Gardening Can Help Beat Depression

 

Photo Credit:http://www.feedage.com

'Every year, some 230 million prescriptions for antidepressants are filled, making them one of the most-prescribed drugs in the United States.

Despite this, the incidence of all forms of depression is now at 10 percent, according to 2012 statistics1, and the number of Americans diagnosed with depression increases by about 20 percent per year2.

Such statistics are a strong indication that what we’re doing is simply not working, and that instead, these drugs are contributing to other serious health problems. Fortunately, there are other, safer, more effective ways to address depression—including something as simple as spending more time outdoors.'

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War on Home Gardens - Canada Town Outlaws Food Self-Sufficiency

'A Canadian couple that has been growing a beautiful, meticulously-maintained front yard vegetable and herb garden has been ordered by city officials to uproot most of it by September 1 or else face lofty fines. CBC News and others are reporting that the town of Drummondville in Quebec is actually planning to ban all front yard gardens in the municipality beginning this fall; a move the spells the end of food self-sufficiency for many Canadians living in the area.'

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Landlord Charged for Front Yard Garden - Tenant & Neighbors Fight Back

'Stay-at-home dad Karl Tricamo was another

unsuspecting gardener

just 

going about his

favorite hobby and following the rules. 

He loves to garden

 with his 55 heirlooms and dislikes GMOs and pesticides.'

“I just thought it would be an excellent way to help provide for my family,” he said. “People have been gardening since the beginning of human civilization, and the First Lady has even been setting an example by gardening at the White House! I never expected it to be so controversial.”'




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Food Fascism: Woman Sues City of Tulsa For Cutting Down Her Edible Garden

'A Tulsa woman is suing the city's code enforcement officers after she said they cut down her garden with no cause. Denise Morrison said she has more than 100 plant varieties in her front and back yards and all of them are edible and have a purpose.

She knows which ones will treat arthritis, which will make your food spicy, which ones keep mosquitoes away and treat bug bites, but she said none of that matter to city inspectors.'




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Toby Hemenway - How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Earth, but Not Civilization

'The revised and updated edition also features a new chapter on urban permaculture, designed especially for people in cities and suburbs who have very limited growing space. Whatever size yard or garden you have to work with, you can apply basic permaculture principles to make it more diverse, more natural, more productive, and more beautiful. Best of all, once it’s established, an ecological garden will reduce or eliminate most of the backbreaking work that’s needed to maintain the typical lawn and garden.'


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SURVIVE ANYTHING! Chapter 2: Food Crisis

 

'Food production is one of the most essential concerns of any society. Without direct availability and ease of consumption, without the consistent flow of agricultural goods, every nation existing today (except the most primitive) would immediately find its infrastructure crumbling and its people in a furious panic. It’s strange to me, then, that long term independent food planning is the one concern that many Americans seem to take most for granted. 

Firearms and ammo, camping gear and bug-out-bags, MRE’s, beans, and rice; these are the easiest part of your survival foundation. The hard part is not storage of goods, but devising a solid and practical plan for sustainability in the long term. This starts with the capacity to support your own agriculture regardless of how long the grid is down, even if it is down indefinitely.'

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Seven Reasons Why You Should Grow Your Own Food

'That’s right, having your own vegetable garden is now trendy. In fact according to the 2009 Edibles Gardening Trends Research Report conducted by the Garden Writer’s Association (GWA) Foundation, over 41 million U.S. households, or 38 percent planted a vegetable garden in 2009. And, more than 19.5 million households (18 percent) grew an herb garden and 16.5 million households (15 percent) grew fruits during the same period.

The study found that there was a growth in edible gardening from both experienced gardeners and from an influx of new gardeners: 92 percent of respondents had previous experience and 7 percent (7.7 million households) were new edible gardeners.'

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