There are many reasons why plants might improve our mood.

We all love the aesthetic of foliage inside our homes, but what if the very plants you loved looking at, improved your health as well?

It is well known that plants have a direct influence on our well-being. After all, they do help convert carbon dioxide into clean oxygen – an incredible feat that is much needed in our heavily polluted, over-populated world.

Not so surprisingly, recent studies have suggested that indoor plants fight sadness and improve our overall well-being. This is good news, considering many of us spend over 80% of our lives indoors (especially those of us that live in colder climates in the winter!).

Why Plants Improve Mood

1. Aesthetically pleasing: house plants add a nice balance of colour to just about any room. The colour green is also very calming and grounding, and is even quite stress-reducing. The natural aesthetic beauty of flowers have a soothing effect on our brain, and at the same time help lower high levels of stress and anxiety.

2. Need to be loved: plants need to be taken care of to grow and thrive, and the simple act of being a caretaker has a positive effect on our psyche. One study found that those who spend extended periods of time in the presence of plants tend to have better relationships with other people and therefore experience increased levels of happiness.

Those who spend more time around plants are more likely to help and care for others, and are more willing to reach out to their fellow humans to form stronger bonds. Caring for a living plant also gives us purpose and is rewarding – especially when you see that living thing bloom and thrive.

3. Filter polluted air: air pollutants put stress on our body and make us feel less than great about ourselves. By helping filter our airborne pollutants, plants improve indoor air quality, which is associated with improvements in physical health.

While any plant will help boost your mood and filter out airborne pollutants, these 5 indoor plants that fight sadness are some of the best.

1. Peace Lily

Peace lilies are beautiful plants that are easy to care for and produce amazing flowers. They’re at the top of NASA’s list of beneficial greens that help detox the air of benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and ammonia. Keep this plant in a room where you spend most of your time – like the bedroom or living room – so you can benefit from its toxin-destroying powers.

Keep this plant well watered and fertilize every 6-8 weeks to encourage flowers to emerge and bloom.

2. Spider Plant

One of the most popular indoor plants, spider plants not only look great, but are especially good at absorbing mould and allergens from the air. They’re also effective at fighting pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene. For these reasons, spider plants do well just about anywhere in the house. If you have a particularly high-humidity area in the home, the plant would perform well to reduce mould growth.

Provide spider plants with well-drained soil, and bright, indirect light. Unlike most plants, spider plants prefer to dry out between waterings.

3. Philodendron

This heart-shaped plant is quite popular, given it is easy to care for and can grow decorative vines. These plants are particularly good at absorbing xylene, a chemical commonly used in wall paint and cleaning supplies. They’re also good at absorbing high levels of formaldehyde from the air (similar to peace lilies!).

This plant requires a warm spot with plenty of bright, indirect sunlight. Don’t water them too often – you’ll know when to re-water when the top layer of soil starts to dry out.

4. English Ivy

This wandering vine is not only pleasing to the eye, but it is particularly useful in eliminating airborne faecal-matter particles. It is also great for homes who house smokers, as they have the ability to soak up carcinogens from second-hand smoke.

This plant doesn’t require much maintenance, but be sure you keep it away from your cat and dog, as it is poisonous to them!

5. Boston Fern

Like the ivy, boston ferns are particularly great at filtering the air. In fact, they can remove up to 1863 toxins per hour. That’s definitely something that will help give you peace of mind. The cleaner the air is in your home, the more happier you’ll be! Indoor air pollution creates nasty symptoms that none of us have the time or patience to deal with. The better you feel physically, the better you’ll feel mentally.

This plant needs a cool place with high humidity and indirect light. If you live in a particularly dry area, make sure to provide additional humidity for them, especially in the winter.

As you aim to have a more organic diet, it can be difficult to keep your home stocked with essentials. From the rising costs of fresh produce to the short shelf life of fruits and vegetables, it is no surprise that people are turning their backs on the standard supermarket model and opting to use their own gardens instead.

GROWING SUPER FOODS

Whether you currently have a garden at home or have been dreaming about growing plants of your own, now is the time to start planting seeds to grow your own superfoods. While you won’t be able to grow everything in your home garden, there are some great plants you can easily keep at home. Read on for 12 of the easiest plants to bring to your garden.

1. LETTUCE

Lettuce is incredibly simple to grow. Take any leftover lettuce and have the leaves inside a bowl that has a small amount of water at the bottom. Make sure the bowl is in a well-lit area and that the leaves are misted regularly throughout the week. In just three to four days, you; ‘ll see that roots are starting to form. At this point, place your growing head of lettuce in the soil.

2. CELERY

Looking for healthy foods to grow at home? Lettuce is another great option. Cut off the base of the celery, placing it inside a small bowl with a little warm water. The celery will start to sprout if it is ket facing direct sunlight for a week. At this point, you’ll start to see the leaves of the celery thickening. Then, you can plant the celery in the soil.

3. LEMONGRASS

When it comes to healthy foods to grow at home, lemongrass is another winner. Take the root of any leftover lemongrass and place it inside a jar or bowl, making sure to cover it with water. Once left in the sunlight, you’ll start to see new growth in about a week.

4. BEAN SPROUTS

Growing bean sprouts is relatively easy. Get about a tablespoon of the sprouts you hope to grow inside a jar covered with water. Leave the jar overnight and then drain off the water in the morning. Keep the container covered with a towel and then rinse the beans again the next morning. Repeat this process until the sprouts appear and they are your ideal size.

5. AVOCADO

Everyone loves avocados but not everyone loves their prices.

Good thing you can easily grow avocados right out of your home garden. The next time you get your hands on an avocado seed, stick a few toothpicks in it to have it suspended over water inside a jar or bowl. Make sure the water reached the bottom of your seed and keep the jar inside a warm area away from direct sunlight. Add more water as needed.

6. POTATOES

Potatoes can be easily grown from discarded potato peelings. Be sure to use the peelings with eyes on them. Cut each peeling into two-inch pieces. Then, let them try through the night and plant them the next day in the four-inch deep soil. The eyes should be faced up as you plant them. In a few weeks, you’ll start to see the potatoes sprouting.

7. SWEET POTATOES

Sweet potatoes can be grown as simply as regular potatoes. With sweet potatoes, cut one spud in half and leave it suspended with toothpicks above a shallow container of water. In a few days, you’ll see that roots and sprouts start to appear. As the sprouts reach around four inches, you can twist them off and place the sprouts in water. Once the roots inside the container grow to an inch, you can then plant them in the soil.

8. GINGER

Ginger is always a great food to have around. Start growing your own by taking a piece of the root and planting it in the soil. Keep the buds facing up and you’ll soon see new roots and shoots in a week.

9. GARLIC

Garlic is easy enough to keep on hand once you start growing it in your garden. Start growing garlic by pulling off one clove and planting it, keeping the roots down in the soil. Try to keep your garlic in direct sunlight. As the new shoots grow, you’ll want to cut them back so that the plant can grow a bulb. Then, you can just take the bulb and replant it.

10. ONIONS

When growing onions, just take the roots of and cover it lightly with soil in a sunny area. When growing green onions, you’ll want to keep the base inside a container in direct sunlight. Be sure to change the water every so often, as your onions continue to grow.

CULTIVATING A HEALTHY DIET

The great thing about growing your own food is that you are in total control of the whole process. Whatever foods you enjoy eating, being able to grow most of them helps to turn the art of eating into an incredibly rewarding experience.

Use this guide to help kickstart your own garden. You’ll notice that with all of these superfoods readily available, you’ll start eating and feeling healthier.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is an amazing spice with a plethora of therapeutic benefits mostly due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger plants can grow up to three feet high and produce 2-5 sections of ginger. One of the oldest medicinal foods, ginger originated in Southeast Asia. It has been part of Chinese and Indian healing practices for a very, very long time.

According to Ayurvedic texts, ginger is the “universal great medicine”. Ancient Chinese medicine makes the claim that ginger “restores devastated yang” and “expels cold”. An Indian proverb notes that “everything good is found in ginger”. Even Modern Western science has confirmed the value of ginger in remedying numerous conditions.

There is no doubt that ginger has great culinary and medicinal value. Here are just a few of the ways that ginger may be a useful tool to keep in your natural healing toolkit:

1. Ginger Can Reduce Muscle Pain & Soreness

If you hit the gym too hard you may want to turn to ginger for relief. Research shows ginger to be effective against exercise-induced muscle pain. Due to its potent anti-inflammatory properties, ginger has an immediate and long-lasting impact on muscle pain.

2. Ginger Combats Nausea

Perhaps one of the most common attributes of ginger is its ability to ward off nausea, especially morning sickness. It has a long history of being used as a remedy for sea sickness and has been proven to help tremendously with pregnancy-related nausea.

3. Ginger Can Help With Osteoarthritis

Ginger reduces inflammation that leads to joint pain and stiffness especially with conditions such as osteoarthritis. In one study, people with osteoarthritis of the knee who took ginger extract had reduced pain and required a lower dose of pain medicine.

4. Ginger May Reduce Blood Sugars

Research supports that ginger has powerful anti-diabetic properties. In one study, participants with type 2 diabetes lowered fasting blood sugar by 12% with 2 grams of ginger powder per day.

5. Ginger May Promote Healthy Cholesterol

Elevated levels of bad, or LDL cholesterol are linked to an increased risk of heart disease. In one study, ginger powder reduced cholesterol markers in just 45 days.

6. Ginger Can Fight Infections

Fresh ginger contains gingerol, a bioactive substance that can reduce the risk of infections. Ginger can inhibit the growth of numerous bacteria and is effective against oral bacteria linked to inflammatory gum diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis.

Growing Fresh Ginger:

I don’t know about you, but fresh ginger is always on my list when I go to the grocery store. This makes the idea of growing it at home all the more attractive. Although ginger comes from tropical regions, you can easily grow it at home under the correct conditions.

If you live in USDA zone 7 or higher you can grow ginger root right in the ground. However, in all but zone 10, the leaves will die off in the winter. If you live in zone 6 or lower, you can plant ginger root in a pot and bring it indoors during the cold season.

Selecting Your Rhizome

There are many reputable places online to get an organic ginger root for growing, however, you can also just get a root from the grocery store. Any rhizome from the grocery store will sprout as it has not been treated with the same anti-sprout chemicals as potatoes. Look for a rhizome that is plump and well hydrated. It if is wrinkled, do not use it. The rhizome should have nodes that will sprout.

Preparing Your Rhizome

Place the root on your kitchen countertop until the “nodes or eyes” start to grow. It generally takes a couple of weeks for this to happen. The rhizome will begin to shrivel – no need to worry, you don’t need to give it water. Once your rhizome is sprouting, cut your root into pieces with an “eye.” This is very much the same way that you get pieces of potato ready to plant – each piece needs to have at least one “eye” that will sprout. Let each piece heal for a few hours before planting.

Planting Outdoors 

Again, if you live in USDA zone 7 plus, you can grow ginger in the ground. Ginger likes full to part shade and very rich and loose soil. Add plenty of compost or aged manure to the garden bed before planting. Plant ginger root in early spring after all chances of frost are passed. Dig a shallow trench and plant ginger pieces no deeper than 1 inch. Plant one piece of ginger per square foot. Water thoroughly and in about two weeks you should see leaves of the plant emerge. After you see the leaves, water deeply but sparingly. Leaves of the ginger plant get tall and can be easily damaged by winds. Fertilize using compost tea or aged manure once a month until your plant is well established.

Harvesting

Ginger plants take ten months to mature. Your ginger will be ready the following spring or you can leave it into the summer for a larger harvest. Gently lift the plant from the soil, break off the foliage and wash the root. You can also take part of the root and replant the rest.

Note: The leaves of the ginger plant are also edible. You can use them as a flavorful garnish like you would chives or onions.

Planting Ginger In Pots

If you live in a cooler climate you will need to grow ginger in pots. Here are a few things to keep in mind. Ginger is a low maintenance herb that is happy indoors as long as it has partial sunlight and enough moisture.

• Choose a root with several eye buds.
• Place the ginger root in a bowl of warm water overnight.
• Fill a wide and shallow pot with loose potting soil.
• Place the ginger root in the soil with the eye pointing up. Cover with 1” of soil and water well.
• Place your pot in a spot where it stays warm and gets partial sunlight.
• Spray the soil to keep it moist.
• Since ginger loves humidity you can create ideal conditions by making a plastic tent to go over the plant until it begins sprouting.
• Be patient – ginger grows slow. After a few weeks, shoots will emerge.
• Remove the tent and water the plant regularly my misting and keep it warm.
• Harvest small pieces of ginger 3-4 months after growth begins. Just move aside some of the soil and find the rhizomes under the surface. Using a clean and sharp knife, cut a piece and replace soil for continued growth.

Ways To Use Ginger & Recipes:

Here are some of my favorite ways to use ginger.

Ginger & Lemon Cold Remedy

If I feel a cold coming on, one of the first things I do is make a cup of this ginger cough and cold remedy. It is soothing and eases a sore throat, stops a cough in its tracks, reduces inflammation and clears sinuses.

Ingredients:

• Filtered water
• ¼ inch piece ginger root, grated
• 2 lemons cleaned and sliced thin
• 1 cup raw honey

How To Make It

1. Add the grated ginger and lemons to a glass jar
2. Boil water and add honey
3. Pour the honey and water mixture over the lemons and ginger
4. Store in the fridge.

Note: Use one teaspoon for children and one tablespoon for adults every 4-6 hours.

Soothing Wind Down Tea

I call this my destress tea because it seems to relax my entire body and bring about a sense of calm and wellbeing.

Ingredients

• ¾ teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 teaspoon of raw honey

How To Make It

• Simmer ginger and water in a closed teapot for five minutes.
• Strain and add honey.

Whether you’d prefer to grow herbs for medicative edges, cooking flavors, or pleasant restful aromas, there’s a straightforward thanks to grow all winter long.

Grow herbs all year with the subsequent technique

Cut the herb stems with a sterile blade. you’ll be able to use alcohol to sterilize your knife or scissors.

Use glass bottles or mason jars as your jar and reservoir. If it’s clear, cowl the outside with paper or paint that the roots don’t seem to be exposed to light-weight and avoid protoctist growth.

Use newer, younger growth regarding vi inches from the highest of every stem you chop. The woodier the herb stem is, the harder it’ll be to root.

Use spring water to supply the plants with alittle quantity of alimental minerals.

Change the water a minimum of once per week.

A free thanks to stimulate the ontogenesis is to position some willow branches in heat water long. Then use them as a motivating endocrine mixture. This works just like victimization ontogenesis endocrine powder or gel.

Here square measure ten herbs you’ll be able to grow in water:

Rosemary – the basis of the semi-woody cuttings of rosemary want longer, however the new shoots within the spring grow quicker. Keep the plant during a sunny spot.

Sage – you must take some sage cuttings within the spring and place them in water. Place the herb on a bright spot during a well-aerated place because it is at risk of mildew.

Peppermint – This herb is high within the volatile substance application that provides a cooling sensation on the skin or tongue and doesn’t modification the temperature. simply place a couple of recent cuttings in water, because it is that the best herbs you’ll be able to grow in water.

Tarragon – you would like some spring cuttings once new growth seems, and place the herb on a heat and bright place. Tarragon are often of varied varieties, and therefore the French one is best for cooking functions whereas the Russian is best to be used for salads.

Basil – This herb is definitely full-grown in water. Place the cuttings in water before they begin flowering and place the instrumentality during a sunny place.

Spearmint –Peppermint may be a natural hybrid of mint and it’s simply full-grown during this method.

Thyme – Take some recently full-grown, inexperienced cuttings, within the mid-spring or early summer before the thyme starts flowering, place them in water, and spray the elements that square measure underneath the water to avoid its drying. As presently because it is full-grown, cut the stems to spice up branching.

Oregano – Place the recent cuttings of oregano in water and pinch the growing tips because the herb grows.

Lemon balm – you must decide many cuttings in spring or fall, and place them in water during a bright spot. once 3-4 weeks, the cuttings can develop roots. modification the water typically, otherwise you will keep the plant out of doors if the weather is heat. you’ll be able to prepare tea from the leaves.

Stevia – you’ll be able to add stevia to some beverages and teas. simply place some stevia cuttings from actively growing branches during a instrumentality jam-packed with water, and keep it during a sunny and heat place.

If you like to eat avocados, you may have wondered what to do with the pits or seeds inside them.

As you may have discovered, these take a long while to break down if you add them whole to your composting system, but you definitely should not simply throw them away.

To help you move closer to a zero waste lifestyle, here are seven unexpected, surprising, but most all, practical ways to use avocado pits:

1. Grow an Avocado Tree

The first and most obvious thing to do with the seed from an avocado is to use it to grow a new avocado plant.

Gently clean your avocado pit, taking care to note which end is the top (pointier end – towards the top of the avocado) and which is the bottom (wider, flatter end). The top end will have to be kept dry and the bottom will need to be submerged in water.

To achieve this, push toothpicks into the avocado around its ‘equator’, so it can be rested on top of a glass of water. Make sure the water level is around half way up the pit. Keep it topped up.

Patience is required. It can take up to 8 weeks for the pit to sprout, in a sunny location. Make sure it gets as much sunshine as possible. Since sun is required, it is best to attempt this in spring, when sunshine hours increase. A taproot will emerge and you cannot let this taproot dry out. Eventually, a sprout will appear at the top.

When the stem is around 15cm long, cut it back by half to encourage new growth. When it has grown to around 15cm again, pot your sapling in humus-rich, fertile soil.

Again, make sure your little avocado tree gets as much sunshine as possible. Water frequently but reduce watering if leaves yellow. When the stem reaches around 30cm in height, and after each new 15cm of growth, pinch out the top two sets of leaves to encourage the sapling to bush out.

There is no guarantee that an avocado tree grown in this way will fruit, or that the fruits will taste good if it does.

But though it won’t fruit for a very long time (years), if it fruits at all, an avocado plant could still make a nice houseplant to grow inside your home.

2. Grind or Grate and Compost It

Avocado seeds contain a range of beneficial nutrients – including calcium, magnesium, and quite a high level of potassium that can be beneficial for your plants.

Avocado pits placed whole into your composting system will not break down for a very long time, but grate or grind those pits and they could be a good ingredient to add to your compost heap, or simply to sprinkle around your plants as part of a mulch.

The potassium and other nutrients in the pits will be returned to the soil, and since the pits are high in potassium, they are particularly good for flowering or fruiting plants.

3. Make a Natural Pink Dye from Avocado Pits

But you don’t have to relegate those avocado pits to a composting system right away. You can also use them in a range of interesting ways around your home.

One excellent example is that you can use them to make a lovely soft pink natural dye.

To learn more about dying with avocado pits, check out this link:

4. Make a Hair Rinse/ ‘No Poo’ Shampoo

Moving away from commercial shampoos is very popular with those who want to live more eco-friendly and sustainable lives and move closer to zero waste. But finding the right recipe for your hair is not always easy.

Making a type of shampoo substitute from avocado pits is one more on a long list of options to consider. You can find out more here:

5. Make an Avocado Pit Facial Scrub

Another idea is to use dried and ground avocado pits as an exfoliant. They can be used to get rid of dry skin and can be combined, also, with the flesh of the avocado, which also has many great benefits for the skin. Here’s how to make a simple DIY facial scrub:

6. Make a Mobile/ Wind Chimes

Another crafty idea is to string a number of avocado pits, perhaps along with pine cones, shells, or other natural materials to make attractive wind chimes or mobiles for your home or garden.

To make the pits last longer, they can be dried and treated with linseed oil or an eco-friendly varnish.

7. Make Christmas Ornaments for Your Tree

Paint, carve or otherwise decorate avocado pits and you can also use them as decorations for a Christmas tree. You can treat them with a natural oil so their natural colour shines through, or paint them in a desired shade using eco-friendly paints. You can also carve designs onto them using woodworking tools, or use pyrography to burn on a design before you oil or wax them.

Of course, if you use your imagination you will find that there are also plenty of other ways to use avocado pits around your home. But the above ideas should give you a place to start when thinking about how to reduce waste in one more way where you live.

With basil being the perfect addition to salads and cooking, this article will guide you through the steps of growing and caring for basil in your garden. From choosing a location and spacing, to how to water it and protect it from pests, these are all simple tips to help you grow your own perfect basil!

Basil is a perennial, which means it will last through the winter and grow back again the following year. It can be a little tricky to find a good spot in your garden, as most of us use family plots or even driveways to plant our veggies. For these reasons, Basil grows best in containers and other areas with more soil space. Not only does it help give you more room to work but they also need more care so that they’ll grow healthy and have longevity!

How To Start A New Basil Plant From Seed

You can easily start a new basil plant from seed if you’re planning on growing the herb indoors. Simply purchase some seeds from your local grocery store and make sure you buy more than one. I like to buy several in case of any ‘miscalculations’ with my seeds. Use scissors to snip the seeds and scatter them into a jar or plastic container. Cover the containers with a towel and place them into your fridge or somewhere cool until they germinate in a few days to a week. Simply let the seeds grow until they sprout, which shouldn’t take longer than two weeks, then transfer them into their own pots or containers. Basil can be planted inside any time of year but if you want it to start flowering right away – mid-spring is the best time for this!

Planting Your Basil Seeds

It’s really important that you plant your basil plants as deep as the soil allows, and it’s also important that you do not cover the soil with plastic as this will cause problems with your plant. I always plant mine in an area of open ground at least 6 inches away from any wall or fence so that they can get plenty of sun and space to grow, however many home gardeners simply use a small window box or a large pot. You can even use some old terracotta pots and window boxes but make sure you take the plants out of them before winter.

How to Care for Basil Plant

Watering – Basil is a drought tolerant plant. However, it will do best in well-drained soil with adequate water. A good rule of thumb is to water your basil every week during the growing season, but only if the soil feels dry. When watering, aim to wet the surface of the soil, not the leaves.

Fertilizing – One of the best ways to grow basil from seeds is to fertilize them with compost or manure. Once the basil plants are established, you can water them with compost or rainwater. You can also mulch the plants to keep them cool in summer and warm in winter.

Harvesting

Basil is a great herb to grow in the garden because it can be harvested multiple times throughout the year. In early spring, basil is in its flowering stage and can be picked fresh. In summer, basil is in its fruit stage and can be eaten fresh or dried. In fall, basil is in its harvest stage and can be used as a flavoring for foods or brewed as a tea. Basil can also be frozen for later use.

We all love avocados, and especially in the summer, they are everyone’s favorite fruits! The avocado fruit is simply delicious and irresistible, and this food can be easily incorporated in your everyday diet, either alone or as a unique condiment.

However, a few of you probably knew that you can plant and grow your own avocado at home!

Therefore, next time you are slicing it for a salad, or you are preparing delicious guacamoles, remember not to throw the seed away, as you will need it in order to grow your own avocado trees.

However, people in areas with sunny and warm areas may enjoy in these fruits often, but since they can be easily destroyed by frost and cold, northern gardeners should follow some important tips in order to grow them at home.

First of all, extract the seed, by removing the pit from the flesh of the avocado gently. Wash it clean or soak the pit n some water for several minutes and them scrub it to eliminate all remains. However, note that you should keep the seed cover, that is, the brown skin of the pit.

Then, pierce it. All avocado pits have two ends, its top, that is, the end from which the sprout grows, and its bottom, from where the roots grow. The top is the end which is a bit pointier, and the flatter one is the bottom.

In order to stimulate it to sprout, you should put the bottom in some water. Therefore, it is important to determine which end is the bottom before you pierce the pit.

After you have soaked it in water, firmly wedge in some toothpicks. In order to leave a larger part of the avocado base soaking, you should stick the toothpicks pointing down.

Next, you need to leave the seed to sprout for 3-6 weeks. After this time, you will notice a sprout coming out from the top, as well as roots at the base.

As soon as the stem is grown for about 5-6 inches, pinch out the top set of leaves, and in a few weeks, you can expect to have new leaves and no more roots.

After some time, the sprout tail will be around 6-7 inches, and you will need to trim it in half in order to stimulate new growth.

Now, take a large flowerpot (for instance, 8″ to 10″ across) and place some enriched potting soil to about an inch from the pot’s top.

Place the pit in a small depression you will make in the center, but you need to put it root-side down. In order to water the pit, you should generously water the soil, as it needs to be really moist.