Spring Seed Starting and the Benefits of Growing a Garden 

Spring is here and in full bloom and with spring comes seeds starting! Here’s a list of what we planted and will plant, hopefully it give you some ideas

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We love spring and spring seed starting! Does anybody else think, Spring planting is so exciding in the spring, and then at the end of the year you start to think “why was I so ambitious” but it fun in the spring. lol?

According to tradition if the groundhog see’s his shadow then 6 more weeks of winter, but if he doesn’t see his shadow then spring is right around the corner. 

And the groundhog didn’t see his shadow on February 2nd, so that means an early spring, according to tradition. 

It’s a fun tradition that my family loves to see and celebrate as there is also a birthday in my family on that day, so we have quite a bit of fun with it!

One thing we like to do around this time is plan out the family garden according to family preferences and needs. We love the flavor of home grown vegetables and the abundance it brings into the family. We like knowing our vegetables are organic, without paying for the extra price at the grocery store. A lot of people in my family can’t handle the pesticides and herbicides that they use to grow or process them.

Some of the Dangers of these Pesticides and Herbicides

I found a good article about some of the dangers. 

“Over 800 pesticides are registered for use in the United States, some of 

which are used in large quantities and may pose risks for a variety of health problems.

They can cause:

• Atopy – In one study, early-life farm exposures were strongly associated with reduced risk in adults of atopy, which is a genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases. These results suggest that protective effects on atopy of early-life farming exposures, particularly in people born to mothers who performed farming activities, endure across a life course.
• Autoimmunity – An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks normal healthy cells in the body. Certain types of organochlorine insecticides may increase risk of developing autoimmunity in male farmers. Another AHS study looked at male farmers who are also licensed pesticide applicators and found an link to rheumatoid arthritis, a type of autoimmune inflammatory disease.

WOW, That’s crazy!!

• Kidney Disease – A comprehensive study of pesticide use found links to renal cell carcinoma, the most common form of kidney cancer. Four herbicides (2,4,5-T, atrazine, cyanazine, and paraquat) and two insecticides (chlorpyrifos and chlordane) were implicated. A related study suggests that two widely used herbicides, pendimethalin and atrazine, may also be associated with impaired kidney function among male pesticide applicators.
• Shingles – Several specific pesticides were associated with increased risk of shingles in farmers, especially with recurrent use. Shingles is a painful rash caused by the chickenpox virus (varicella-zoster).
• Thyroid Disease – Many pesticides have long been suspected as being disruptive to thyroid functioning. An AHS study linked exposure to several pesticides and increased hypothyroidism risk. Another study observed increased risk of thyroid cancer associated with use of metalaxyl, a fungicide, and lindane, an insecticide. More work is needed to understand the potential role of these chemicals in thyroid carcinogenesis. Lindane is designated as carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Pesticides and Sense of Smell (PASS) Study

This study is related to the Agricultural Health Study. Loss of the sense of smell is common with aging, especially in patients with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The Study participants who reported a high pesticide exposure event, such as getting a large amount of pesticides on their skin, were more likely to report a loss of sense of smell 20 years later. Such high pesticide exposure events, especially when clean-up was delayed and skin contact or inhalation was involved, may cause long-lasting damage to our sense of smell.

Researchers funded by NIEHS also reported that inhalation of the widely used pesticide paraquat reduced the sense of smell  in male mice for several months.

Pesticides and Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common condition involving loss of brain cells, or neurons, such as those that produce the brain signaling chemical dopamine. Dopamine is important for many functions, including movement. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with PD, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Yet it is among the least inheritable diseases — meaning that the causes, to a large extent, are likely environmental.

Pesticides may directly or indirectly disrupt the biological pathways that normally protect brain cells selectively attacked by PD”.

Read the full article here.

Yikes!!! So for my family it just works and makes sense, to grow a garden and it’s fun!

Down to the planning

In Missouri we are zone 6b and the last average frost is April 15th. It is recommended that you plant a couple of weeks before the last frost then after the last frost they come up. We start some seeds in late feb, in case we have an early spring. (and sometimes we are a bit warmer and don’t get a last frost)  Seeds are cheap so if we have to replant then we can replant. But if you don’t want to replant then wait till a couple of weeks before the last frost. 

So far we have planted, 

• Red Dragon Arugula
• Sugar Bon Peas
• Red Mizuna 
• Spinach Gigante 
• Corn salad

The chickens have eaten and the children have gotten into, the peas, corn salad, spinach, and the arugula. (that happens sometimes when you have animals and children)

What we Planted or Replanted in the garden 

• Arugula 
• Peas
• Red Mizuna
• Cabbage 
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Potatoes 
• Raspberries
• Walking onions  
• Bush beans
• Basil

Garden bed variations

We really like raised beds and we are doing a lot of experimenting this year. Loura found these old crates that are from a steel mill, they were used to ship big parts. We fixed them up a bit and sealed them with canola oil and lined them with shade cloth. You can read all about them here

And last year we made raised beds with old bricks

We also use big round containers with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. That is what we have just planted our cannas and dahlias in. Look around you will be surprised at what you can find to plant in, Even if it is not the prettiest. We love to recycle when ever we can.

What we plan on planting still 

• Carrots
• Beets
• Okra 
• Lettuce
• Potatoes 
• Flowers
• Sunflowers
• Redbud trees 
• Plum tree’s
• Watermelons 
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Basil
• Thyme 
• Sage 

We get all of our seeds from Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds. And love them.! (I am not affiliated with them), But we are planning a private tour soon, so be on the look out for that post soon!

What are you planting in your garden? Tell us in the comments.

Best of luck with your garden, Loura and Rebekah 

I will be posting Regular updates on how our garden is growing this year on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

If you want to learn more about our different methods of raised beds 

Tools that we use in our garden,

Garden Tool Set

Gardening Gloves