide

Vinegar can be used just as effectively as 2-4D, Weed-be-gone, or other pesticides available at the local garden center. It works by temporarily lowering the PH (potential of hydrogen) of the soil making it hard for plants to take up water and nutrients through their roots. Vinegar will only hang around in the ground for two or three days, or until it's washed away by the rain. Vinegar is also non toxic, so you don't have to worry about children playing in an area that was just treated, or pets ingesting it and becoming sick. White vinegar found at your local grocery store is effective and it doesn't cost very much. The vinegar from the grocery store is also safer to use than it's agricultural cousin.

The only draw back to using vinegar is that it kills indiscriminately. Unlike other herbicides that target a specific species, vinegar will lower the PH affecting the entire area it is applied to. Only use vinegar away from plants that you want to keep. A good place for vinegar to be applied is to the weeds in the cracks in your driveway, paths or sidewalks. Using house hold vinegar may require multiple applications, especially on species with deep tap roots like dandelions or bull thistle