Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Healing Power of Gardens

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 115 posts

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#31

Post by nanomonkey »

Cerium wrote: post #24
sf_rob wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I come to gardening with the same attitude. Basically if it doesn't grow well in my temperate climate then I just grow something else next year. Tomatoes, mint, and squash all grow like weeds and are super easy, peppers are finicky, and leafy greens are a battle against aphids. That said, I know plenty of other hobby gardeners who treat their gardens as an exercise in optimization. Heck, I even know one engineer with…

I have had good luck in the battle against aphids on my kale by spraying them with a (1:1) mixture of 70% rubbing alcohol and water with a small amount of dish soap (I use about one sponge load worth in a full spray bottle).

I have a similar recipe, only I add in a tablespoon or so of neem oil.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#32

Post by ivoallasap »

jrace wrote: post #3

>I cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication. --- I have witnessed this with my wife who's neurological disorder causes her to be in a "fright or flight" state…

That's great to hear. I think being in a place where you can see seasonal change also has a calming and humbling effect. The wisteria in the springtime, the beautiful colors of the leaves in autumn - being around those changes in your natural habitat can be destressing and comforting, as they show that life and the natural world still goes on around you.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#33

Post by someone7x »

galazzah wrote: post #30

Does anyone recommend a particular guide for getting started in gardening?

Square Foot Gardening is a great introduction; an retired aerospace engineer finds the world of gardening full of contradictions and myths.

He boils it all down to fundamentals that are easy to apply.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#34

Post by atomi »

_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

Not only that but horticulture is prime for automation. It's a lot of fun.

Check out https://github.com/OpenSprinkler/OpenSprinkler-Firmware which you can easily run off an RPi Zero W and a cheap 5v relay.

My favorite is plant propagation which is especially fun and challenging to scale in a small indoor space.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#35

Post by malandrew »

_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

Can you suggest the best resources you've found for learning about gardening?

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#37

Post by benatkin »

omarchowdhury wrote: post #25
benatkin wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's something about this I read on Slate Star Codex that I found entertaining and insightful. It's easy to forget that we needed to be in a fertile place in the past, and for the most part we don't need to now, except for emotional reasons. "Most people are happier when they’re in at least some Nature, whether this means a grand national park or just a leafy suburb with lots of chirping birds. The average person…

I'd think it'd be well to also note, aside a evolutionary analysis based on the past, in the present, plants take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen.

We also need plants to eat. We don't need direct access to the plants to eat them, nor do we need direct access to plants to benefit from carbon dioxide to oxygen conversion. I'm not aware of where the plants I eat come from, most of the time. I'm not saying I don't need plants, I just don't necessarily need to live among them, but I like being able to see plants frequently. I have no desire to have my own garden though, I would rather appreciate nature in a public place where everyone can enjoy them, such as parks and along streets.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#38

Post by checkyoursudo »

My wife and I have been gardening for around 15 years.

We spent a couple of years, maybe 5 or 7 years ago, trying straw bale gardens.

It was quite interesting. I would recommend giving it a try some time. You can do it even with just one bale. We did it with about 10-12 bales of oat straw from a farm we knew.

E.g., https://www.amazon.com/Straw-Bale-Gardens-Complete-Karsten/d... was the author of the book we used, though this seems to be an updated version to the one we used.

I prefer raised soil beds, but this straw bale style was quite enjoyable.

Re: The Healing Power of Gardens

#39

Post by Pfhreak »

pcmaffey wrote: post #27
_qwfv wrote: post #4

This article focuses a lot on large, well curated gardens, but I'm an engineer who found a lot of solace and safety in managing my own garden. (As someone who has faced burnout and anxiety from work before.) There's something about planning, planting, and then caring for a garden that appeals to my engineer brain. It's an exercise in organization and planning that scales from "throw seeds at dirt" to "these plants wi…

I'd guess that you would love permaculture [1], if you're not already familiar with it. It's a set of design principles for organizing and planning gardens that oozes a certain creative engineering and wisdom of natural things. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture

Yep! I try to practice permaculture as much as possible. There's always more to do, but much of our garden is designed to be both aesthetically pleasing and edible, and we try to recycle back into it and support native insects where we can.
Post reply on HN