Advantages Of Planting Vegetable Gardens

Is there a patch of land in your backyard thats been left useless all this time? If youre still undecided to what to make out of it, maybe its high time you consider planting vegetables in it. Read on to learn some of the advantages of planting vegetable gardens.

Yummier veggie treats

Many people attest that vegetables grown in their own backyard tastes much better than those bought at grocery stores. They remark how much flavorful their harvests are, whether used as ingredients in a fresh veggie salad or cooked dishes. Be it because of the extra amount of love and care these home-grown vegetables got or the person taking pride in growing crops in his or her backyard, it doesnt rally matter. What matters is what you serve on the table is fresh right off your vegetable garden and more scrumptious for every member of the family to enjoy. You are also assured that what you put on the table is fresh and free from harmful chemicals like preservatives.

Guaranteed no harmful chemicals

Chances are you might not fully know whether the vegetables you buy at the supermarket are free of pesticides. Some vendors claim that their vegetables are free from harmful chemicals. What about if the soil where those crops grew was exposed to pesticides before or they were planted next to crops sprayed with pesticides? Prolonged dietary exposure to pesticides is linked to various adverse reproductive and developmental effects, although there is little data to support this. Your children are at higher risk to the dangers of such chemicals on the vegetables they consume. Their bodies are not yet fully developed to properly metabolize or excrete such substances.

A great way to workout

If you got little or no time to go to the gym or health spa to workout, then let gardening provide your daily dose of exercise. Tending your vegetable garden for at least 30 minutes a day is a great way to burn those excess calories and lose weight. You are able to work several major muscle groups in the body, like the legs, arms, back, buttocks and many others. Gardening is also improves your flexibility each time you stretch to reach for weeds or bend to plant a seedling.

By the time your crops are ready for harvest, you will notice a change in your body, especially if you look after your garden on a regular basis. Picking the car key that fell on the floor or reaching for a book at the top of a tall shelf will be a lot easier for you to do. Unlike jogging, playing basketball and others, gardening has less impact on your joints. Gardening is best were vigorous exercises is not applicable, such as for people with high blood pressure, heart diseases, bone joint disorders and many others.

Help save the environment

If commercially grown vegetables receive little demand from consumers, then commercial farmers will find no reason to expand their plantations. So theres no need to cut down rain forests and devastate habitats of wild animals. Also, if demand is lowered farmers will use less pesticide and other harmful chemicals that pollute our rivers and the rest of the environment. You might feel that you as a concerned citizen cannot contribute that much positive impact on the environment by planting vegetable gardens. But imagine the difference made if a lot of people started to plant their vegetables in their own backyard.

The Basics Of Planting Vegetable Gardens

Not a lot of people try planting vegetable gardens these days, especially not in the city. What with the busy lifestyle, constrained spaces, and pollution, it seems inconceivable that a vegetable garden would survive. The fact is, you can actually grow them even if you are smack in the middle of a busy city. Its only important that you get the basics of planting vegetable gardens right.

First things first. Soil preparation. This is one of the most basic things that any new gardener will have to learn. Whether you plan to use a plot of land in your backyard or start a vegetable garden in plant boxes, soil preparation plays an important role in whether your vegetable garden will survive or not. There are three types of soil that you need to be familiar with; sand, clay and silt. Sandy soil is loose and helps the roots of plants breathe because it lets the air pass through easily. Clay soil absorbs water faster and keeps it inside longer, a soil composition that has more clay particles in it would be ideal for places that are too hot and the soil dries up quickly. Silt is a fine mixture of sand and clay particles.

When preparing the soil for your vegetable garden, dig up the soil and break off the lumps. Take out the rocks, roots, and weeds while youre at it. Check if you have just the right mixture of sand, silt, and clay before you begin planting vegetable gardens. Ideally, silt and sand should both be 40%, and clay should just be 20%, this is to make sure that the water isnt trapped inside too much that the roots will choke. Also, if the water is trapped too long inside the soil, the roots will rot. One good way to test whether the composition of your soil is good is by scooping out a handful and forming a ball with it. The soil should hold the shape of a ball without too much difficulty. If the soil cannot hold the shape, you might have too much silt or sand in the mixture. If the soil holds the shape but does not crumble easily when you poke it, it might have too much clay in it which you need to balance out with a little silt or sand.

Once you have finished cultivating the soil where you want to plant your vegetables, pick what kind of vegetable you want to grow there. Keep in mind that some vegetables dont grow well when you plant them too close to certain types of other vegetables. Potatoes, for example, shouldnt be planted too close to squash or tomatoes because it inhibits their growth. They can be planted in the same garden, just dont plant them beside each other.

After you have decided on the kind of vegetables you want and planting them into the cultivated soil, youll have to learn about how to water them properly. Vegetables need to be watered consistently. When planting vegetable gardens in a big space, you might want to consider using a soaker hose. A soaker hose has many holes along its body that waters your garden by letting the water seep through its holes.

Planting vegetable gardens require manual labor (yes, actual work), and a lot of patience. The rewards are very well worth it, though. Especially for people who are concerned about their health. Growing your own vegetables makes sure that theres the least amount of poisonous (and in the long run, carcinogenic) particulates in it as possible.

Save Money And Get Healthy By Planting Vegetable Gardens

Instead of setting up a swimming pool or a Zen garden in your backyard, why not plant vegetables instead? Planting vegetable gardens is a great way to spend a quiet time de-stressing while getting in touch with nature. Having a steady supply of vegetables will also lessen food expenses and improve the health of your loved ones.

Money-saving strategy

Its not easy to ignore the soaring prices of food items these days, including vegetables. Although your backyard may be small and your vegetable garden may not provide all that you need, it will have a dramatic effect in reducing your food bill. Imagine not having to run to the grocery store to buy some of the ingredients for your cooking. Some of the most common vegetables that you need are already right there in your very own backyard. Depending on the kind of vegetables you plant and your methods of preserving them, the economical benefits you get from your vegetable garden may be felt all year round.

You may also think that your kids will likely to eat less each time your serve them vegetables. It is obvious that kids would prefer to eat burgers, hotdogs and others. However, there are several cookbooks available in bookstores that can show you a variety of vegetable meals to prepare that are appetizing even for the kids. When what you serve on the table does not look and taste boring, your kids will surely dig it.

More nutritious meals

With a variety of vegetables practically ready to pick right in your backyard, you will find it more pleasing to cook and serve vegetable dishes to your family. This means that everybody will get to enjoy the numerous health benefits of eating fresh produce, since vegetables are packed with tons of nutrients. Aside from the fact that they are low in fats and calories, and contain no cholesterol, you will also get a steady source of the following:

Dietary fiber – This is important for normal bowel movement and good for your entire digestive tract. Dietary fiber is also known to reduce the amount of bad cholesterol in the body, lower the risk of heart diseases, as well as fight off certain forms of cancers. If you are on a diet, you will also feel much fuller faster. Some vegetables rich in dietary fiber are peas, carrots, cabbage and spinach.

Potassium – This is necessary for keeping blood pressure at a normal level. It is also important in keeping the brain, muscles and other tissues in the body functioning normally. Vegetables that are loaded with potassium include potatoes, squash, tomato, eggplant and celery.

Vitamins A, B and C Vitamin A is great for the eyes and skin. Vitamin C is necessary to maintain healthy connective tissues and is known to boost the immune system. Vitamin B is important for extracting the energy in the carbohydrates in several food sources. Carrots, asparagus, broccoli and green pepper are rich in Vitamin A. Broccoli, peas and beans are a great source of vitamin B. Your dose of vitamin C is supplied by red cabbage, kale, parsley and turnip.

Other vitamins and minerals you can get from vegetables include calcium, phosphorous, sodium, magnesium, iron, niacin, folate, zinc and manganese.

Save money and help your kids stay in the pink of health through planting vegetable gardens. Plus you get that sense of pride each time your family enjoys the meal on the table, whose vegetable ingredients you cultivated yourself in your backyard.

Planning a Thanksgiving Party: Should You Ask Your Guests

Planning a Thanksgiving Party: Should You Ask Your Guests for Help?

As nice as it is to host a Thanksgiving party, there is a lot of work that goes into doing so. Unfortunately, too many Thanksgiving party hosts find themselves in way over their heads. Before your Thanksgiving party turns into something that you would like to forget, you are advised to take steps that will help to make your Thanksgiving party easy to plan and prepare for. While there are a number of steps that you can take, there is one that you may seriously want to consider. That step is asking your party guests for assistance.

When it comes to asking party guests for assistance, there are many party hosts who are actually horrified at the thought of doing so. While you may not want to ask your party guests for assistance, you may need to, but it is completely understandable if you would choose not to. However, before you make your final decision, it may be a good idea to examine the advantages and disadvantages of asking your party guests for assistance. Doing so may make it easier for you decide whether or not it is a good idea to ask your guests for help.

As you likely already know, the biggest advantage to asking your party guests for assistance is the help that you will receive. This help, whether it be the purchase of additional beverages or the preparation of a side dish, will likely make your party planning experience easier and much more enjoyable. The less work you have to do, the more fun your Thanksgiving party is likely to become. In fact, what you can ask your party guests to do is another advantage to asking them for assistance.

Depending on the type of Thanksgiving party you choose to host, the assistance that you need may vary. It is nice to include a Thanksgiving dinner with your Thanksgiving party, but it can be costly and time consuming. If you are planning a Thanksgiving party that includes a dinner, it may be a good idea to ask some of your guests, at least the guests that you feel comfortable asking for help, to prepare a small side dish. Additional assistance could come in the form of drinks, Thanksgiving decorations, as well as additional tables and chairs.

The main disadvantage to asking your Thanksgiving party guests for help is the feeling that you may be left with. Although many of your party guests, particularly your close friends and family, may be more than willing to offer you assistance, you may feel ashamed to ask. While this feeling is completely normal, it may still make you feel uncomfortable. That is why you may also choose not to ask your party guests for assistance. Although you may not want to ask for help, it is important to remember the extra work that you are giving yourself. As previously mentioned, asking your Thanksgiving party guests for help, even a little bit of it, will not only save you time, but sometimes even money.

If you do make the decision to ask your Thanksgiving party guests for assistance, either with food, drinks, or decorations, it will be best if you ask them in advance. Even if you are only asking one of your party guests to pickup an extra bottle of wine, it would be nice if you gave them a little bit of notice and time to prepare for your request, no matter how large or small it be.

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Planning a Thanksgiving Party for All Ages

Are you interested in planning a Thanksgiving party this year? If you love the holiday season and throwing parties, there is a good chance that you may be interested in hosting a party for Thanksgiving. If you are interested, you will need to decide which type of party you would like to have. In general, a large number of party hosts like to plan parties that are only for adults or those that are only for kids. As nice as it is to plan a party just for kids or just for adults, it is sometimes difficult to do. There will likely always be parents who wont want to part with their kids, even just for a few hours. That is why you may want to think about hosting a Thanksgiving party that is designed for individuals of all ages.

When it comes to hosting an all ages Thanksgiving party, you will likely find that a little bit more work is involved. This is because you do not need to plan for a specific group of individuals, but two different groups. You will want to make sure that your Thanksgiving party has activities that target the adults, as well as the children. That is why, sometimes, a little bit more preparation is involved; however, that extra preparation will likely make your Thanksgiving party that much more enjoyable.

As previously mentioned, you will need to have activities that target both adults and children. You may want to develop party games that can be played with both adults and children or different games for each. You will likely find that if and when children are occupied with something, the adults can enjoy a different activity. You can easily purchase board games, for both adults and children, at your local department store. If you are looking for low-cost game or entertainment ideas, you can easily find a large number of suggestions online. This can easily be done with a standard internet search.

In addition to entertainment, you will also need to think about the food. In most cases, you will find that children and adults like to eat and drink different things. Drinkwise, it is always a good idea to have nonalcoholic drinks on hand because not all adults like to drink alcohol. In addition to soda, which is a common party beverage, it may also be a good idea to have to have plenty of water or juice drinks on hand. As for food, you may also want to create a couple of side dishes or snacks that target children. If you do not have any children, it may be a good idea to get food and snack suggestions from other parents or online. As with entertainment ideas, you can easily find kid approved recipes online, with a standard internet search.

If and when you make the decision to host a Thanksgiving party for individuals of all different ages, it may be a good idea to let your guests know. When it comes to parties, even holiday parties, many guests assume that they should come alone. For the best balance, between children and adults, it may be a good idea to encourage your guests to bring their children. In fact, having other children present may help to keep the other kids happy and occupied.

The above mentioned Thanksgiving party planning tips are just a few of the many that exist. As you can see, there are a number of different ways that you can benefit from or go about planning a Thanksgiving party for both adults and children.

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