How to Re-Pot a Plant that is Root Bound

Great tips from Jeralyn, available on her blog, here. 

How to Start a Family Garden When You Live in the City

This is a great article, with some nice new ideas on how to tackle the challenge of gardening in the city:

"Gardening as a family cannot only help you reduce your carbon footprint, pass along the ideals of sustainable living to your children, and save money at the grocery store, it can also help you forge even stronger bonds with your family through your shared goals. When you live in an urban setting, however, starting a family garden requires a bit more creativity than it would in a rural area."

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Tomatoes Are Good For You

Did you know that tomatoes will make your teeth sparkling white, your breath minty fresh, your hair shine with new luster and cut your risk for stroke.  Well one out of four is not all that bad.  According to a study based out of Finland, published in the medical journal of Neurology, tomatoes (and especially cooked tomatoes) can reduce your risk for stroke.  The secret ingredient is lycopene.  You can obtain lycopene in other fruits such as grapefruit and papaya, but come on, what would you rather have, spaghetti or grapefruit?

The study followed 1,031 men between the ages of 42 and 61.  The study followed these men for 12 years and was intended to determine if other dietary items affected stroke risk.  I am inherently skeptical of longitudinal studies.   I mean really, are you going to remember what you ate last week and in what quantity?  I have trouble remembering what I ate for dinner yesterday unless it was spaghetti.  Hey, maybe they are on to something. If you want to read more about the study, the link is below.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444897304578044680394134430.html?mod=ITP_personaljournal_0

I always look for news items that affirm my narrow view of the world.  And if scientists say that tomatoes are good for you, then it must be true (especially if I can read it on the internet).  I was devastated when the nutritional police came out years ago to say that coffee was bad for you.  Then they changed their minds and it was good for you, then it was bad for you. Now, I only read stuff that tells me that whatever I am eating or drinking is good for me.  I sleep much better at night this way.  Sweet Tomato says I take the reputed health benefits of red wine way too seriously.  As if I needed any excuse to drink red wine.  As my dear Great Grand Father used to say, “Water is over rated, it just rusts your pipes”.  He lived to be 96, ate lots of tomatoes and drank large quantities of red wine.