Cariboo Gardening Guide 2003
* Vegetable Gardening For Health *
Gardening can be a relaxing pastime. Getting your hands in the dirt and seeing new plants emerge not only rewarding, it also helps wash the stress of the work day away. A half hour of pulling weeds can be very therapeutic.
Not only can gardening save money on your grocery bill, the fresh picked taste can’t be beat. Not only are fresh vegetables and fruit a good source of vitamins and minerals, but they also have been found to contain phytochemicals that work together to provide amazing health benefits. Some of the phytochemicals that are available from foods are as follows:
Lycopene – Shows promise in fighting lung & prostate cancers and becomes more available to the body after cooking. Lycopene can be found in tomatoes & red peppers. Try the new Health Kick Tomato which has the highest amount of lycopene in comparison to other tomato varieties.
Lutein – Seems to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke as well as guard against age-related macular degeneration. To provide your body with more Lutein, add Spinach and Pumpkin to your diet. Spinach is a cool season crop and can be started quite early in the season.
Allyl Sulfides – Have been found to help lower blood pressure, have anti-bacterial properties and show promise in protecting against cancers of the stomach and the digestive tract. Allyl Sulfides are found in the onion family which includes garlic, leek, chives & scallions.
For more information of Phytochemicals and the foods that contain them, read ‘What Color Is Your Diet?’ By David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., (HarperCollins, 2001).
How to Make Gardening Enjoyable Rather than a Chore
 | Start small. A well tended, small area can produce a better harvest than a large neglected plot. |
| Get rid of weeds before you plant by pulling or hoeing. |
| Amend soil if needed. An inexpensive soil test kit is easy to use and will give you the info on what should be added to your soil. |
Rototilling, to be done only when the ground is dry, loosens the soil and mixes in added amendments nicely, but will also bring weed seeds to the surface where they can germinate.
Most seeds can be seeded out around mid April or when the ground starts to warm. Cucumbers, beans and corn will have to wait until mid May as seed will not germinate in cool conditions. Unless protected from frost, tomato plants should not be set out before approximately May 24th.
Remay is a lightweight fabric that when anchored over rows, warms the soil, protects crop from insect damage (works well on cabbage, cauliflower, etc… to protect against root maggots, caterpillars & loopers) & provides approximately 3 degrees of frost protection. Water and UV rays penetrate through the fabric. Remay only has to be removed when plants requiring pollination are in bloom.
Mulch such as straw, chemical and weed killer free grass clippings, shredded newspaper, etc… can be used to conserve water and deter weeds.
From the first radishes to the last squash, leek, turnips and cabbage… enjoy the fruits of your labour.
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