Yard Work and Gardening for Health

Have you started thinking about what you want to do in your yard this spring? Winter weather still prevails in most northerly places, but now is actually the time to start some preliminary activities for prepping yard and garden areas for planting. Garden and yard work is therapeutic and is a good way to stay active, as well as provides you the opportunity to save money by growing healthy foods on your own property.

Start making lists of all the things you want to do in your yard and what plants you'd like to grow once the warmer weather gets started. Some plants can be started in pots or smaller containers in your home such as tomatoes. By the time these plants have a good start as seedlings, the ground will be thawed out enough that you can transplant them. As an example, you'll have ripe tomatoes earlier in the year if you start them now inside your house. Most tomatoes take an average of 65 days to harvest. For more information about starting seeds early indoors, visit Renee's Garden. In the meantime, you can begin trimming back old, dead plants that you haven't eliminated from beds, and pulling out any unwanted ones that may not have done well last season. Cleaning up beds ahead of time will make it easier when it comes time to plant in April, May, and June.

Decide what plants you want based on availability, space, cost, how well they grow in your local area, and how much sun and water are needed for where you will locate the things you decide to grow. Best choices are organic seeds, and using organic growing methods will promote the healthiest, most nutritious plants for your family. You can use alternative methods of keeping pests away besides dangerous chemicals and pesticides such as insect identification, natural formulas and substances, proper soil cultivation, and careful monitoring of your garden area before infestations get out of control. Visit Avian Web for more information on this topic.

Careful planning, shopping around, and comparing plants can help save money and time down the road, and can lend better health from consuming healthy fruits and vegetables. Consult with your local nursery or greenhouse that uses organic and sustainable growing practices for more information about planting and growing in your local area.

For more information on gardening and growing the organic way, visit The Organic Gardener.