Out with the old and in with the new. Tomato plants have gone, green tomatoes are in the kitchen, ready for a nice, Tomato Salsa - recipe under Fermentation.

My winter crop is leeks, cauliflower, celery, spinach, kale, beetroot, and peppers still producing from a summer crop. I also have a lemon tree in a pot in full buds. 

I  purchased my seeds  from ''Koanga Institute''

Outside I still have spinach, chard, rhubarb, strawberries and bok choy, beetroot, leeks.

''Nature's Plough''

Today I was moving my currant bushes, and came across more worms than I had ever seen in my life. So I carried them all to the green house.

If your soil is soft a worm pushes its way through the soil, and if the soil is hard, it eats its way through. This helps the soil get air and water to the roots of the plants.

As a earthworm feeds, castings are excreted, which are a wonderful fertiliser, rich in nutrients.

I have never been one to wear gloves in the garden.

Clean house ? - Bacteria has a bad reputation as though any and all of it will harm you.

Parents keep immaculate houses in attempt to eliminate the ''threat of bacteria, removing shoes -  indoors, washing hands with anti-bacterial soap, moping with disinfectants, and cleaning counters with bleach.

ALL OF THIS IS UNNECESSARY FOR OUR HEALTH, BUT HARMFUL TO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

The Benefits of getting Dirty

1 - Mycobacterium - A bacteria that improves your mood. This has been well researched - so If you are feeling a bit depressed, go play in the dirt.  

That is why people that love gardening, are often ''happy people'' or at lest very content.

2 - Bacteria in dirt, releases serotonin, and this boost's your IQ.

3 - Staphylococci heals wounds. This gets a lot of bad rap but it does have good benefits as well, it prevents inflammation.

Yesterday I burnt my finger, while cooking, and it formed into a very big blister. I then went to the garden, and planted a lot of plants.(no gloves) The next day, (today) any signs of a burn have completely gone.

4 - Soil microbes boost the immune system. Playing in the dirt introduces the immune system to bacteria, which can then store in memory - giving you a strong immune system.

Time for a mud bath I think.

  ''I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You will have them for food. '' Genesis.