The next meeting of the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be on Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. at SIGN on North Street. Our guest speaker will be Fred Waelchli telling us about quinoa. Quinoa is in so many products now, it will be very interesting to learn more about it! That’s Wednesday, March 16; join us!
I love reading about how gardening is good for us, with many benefits like fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and spiritual and emotional fulfilment. Being out in nature brings serenity; and I am almost certain that all of us have found healing and peace in our gardens after we have suffered a loss. I know many tears were shed in our garden after Mom died, but puttering among the plants, plants that brought her so much joy, helped me connect with her in my heart. And tears still slip down my cheeks when I look at our hostas, now regal and undisturbed and lonely-looking without our Toby sprawled on top of them.
I found it very interesting to read about how growing plants is one of the projects on space missions. You’d think that when they are orbiting thousands of miles in space they might have other things to do, but I found a fascinating paragraph on space.com that I want to share with you. Last time we had tea, we talked about the zinnia grown on the International Space Station by NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. That same article had this to say: “The zinnias… were intended by NASA as a test run for growing tomato plants on the space station in 2017. By then, Kelly will be long back home on the Earth. He and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are set to complete a nearly yearlong stay on the station in March. As such, the zinnia flowers and previous lettuce offered more than sustenance for the stomach, but satisfaction for the mind.
“#SpaceFlower out in the sun for the first time!” exclaimed Kelly on Twitter. The photo attached to his tweet displayed the orange flower floating in front of a window with a view of the blue Earth below.”
Yes, the Guinness Book of World Records says that “In 1982, the then Soviet Union’s Salyut 7 space station crew grew some Arabidopsis on board,” the record reads. “During their 40-day lifecycle, they became the first plants to flower and produce seeds in the zero gravity of space.” In the 90’s, Russian cosmonauts on Mir grew dwarf wheatstalks through their full life cycle; and experiments with plants in space still continues. The article says that “Ultimately NASA is hoping that astronauts can supplement their menus with freshly-grown greens, especially on future deep space missions to destinations beyond the Earth, like Mars. Growing plants also offer psychological benefits, and they can assist in atmosphere recycling.”
But I am struck by those phrases: “satisfaction for the mind” and “psychological benefits”. Growing plants is more than just an experiment or a possible study on future food production. It is “satisfaction for the mind”. Think back to how wonderful it feels to sit on a lawn chair and admire our gardens; or to enjoy the beauty of a planter that somehow turned out to all that we imagined and more. These gifts of God’s creation truly are “satisfaction for the mind”. So keep gardening, even if your “garden” is a few containers on the back step. It is all “satisfaction for the mind.”
Don’t forget about the Prairie Sun Seed Festival” on Saturday, March 12, from 12:30 p.m. till 4:00 p.m. at Yorkdale School! Educational displays and interesting speakers!
Have a great week! Rodney and Teresa, I know you are enjoying Heaven’s garden; we miss you.
