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Therapy Plants?

4/23/2020

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Meet Bear and Kenzi!
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These two lovelies are our greenhouse dogs. Kenzi makes sure the place is thoroughly sniffed, and Bear uses his tail to make sure the plants get enough air flow and that we take pet breaks. They are two of the sweetest dogs you might ever meet. In fact, Kenzi even does some canine therapy once in a while.
Canine therapy, and animal therapy in general, has been gaining popularity over the last few years. Many studies have been done regarding the effects animals have on physical, emotional, and mental health. In short, animals improve quality of life, even if it's just a fish tank!
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If you're at all like Dexter, the friendly face you will most often see behind the till at our retail site, animals are a no-go in town, and especially in the house. Kenzi has managed to get him to relax on that one when she visits. :)
So...no pets? No problem! Get a plant!
Say what?!...
Get a plant!
Though plants may not cuddle with you or float through the water flashing their pretty fins, plants have been shown to improve quality of life. Science has even taken this on and done studies in nursing homes, comparing the difference between residents who have plants to take care of and those who didn't. Those with plants to care for reported being more satisfied in their quality of life. The plants gave a sense of responsibility for another living thing, and brought a bit of life into their space.
But, most of us aren't in a nursing home...what can plants do for us? Well, keeping with the theme of the last post, here are 7 Things Plants Will Do For You:
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1. They get you outside more often

I know I've said it before, but I get so excited to get outside and into my garden come spring. That desire to be outside, watch my plants grow, care for them, and harvest from them doesn't die in June either. All spring, summer, and fall, I make multiple trips outside to just look at my plants, pull a few weeds, or cut a few flowers. Spring sees me cleaning up the debris from the winter, summer sees me tending and enjoying, and fall sees me preparing my flower babies for winter. As an article for the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture states "people who spend more time outside in nature have better mental health and a more positive outlook on life." So in this case, the benefit comes from being outside, but the draw outdoors are my plants.

2. They reduce stress levels

Studies have been done to determine if gardening is indeed beneficial. What they have determined is that people who spend time caring for plants have less stress and lower levels of anxiety in their lives. Think about it: if you're upset or frustrated about something, digging in the dirt is a great--and constructive--way to use all that pent-up energy. Those weeds? Yup, they're your problem and they are going down!
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Photo: Larry Jacobsen

3. They help you function better

This is one for those ornamental plants. Keeping those pretty things around isn't just appealing to the eye, it improves concentration and increases memory retention. Plants by nature are calming and unassuming, and they bring that effect into the spaces they are in. When people are in calm and relaxed states, memory and concentration both improve. Plants also improve your energy and learning capabilities; plants are living things so they bring a sense of vitality that rubs off, giving you more energy. So you might want to grab one of those English Ivy baskets or bannana plants for your office....
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4. They improve your mental health

So along with spending more time outside, plants themselves improve mental health. The last time you looked at your favourite plant or flower, what was your reaction? I bet your face softened, you smiled, and relaxed. You probably also inhaled to catch the scent of the flowers, dirt, or leaves. What were the results of this interaction? Did you feel more relaxed? Maybe you sighed in contentment? Did your mood improve? Natural beauty is soothing and spending time in and around it has incredible benefits.
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5. Indoor plants improve air quality

Since we are stocking some plants that would do well outdoors as well as indoors this year, I thought this would be a good one to include. Many of us know the significance trees and other plants have on the oxygen levels in an area. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most important forests in the world as it generates a huge amount of oxygen and releases it into the atmosphere. On a small scale, plants will do this in your home. Just like all living things, plants respire, or breathe. But what plants breath in is carbon dioxide, which is what we breath out. Their natural design is to take our waste and turn it back into a life-giving substance! How amazing is that!?
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The Amazon produces so much oxygen it is visible in the form of fog rising from the trees

6. They give you something to do

I can't count how many times I have wandered outside to my garden because I was bored. Before I know it, I've spent an hour or two pulling weeds, looking at flowers, and rearranging wood chips. Being home-bound as we are in these times, I am so grateful my garden gives me something to focus on other than the vacuuming and dusting I'd rather ignore.
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7. Gardening is therapeutic

Gardening is an act of nurturing. Physical exertion along with being outside, lowering your stress, increasing your mental capacity, and busying your hands for a constructive purpose are the hall marks of therapy. It's the same list you will see when it comes to other forms of therapy. Gardening encourages creativity, it shows you the product of your efforts, it is work, it is beautiful, it is natural.
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So if you're looking to start something new, or just need a reason to walk into the greenhouse, here you have it! 

Keep calm and garden on!
Sources:
1. "Health and well-being benefits of plants" by Ellison Chair in International Floriculture
2. "Think you don't need houseplants? Science says different" by Noma Nazish. Forbes. February 10, 2018.
3. "Why indoor plants make you feel better" by Sophie Lee. NBC News. July 13, 2017
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#homegrown

4/16/2020

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Over the past few weeks I have been repeatedly coming back to the idea of homesteading. The idea has intrigued me for a long time, but I know I would never last long-term...I like my conveniences a little too much!
As defined by the trusty Wikipedia, homesteading "is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency...characterized by subsistence agriculture [and] home preservation of food..." Basically, it is being able to be completely self-sufficient by producing everything you need for yourself including food and energy. Wouldn't that be handy right about now!
But what really fascinates me about homesteading is the garden. Everything that goes into it has a long-term purpose...it's not just for the "niceness" of fresh fruits and vegetables, but rather specific choices that a family makes regarding their nutrition for the next year! I don't know about you, but when I think about what I'm going to put in my garden each spring, I think about what I like to eat fresh.
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So, with this being said, I decided to look up why people decide to make homesteading their lifestyle, and I found a list called 7 Reasons to Start Homesteading Today. Here are the Cole's Notes:
  1. Homesteading connects you with your food
  2. It tastes good
  3. Homesteading brings freedom
  4. Homesteading provides security during hard times
  5. It's hard (yes, that is actually on the list)
  6. It's one of the best ways to raise kids
  7. Homesteading will change your life forever
Homesteading is a huge commitment and this article does not make light of that (look at #5 if you need to remember), but why am I talking about this anyway? For many of us, it isn't even an option.
Well, here are my 7 Reasons to Have a Garden:

1. It connects you with your food

When it comes to procuring food for ourselves, most of the time it means making a trip to the grocery store for the items we need. Stores have been the primary source of food for quite a few years now, and sometimes we forget where it comes from and what goes into getting it from farm to plate. When you plan, grow, tend, and harvest your garden, you intimately know your plants and produce. You are the one who decided what to grow, watched it and cared for it, and the one who reaps the benefits of that labour of love; watching and participating in the cycle of nature. There is something very satisfying about this process.
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2. It tastes good

Much of the produce we buy in the store is designed and bred toward consistency, firmness, and colour....not really taste. It's also harvested at peak time for longevity....meaning green....so the produce doesn't have a chance to fully "fatten up" on the wonderful sugars and other nutrients the plant provides that makes ripe fruits and vegetables taste so good. Some also make the argument that plant-ripened produce provides better nutrition than chemically ripened produce. Scientifically there isn't much supporting the nutrition argument, but the tomatoes from my garden sure taste better than those from the store, and usually when things taste better, they are better!
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3. Gardening is easy on the budget

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​Let's do a little math here. One of the more expensive fruits to buy at the grocery store is strawberries. At Superstore, a 2 lb box of strawberries is typically $5 until they are in season when they drop to around $3. Now compare that to a strawberry plant. One plant will produce approximately 2 lbs (most varieties are more) of fruit each year and, depending on the variety and the plant, will cost you between $3 and $5. This cost drops when you start your own plants from seed. Now we don't sell strawberries, but we do sell peppers. Red peppers in particular are expensive. Currently they are $3.98/lb at Superstore meaning you're probably paying $4+ for one good-sized red pepper. Sale plug: you can get one red pepper plant from us for $4.49 and it will give you more than one red pepper! :)

4. Gardening provides security in hard times

Hard times is kind of defining our situation these days. Many of us may have parents or grandparents who have been through hard times, or lean times, as well. Did any one else have a grandma who was able to can anything (mine even canned fish), or a mom who saved every last bone from the Thanksgiving turkey to make soup later? Maybe you are that person and your pantry is full to overflowing come mid-fall. You know that if you don't get to the grocery store there will be something you can whip together from the conglomerate of preserves you have stored away. That's the power of gardening.
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5. It's hard

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Yeah, I'm putting this one on my list too. Gardening doesn't have to be hard, but to do it well it takes work. Growing up, my parents and grandparents shared a garden plot at Eden's community gardens. We had fantastic produce each year, and often more than we needed. What I didn't know at the time was when my grandpa couldn't sleep, he and grandma would go to the garden to water and putz around--probably pulled some weeds and checked on all the plants, too. Then came the time to harvest, and we would spend hours in the hot sun picking cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, carrots, you name it! Then we would make pickles, tomato sauce, salsa, and other preserves, which seemed to take forever when I was 10. My sister and I probably did a fair bit of complaining too...but it taught us a lot! 

6. It's a great way to spend time with family

Gardening for me was a family affair, and I love that! Everyone was involved from my grandparents to me and my little sister. We spent time together, learned together, played together and worked together, and made many precious memories.
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Photo: John Englart

7. Gardening will change your life

I had always thought that gardening was just a lot of work and wasn't something I planned to do when I set out on my own. Well, here I am, bit by the gardening bug bad! I love my fresh produce. I love watching my plants grow! I love taking care of them!
So, at the risk of sounding corny, Keep Calm and Garden On!
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More than Food & Pretty Things

4/6/2020

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It's that time of year again when we pull out our garden plans and start thinking about the theme we want for this year's flower beds. That usually means making a couple trips to the greenhouse and scoping out the available products and maybe purchasing a few things that  you just can't leave there. Then we sit and wait for that oh-so-far-away May long weekend when we can finally dig into the dirt and put our plans into action.
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​This year looks a little different....we may even be wondering if we will be able to get the plants we want and need. On the other end of the spectrum, we may be thinking about the self-sufficiency that gardening offers.

There's no denying it; in this uncertain time where we don't know what next month, next week--even tomorrow--will bring, there is a certain satisfaction knowing you can walk out your door, pick a tomato, and eat it. All without standing in line 6-10 feet away from other people, talking to the cashier behind plexiglass, and using a bottle of hand sanitizer before you get back into your vehicle. You know where this tomato came from, who touched it, and how it was cared for.

I could go on for pages about the nutritional benefits of harvesting your own produce, but that's not where I want to focus today...I want to think about that beautiful, black, glorious, dirty dirt!
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@mudkitchens on Instagram
Maybe as a child, you made mudpies, or your children or grandchildren are into that sort of thing. Dirt fascinates us from early on. A quick search on Pinterest for "Mud Kitchen" and you get a fascinating collection of images and ideas...though they all look a bit too clean for my tastes.

There's even an amazing little company based in the UK that makes and personalizes them. Guess what they're called?! YUP! Mud Kitchens! I got a little excited over this one...

(Check out their website here)

So why do we want to play in the dirt so much as kids? Why do we try to keep our kids out of the dirt as parents? (I know...it's messy....)
Well...there's a theory out there called the Hygiene Hypothesis. The basic idea of this is that daily exposure to things like dirt, pets, and other everyday germs is actually good for you; it helps build up your tolerance to disease and infection. (If you are interested in some of the more Science-based information, this is a good article)

Adding to this, playing in dirt has the potential to lower your stress and anxiety, improve your digestion, and some even claim it is a natural anti-depressant. Think about it: when you "play" in dirt, you are outside in the fresh air, participating in low-impact activity, and creating something you can feel good about. If that doesn't release a whole bunch of endorphins, I don't know what will!

So....Gardening.....

​It's more than food and pretty things!
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Hours

To be determined for the 2021 Season

Telephone

204.312.1750

Email

greenhouse@prairiebelle.ca

Address

945 Thornhill Street, Morden, MB
North of Morden Co-op Food Store