The Active Gardener's paradox

Spring is very much upon us with Dunedin experiencing some absolutely stunning days interspersed with strong winds and reminders that winter is still very much here with dustings of frost/snow. The blossom on the trees has been quite remarkable this year and fingers crossed for a bumper fruit harvest.

Tip 1- Just like a runner who is training for a marathon, they wouldn't go straight into the full distance. When September 1st arrives the endless todo list can lead to biting off more than you can chew and overdoing it on a body that is a bit out of practice. Try early this season, to have shorter gardening sessions and then slowly add more time over the coming months. Your body will adjust and become more resilient. Then you're less likely to need to come and see me with a sore back/elbow.

The goal for Duncan's garden is to be as close to self-sufficient as possible in an urban environment with a permaculture esk, minimal disturbance style. His garden is about 4 years from being established so hopefully this year he can take a few fruit off the establishing espalier trees and the soil life is really starting to hum along. Arriving in Dunedin and visiting Rory's fantastic George Street Gardens   really sparked the inspiration as well as growing up with his parent's fantastic garden in the UK. 

So what's the conundrum/paradox you ask? Gardening is fantastic for the mind, body and soul. There is a GP in the UK who has been working with her patients in the community garden and seeing fantastic results. The World's Blue Zones talk about how important gardening is for healthy longevity. Gardening provides us with physical benefits from being active; the mental refresh from being in nature/flow state as well as the benefit of improving your health with a diet of fresh produce. It can cater for all ages and physical abilities with ways to help adapt your gardening with physical restrictions for example raised beds for a sore back. The paradox for me is that the advice is changing with the rise of no-dig, minimal disturbance and other great ways to improve your soil health. The backbreaking days of digging up your garden to then mix in the compost is behind us/should be... which means gardening is a bit less physical now as well as other modern tech helping make our lives easier. So if gardening is your main physical activity for some strengthening then maybe you can make things slightly harder for yourself in other ways... 

Tip 2- Here are a few suggestions:-

-Irrigation is only for vacation- get some watering cans and collect that water from the furthest rainwater bucket/tap. 

-Tractor mower? if you've only got a moderate bit of grass get those steps in and push that mower. 

-Hand weed. Get bending that back and going on your knees. If its a bit of a grunty weed then get some legs behind it. The body is designed to bend, twist and lift. Short periods of bending and build up over time.

-Carry and use that barrow. Carry tubs of weeds etc and load up that barrow with all the grass. Pushing and pulling gets the legs and whole body going. 

-Composting should be lazy but turn it more regularly if you want more of workout. It will speed it up and be a great workout for the whole body. 

Happy growing season. from Duncan @Reignite Physio

If you unfortunately get injured this gardening season. Book online with Duncan to get some advice on how to get back to doing what you enjoy. 

Pictures below

A few pictures of the start of spring with the seedlings ready to go in the garden when the weather starts to play ball as well as the greenhouse full of leafy greens to bridge the hunger gap. Lots of perpetual spinach and salads with kale and sprouting broc, cabbages and caulis in the garden. Parsnips and leeks have all been harvested with gaps plugged with some early radishes and peas. Carrots and parsnips are in and covered with planks of wood till they germinate. A good broadfork and some homemade organic compost with a few areas having been winter cover cropped. 

Other pictures show some of the produce from Duncan's veg patch last year with lots of surplus feeding friends and neigbours. We had a bumper crop of tomatoes, spuds,  cucumbers, beetroot, leafy greens but the squash and beans didn't have a great year with us. Planning to have even more flowers interspersed to attract pollinators, for companion planting and to look pretty. Duncan has planted a few wildflower sections around the garden this year and is looking to have as little bare soil as possible this season. 

Brilliant information resources

- Jason's brilliant vegetable planner for Coastal Otago 

- Kath Irvine's awesome website with a paid blog as well. Check out her article on Living Mulches- which will save you time and liven up your garden and soil. 

-Huw Richards in the UK's brilliantly informative Youtube Channel 

-Charles Dowding in the UK (No-Dig) brilliant Youtube Channel