[CaptainKidd]

Gardening is one of the things that really seems to help my mental health. There's something about growing your own food that can really give a sense of accomplishment. It also helps to significantly improve my diet. From spring to fall, I eat so much better when the vegetables are around.

Right now I've started come cold tolerant plants: radishes, spinach, arugula, and peas. They're only sprouts now, but I should have an early crop. I'll also soon be starting some seedlings inside for a later planting.

I only have a small yard, but I've maximized it to get as many different things as I can. I think even a small garden, even just one plant, might make a difference for others as well. Grabbing a handful of cherry tomatoes before and after work helps put me in a much better mood.

[perpetuallysad]

I so agree with you CaptainKidd. I love gardening. It helps me significantly.

Last year some workers "accidentally" sprayed my back yard with a defoliator and killed my entire garden plot. It was extremely upsetting to me!

I love gardening. This year I am going to plant a much smaller garden in a plastic swimming pool much closer to my house so that it won't be in the contaminated dirt and will be out of harms way (hopefully).

[Lisa Michelle]

Thanks for sharing, Captainkid. I've been considering trying a bit of gardening for a while, for this very reason. Not crops just plants (like flowers), don't really know anything about stuff like that but maybe I can learn. Just to get outside, get a bit of fresh air.
Really nice to know it helps you so much x

[Perna]

It helps mine too but I don't do it! One of those things you enjoy while you're doing it and think you will have to get out and do more of it but don't do that. Sigh.

[sun_flower]

Originally Posted by ;1331992

Gardening is one of the things that really seems to help my mental health. There's something about growing your own food that can really give a sense of accomplishment. It also helps to significantly improve my diet. From spring to fall, I eat so much better when the vegetables are around.

Right now I've started come cold tolerant plants: radishes, spinach, arugula, and peas. They're only sprouts now, but I should have an early crop. I'll also soon be starting some seedlings inside for a later planting.

I only have a small yard, but I've maximized it to get as many different things as I can. I think even a small garden, even just one plant, might make a difference for others as well. Grabbing a handful of cherry tomatoes before and after work helps put me in a much better mood.

I agree with you, gardening is very therapeutic.

[sun_flower]

Originally Posted by Lisa Michelle

Thanks for sharing, Captainkid. I've been considering trying a bit of gardening for a while, for this very reason. Not crops just plants (like flowers), don't really know anything about stuff like that but maybe I can learn. Just to get outside, get a bit of fresh air.
Really nice to know it helps you so much x

I plant sunflower and other flowers, and maybe a couple of tomato plants. It's wonderfully therapeutic.

[purple_fins]

Hey good luck CaptainKidd! sounds like you have a head start on things.

I love to garden too-- it's very calming for the soul.

I'm so sorry perpetuallysad, about your ruined garden last year. that sucks--
hope you can enjoy your "pool" garden this year. what a great idea!!

fins

[Beholden]

Hey all you who love to garden ...

Come join the Gardening Social Group. We have a lot of fun talking about our sewing, opps, sowing, growing, and hoeing and anything else related to the "real dirt". It is open to everyone!

[purple_fins]

Originally Posted by Beholden

Hey all you who love to garden ...

Come join the Gardening Social Group. We have a lot of fun talking about our sewing, opps, sowing, growing, and hoeing and anything else related to the "real dirt". It is open to everyone!

oh! thank you, I'm not familiar with such groups....... how do I get to them.... if you don't mind me asking...... do you have to be invited?

this site is so huge compared to when I used to belong here years ago.... I get lost most of the time... confusing.....

fins

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by purple_fins

oh! thank you, I'm not familiar with such groups....... how do I get to them.... if you don't mind me asking...... do you have to be invited?

this site is so huge compared to when I used to belong here years ago.... I get lost most of the time... confusing.....

fins

Ok, let me see if I canhelp you pf...

After you log on, up in the right hand part of the page is a menu button called "Quick Links" right next to the Log Out button. Click that and you will get a drop down menu with short cuts to many places on the site. Just click on Social Groups. You can then select which group you want to "join". The gardening group is open to anyone, you don't need an invitation to join.

Some of the social groups are 'closed' and you need to be invited to those. I think some of those or maybe all of them have to have 25 members in order to qualify as a members only/invite only group.

"Come on down" and dig in the dirt with us and enjoy the worms and blooms and our successes and our oh darnits with plants that croak....looking forward to seeing you and anyone else who like to garden and talk dirt too....

[Perna]

I think our gardens are probably like us in some ways. I just had to tie back my pyracantha bush (two-inch thorns :-) with my husband's help and have my veggies halfway planted. Tomorrow I have to get serious with my steps and hill.

[purple_fins]

Originally Posted by Beholden

Ok, let me see if I canhelp you pf...

After you log on, up in the right hand part of the page is a menu button called "Quick Links" right next to the Log Out button. Click that and you will get a drop down menu with short cuts to many places on the site. Just click on Social Groups. You can then select which group you want to "join". The gardening group is open to anyone, you don't need an invitation to join.

Some of the social groups are 'closed' and you need to be invited to those. I think some of those or maybe all of them have to have 25 members in order to qualify as a members only/invite only group.

"Come on down" and dig in the dirt with us and enjoy the worms and blooms and our successes and our oh darnits with plants that croak....looking forward to seeing you and anyone else who like to garden and talk dirt too....

Oh thank you Beholden, I very much appreciate your explaining it to me.
I didn't know all those groups existed!

I will definately check it out when I get out of this "black hole" i'm in at the moment. so down........... blah

fins

[Beholden]

Originally Posted by purple_fins

Oh thank you Beholden, I very much appreciate your explaining it to me.
I didn't know all those groups existed!

I will definately check it out when I get out of this "black hole" i'm in at the moment. so down........... blah

fins

fins, just don't 'dig' yourself deeper! Happier times ahead, I'm sure of it. Especially if you can get out and even just be in the garden/yard a bit with the new season coming on strong!!!

Hope your days are better soon.

[CaptainKidd]

Things are starting to produce. I'm happy to say it's not even May and it looks like I'll have fresh salad greens for the rest of the season. Yes!

[Beholden]

I have chives! Maybe we can pretend to have salad together CaptainKidd! I'll put my in cottage cheese and add some pineapple. Yummmmmmy for your produce. I see radish and is that spinach?

[sanityseeker]

I am so glad I found this thread and the info about a gardening group. I am an avid gardener. It is my therapy place. I call it my 'no thinking zone'. The one place I can go where I have successfully trained myself to enjoy the moments and blessing of mother earth. I just love getting my hands in the dirt.

Happy gardening.... see you at the group.

[sanityseeker]

Nice work there Captain. Yummy!

[Perna]

I have garlic chives, Beholden, all over (from last year) and they're driving me crazy. My radishes need thinning too but I'm too lazy. I planted my tomatoes in the pots they came in but didn't take off the "plastic" collars and some I didn't plant quite deep enough so I am going to really stay on them and water them often (not something I take time to do) or they'll get too dry and unhappy and won't be able to produce nice, juicy, tomatoes. My lettuces and romaine look good though and my beans are coming up (or my peas, don't remember which row I planted where).

[ECHOES]

I don't have my own yard anymore, but this morning I planted 3 Schefflera's that I bought weeks ago. I am very happy to get them in the ground, at the edge of my tiny patio (about 4 x 8). I love to plant flowers, too. Maybe I can do that next.
It just felt so good to put my foot on a shovel and turn over dirt .. well, sand here. I am used to doing this up north, and it was odd not to find worms or potato bugs in the dirt!

[purple_fins]

I had chives just *pop* up in the gravel!

I think they seeded themself from two years ago. I had a flower pot of them back then.

Good luck Echoes with your Scheffleras-- I love those they have such pretty leaves.

Tomorrow I'm going to put my cherry tomato plant in a large flower pot and I also am going to plant some mint. yum!

best to all you other green thumbs

fins