6 Ideas And Benefits Of Growing Organic Gardens

Organic gardening is the way of growing vegetables and fruits with the use of things only found in nature. Why would one want to indulge in organic gardening?

1. One can easily make compost from garden and kitchen waste.

Though this is a bit more time-consuming than buying prepared chemical pesticides and fertilizers, it certainly helps to put garbage to good use and so saves the environment.

2. Organic farming does not use chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health.
This is especially important when growing vegetables.

Chemical companies tell us that the chemicals we use are safe if used according to direction, but research shows that even tiny amounts of poisons absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children.

On the average, a child ingests four to five times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult.
This can lead to various diseases later on in the child's life. With organic gardening, these incidents are lessened.

Remember, pesticides contain toxins that have only one purpose - to kill living things.

3.  Less harm to the environment. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and polluting their habitat.

4. Organic farming practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion.
The Soil Conservation Service estimated billion tons of soil to erodes from  farmlands every year.

4. Cost savings. One does not need to buy costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for the control of pest and disease come straight from the kitchen cupboard.
Sometimes other plants can be grown as companions to the main crop.
An example of this is the marigold, which helps to repel aphids from vegetables.

Mixing 1 tablespoon of liquid dish washing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil can make a cheap garden pest spray. Put 3 tablespoons of this mixture in 1 quart of water and spray on plants.

5. A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in.

6. Organic gardening practices help to keep the environment safe for future generations.

Some Important Tips To Making A Vegetable Garden

With the costs of living rising all the time, it may be possible to save money and increase your family's health at the same time by growing vegetables in your backyard.

It's a good idea to choose your favorite vegetables to grow and plan beds for early, middle of the season and late varieties.

Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, some need 8.

 Some quick growers like lettuce and radish can be grown between the rows of plants that take longer to mature, like beet or corn, thus making full use of the area available.

Throughout dry periods, vegetable gardens need extra watering.

Most vegetables benefit from an inch or more of water each week, especially when they are fruiting.

During the growing season watch for insect pests.

If you discover a bug problem early it will be much easier, but be careful to not use pesticides once the vegetable are close to being picked unless it becomes an absolute necessity.

Organic gardening is one healthy and environment-friendly option. Once you have reaped your crop, put the vegetable waste into your compost pile so that it can be recycled for next spring.

It is important to protect your vegetable garden from wild animals looking for a tasty treat.

Make sure your garden is surrounded by a fence that will keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animals.

The harm done by wandering animals during one season can equal the cost of a fence.

A fence also can serve as a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

Protection is needed in order for your vegetable garden to yield a bountiful harvest.

Hard work will pay dividends if necessary precautions have been made.

Some Detailed Facts About Diabetics In Nigeria You Should Know

Are you a diabetic patient, how well do you take care of your feet?

Your doctor is likely to tell you that a diabetic foot ulcer is a pivotal event in the life of a person with diabetes and a marker of serious disease and co-morbidity.

On the right is Project Coordinator Diabetes Podiatry Initiative Nigeria/Medical Director, Rainbow Specialist Centre, Lagos, Dr. Afoke Isiavwe.

It is a fact that poorly managed diabetes could lead to amputation and without early and optimal intervention; the wound can rapidly deteriorate, leading to amputation of the affected limb.

 It has been estimated that every 20 seconds a lower limb is amputated due to complications of diabetes.

Studies done in the US have shown that 50 percent of people who undergo amputations do not live beyond five years, while foot ulcer is a leading cause of hospital admission in diabetic patients in Nigeria.

Medically, it has been ascertained that good sugar control and proper care of the feet is key in preventing foot ulcer. Are you a diabetic patient in Nigeria?

Diabetologists warn against injury in the feet, unfortunately, Nigeria lacks experts in Podiatry, the aspect of medicine that takes care of people with foot sores.

No medical school in the country currently offers the course, creating a huge gap in management of diabetes, and this gap has led to a high number of cases of diabetic foot ulcers that end up in amputations and even deaths, says a Diabetologist and Medical Director, Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lekki Phase1, Lagos, Dr. Afokoghene Isiavwe.

Early presentation: Isiavwe advised that early presentation and compliance to treatment are key to successful treatment and for the diabetes foot problem, prevention is better than treating it.

As one of the major complications of diabetes, diabetic foot affects a significant number of people living with the disease.

 Findings from a Lagos- based study showed that diabetes mellitus foot is the second leading cause of diabetes-related deaths in Nigeria accounting for 19.5 to 24 percent of all diabetes mortality.

 A study on diabetes mellitus foot ulcer in Midwestern Nigeria showed an amputation rate of 52.2 percent and mortality rate of 14.3 percent in a cohort of diabetes patients with foot ulcers. Isiavwe said good sugar control is key in preventing foot ulcer.

Foot sores: “A sore in the leg is like a smoking engine. By the time a person comes down with a diabetes foot ulcer, the person has already has blood vessel problem, the blood flows to the heart, brain, kidney, to the leg, there is already circulation problem, many times that circulation problem has already affected the kidney,” Isiavwe noted.

To prevent foot sores, she says you should take your drugs and follow doctor’s advice, check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Footwear: “Choosing footwear is a project for diabetic patients because there is an ideal time for it. And this is because the type of footwear must be the correct one.

The appropriate time for this is usually in the afternoon when fluid accumulates in the legs causing swelling.

 This period gives an accurate size of comfortable shoe for a diabetic. “As a diabetic, you need shoes with enough space. Avoid putting your feet in hot water.

Use your elbow , not your foot to guage the hotness of your bath water.In diabetics, nerve problems are not restricted to the legs.”

A typical case of diabetic foot. Fungal infections Isiavwe who recommended exercise for the legs also warned against neglecting fungal infections which are a major cause of foot sores in diabetics.

She also advised diabetics to avoid crossing their legs for too long in order not to restrict blood flow.

Data show that cost of successfully treating diabetic foot ulcer in the country averages N220, 000, whereas average monthly wage is about N10, 120.

While the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria varies, in Lagos it is about 6 percent. Currently, there is no national or localised foot care training institute in Nigeria.

However, to help bridge the gap and raise awareness on the subspecialty of Podiatry, Isiavwe urges government to pay more attention to diabetic foot care.

 As part of strategies to increase awareness, the Podiatry Initiative, Rainbow Specialist Medical Centre, Lagos, World Diabetes Foundation, and Podiatry Institute, USA, are organising an international workshop on foot care with the theme: “Building Local Capacity in Diabetes Foot Care” The conference held August 17-21, 2015, to build local capacity in foot care in Nigeria and improve management and prevention of diabetic foot complications by raising awareness on proper foot care.