Growing Good Health

We are right at the beginning of the new year and new season. Latest research has come out to show that those that eat more fruit and vegetables per day have a lower risk of Ischaemic heart attacks and dying from them. This is one of the most common forms of heart attack suffered.

A European Prospective Investigation found those that ate 8 portions of fruit and vegetables a day compared to those that only ate 3 portions had a 22% lower risk of dying from IHD.

Now a portion in their eyes is only 80 grams, that's the equivalent to a small carrot, a medium apple or a small banana! Only eight portions in those quantities.

With the new season just starting now is the time to plan to grow some of your own fresh vegetables or fruit. The reason why? If you grow it yourself you are more likely to eat it because you will not want to waste the work growing and nurturing something you have produced yourself. Plus there is nothing fresher more vital and healthy than something you have picked straight from the garden and eaten in a short period of time. It beats any shop bought produce.

So boost the quantities you eat by growing more yourself, your health will grow because of it.

Hedge Trimming

We are trimming some of our hedges around the garden to reduce a bit of their height. We try to maintain them at around 8-10 feet which is the optimum height for maintaining healthy wildlife cover. It seems to work as the bird population in our garden is tremendous.

But we end up with loads of trimmings. The simplest answer is to shred them down. We cannot at the moment afford a large shredder but you would be surprised what we achieve with a small domestic form.

It is electric powered and chops stuff up with a cog mechanism that crushes and cuts. I have over the years used quite a number of shredders of varied types, and the one we have is pretty miniature to some I have used. But it does a pretty good job as long as you are not too short on patience.

The shreddings can be composted, the woody components take around two to two and a half years to break down really well, but makes a great soil building compost.

Wood chips and leaves, mostly holly make a good path cover.

We also use it as shreddings for our paths through the garden. The great part of doing this is the different kind of environment this creates. One that is rich in foods for masses of insects that then create a living larder for birds and other creatures. During the very cold months the soil under the shredding mulch stayed soft and was much appreciated by a mole that travelled throughout the garden along the pathways. Where it stopped it threw up piles of lovely sifted soil which I have collected for potting later in the year.