Companion Planting Vegetable Gardening Plant Combination

Check out this information on what to plant together

Companion Planting - Vegetable Gardening Plant Companions and Combining

Companion planting and combining means growing plants together that like or benefit each other. Vegetable companion gardening can have a real impact on the health and yield of your plants.

Great directions on how to grow cilantro for you all... check it out!

Source: sunset.com via Susan on Pinterest

Companion Planting With the Three Sisters Method | Veggie Gardener

"Companion planting has become more popular in recent years because it helps to maximize available garden space and provides a sustainable environment for better crop production..."

Great article and instructions for implementing this method of planting. Try it if you can...

Uses for Old Rose Petals | Garden Guides

Whether you grow roses or receive them this article has sime great ideas for using rose petals Enjoy

Uses for Old Rose Petals | Garden Guides

Organic Insect Control for Your Container Vegetable Garden

Check out this great information on how to control pests in the garden.

Organic Insect Control for Your Container Vegetable Garden

Saturday in the Garden

Just wanted to share the joy of gardening.

Hoping your day is filled with beautiful things

Check out my photos of my garden today by

clicking here

Mood-boosting Bacteria Found in Dirt

A bacteria found in dirt may act like a natural antidepressant.Even if you don't love gardening, digging in the dirt may be good for your health -- and it has nothing to do with a love of nature or the wonder of watching things grow. The secret may be in the dirt itself: A bacteria calledMycobacterium vaccae that acts like anantidepressant once it gets into your system.

That's right. A living organism that acts like a mood-booster on the human brain, increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels and making people feel happier. It was accidentally discovered about 10 years ago, when Dr. Mary O'Brien, an oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, tried an experimental treatment for lung cancer. She inoculated patients with killed M. vaccae, expecting the bacteria -- which is related to ones that cause tuberculosis and leprosy -- to boost their immune system. It did that, The Economist reported in 2007, but it also improved her patients' "emotional health, vitality, and general cognitive function." Later experiments with mice confirmed the bacteria's effects; the study was published in a 2007 edition of the journal "Neuroscience."

"These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining mental health," the mouse study's lead author, neuroscientist Dr. Christopher Lowry, said. "They also leave us wondering if we shouldn't all be spending more time playing in the dirt."

"We believe that prolonged exposure to [M.vaccae] from childhood could have a beneficial effect," he added.

It raises the intriguing idea of a future where doctors could treat clinical depression or Seasonal Affective Disorder with a simple vaccine (and possibly a future in which kids don't need quite so may baths). In the meantime, people seeking a bit of a boost may be able to find it in their own backyards.

In an article in The Atlantic this week, author Pagan Kennedy tests out the ultimate in eco-friendly antidepressants herself. "As I huff the soil, I have no way of knowing exactly how much M. vaccae is floating into my lungs -- or whether it's enough to change my mind," she writes. "But I sure can smell this compost."

We wouldn't recommend inhaling dirt, of course. But, come spring, we're looking forward to spending more time getting dirty.

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New Direction

Hi everyone

I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you all how much I appreciate you and your participation in the workshops and field trips. I have also enjoyed getting to know many of you. Now, after 6 months of workshops and field trips, I have decided to do something different with Black Eyed Susan’s. Because of everyone’s busy schedules, I am going to change our meetings to once a month and change the day to Thursday evenings from 7-9pm.

I will select the topics of the workshops but if you have an idea or questions you would like covered please let me know. I will offer ideas for a few field trips, but If I don’t get 5+ sign ups I will cancel the field trip.

I will continuing blogging at http://blackeyedsusan-susan.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook posting at “Black Eyes Susan's” please subscribe to either one so you can keep up to date on events and workshops, ideas and recommendations. Please tell your friends to like my Facebook page or follow along on the blog.

I am grateful for all of you and look forward to seeing you at our next posted workshop.

Black Eyed Susan’s

Susan Manzer

Seed Starting Made Simple - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

This is full of good ideas for starting seeds

Seed Starting Made Simple - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS