You Bet Your Garden: S4 Ep29 Get Fit To Garden

- From the physically fit Univest Studios at Lehigh Valley Public Media in Bethlehem, PA, it is time for another Achy Breaky episode of chemical-free horticultural hijinks, You Bet Your Garden.

I'm your host, Mike McGrath.

Are you looking forward to getting back out to your garden, but worried about how you'll feel after working those long-dormant muscles?

On today's show, we'll describe exercises you can do now so you don't break your back later.

Plus, your fabulous phone call questions, comments, tips, tricks, suggestions, and apparently adroit e-ppreciation.

So stay right where you are, cats and kittens, because it's all coming up faster than you enhancing your endurance.

Right now.

Wilson, welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- Thank you.

- Well, thank you, Wilson.

How you doing?

- I'm doing really well.

I got to say, Mike, I've been listening to your program for about ten years.

And this is honestly, this is a dream come true.

- Oh, to be on the air with me!

- Yeah, no, honestly, every Sunday morning, while I'm drinking my coffee.

And honestly, this is how I got into gardening, too.

So thank you for everything that you've done for me, and thanks for taking my call.

- Thank you.

And thank you for making it.

Where are you, man?

- I'm in Lock Haven.

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.

- All right, so what can we do for Wilson?

- So what I'm...

I'm actually looking at my garden right now.

I bought my first house last year, and when I bought the house, I one of the things I wanted to do was build myself a vegetable garden, and sort of understand the production of food locally.

Now, the first year, it was a little bit wild, just sticking plants in the ground and seeing what happens.

But I'm looking now, and I have some neighbors, I'm right in the center of Lock Haven, so I don't have a ton of yard.

I would say my two garden beds currently are probably 6x12.

And I have two of those on the east side of the yard.

So I'm looking at building a third bed this year to sort of spread things out.

It got crowded last year.

And I always hear you talking about raised beds, and I am not really sure what to do about that.

I mean, currently I live in what was the flood range of the Susquehanna River.

The '72 flood was a big, big one.

Everybody knows about that, but it's flooded, and so there's, from what I understand, good flood mud now...

I don't know.

I mean, last year, I had cherry tomatoes that grew to be about ten feet tall.

- Okay.

No one can... - Which was incredible.

- No one can brag about cherry tomatoes.

Okay?

They grow here, you know, they grow like wild, even if you didn't plant them.

Okay, so you want to know why you should grow in raised beds?

- That's correct.

Because, I mean, last year, like I said, I just stuck it right in the ground and it was fine.

Don't get me wrong, it was okay.

- It could have been a lot better if you hadn't been walking on the soil that your plants are growing in.

You've said the beds are six feet wide.

That's two feet too many, because you have to step into the bed to do things.

One of the supreme advantages of raised beds is they can be four-foot wide, but they can be as long as you want.

They can be like a railroad car.

By making the beds four feet wide, you never have to step into them.

You can reach the center from both sides.

The second-biggest human cause of plant death is compressed soil.

Is you constantly walking on the soil your plants are trying to grow in, and they can't get enough air and water at their roots.

You maintain a nice light, loose soil when you put together a raised bed and you never step in it.

You never dig in it.

That is, to move the soil around.

All you do is add an inch or two of fresh compost every year.

So that is the number-one advantage, soil compaction.

You will never get the maximum out of your plants.

And you may think when you reframe the old beds, are they framed or are they just like laying there?

- They're just laying there.

I mean, I took a shovel last year and turned over, well, I don't know, 100 square feet of dirt.

It was a lot of work.

- Yeah, it was.

And you won't ever have to do that again.

So what I want you to do, whether this year or over the years, is frame those raised beds so that they're only four feet wide.

Now, you may think you're losing space.

You are going to grow twice as much inside that space, because it's dedicated, it's framed off.

It is much easier to see how to space the plants.

And because you have these structures, you'll be able to take better notes on what's growing in each one so you can rotate your tomatoes.

- What material should I use to build the beds?

Just any kind of wood?

I remember you had said absolutely do not use railroad ties because of the treated lumber.

- Okay, all of that information is on our archives at Gardens Alive.

Just click the link on our website that says "600,000 answers to your garden questions," and you'll probably get a dozen articles on raised beds that will talk about the materials and what to fill them with.

This is why you should do this, young man!

You will wind up with a very attractive-looking garden.

And by the way, make sure the walking lanes in between the beds are two feet wide.

You're going to use that to push wheelbarrows through.

You can mulch the lanes, you can weed whack the lanes.

But once you get a raised bed set up, you're not going to do any more hard work in it again.

And weed control will be a breeze because you have this barrier.

- That sounds great.

And even now, like I said, I'm standing on my back porch looking out at the garden beds, and I'm starting to see how I can do it.

So honestly, you've given me a lot to think about.

I'm going to do some research this afternoon when I get back to work and, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you very much for your time and taking my call, and everything that you do about the gardening and everything.

It's wonderful.

- Good luck to you, sir.

Bye-bye.

Vicky, welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- Hey, Mike.

How are you doing?

- I am just Ducky Vicky!

Thank you for asking.

I can't pet...

I can't pet Ducky very hard because Sprout will fall over.

Where are you?

- I'm in middle Eastern North Carolina.

- All right.

What can we do for you?

- Okay.

I sent you a picture of my 40-year-old snake plant.

And it's propped up in a corner of my living room, and it won't stand up straight like usual snake plants.

And I'm looking to see... Now, I don't think I've repotted it probably in more than ten years.

- Okay, good.

- I know how to water it.

-Uh-oh!

- Not very much.

Ohh, ohh!

Any time somebody says they know how... And by the way, are you from Philly or something?

- No.

- Because you correctly pronounced "war-ter," you know?

- Oh, really?

- Yeah.

Any way, anybody tells me they're watering it correctly, I realized that's the problem.

I have a couple of heirloom snake plants that I've had since I was in college.

And when I got your email, when the show got your email, I went to take a look at mine.

And I had two droopy leaves on each of them, but a dozen straight-up leaves just like you're supposed to have.

Snake plants like... Well, snake plant, also known as mother-in-law's tongue, is considered one of the most bulletproof plants.

And I think the reason it's been bulletproof with me is I had a big display of plants in my dining room, and they were at the back, and they never got watered.

I mean, literally they would go six months without water.

And that's exactly what they want because they are succulents.

They are plants that are designed to hold water.

They're also rainforest plants, which means that they don't need direct sun.

Dappled, sun dappled shade.

A south-facing window with a curtain in between.

That would be perfect for them.

- That's where it is.

South-facing window with a curtain in between.

- Okay.

And the majority of your leaves, if I recall, are sticking up straight.

Right?

- Yes, they are.

But if I move it from that corner, they fall down.

- Well, don't do that!

It's like the old doctor joke.

- Yeah, I know.

- Do you put them outside in the summertime?

- No, because I have too many rabbits.

- Okay.

I don't think rabbits would eat a snake plant, but I don't know everything.

And, you know, if they're in tall pots, how are the rabbits going to get at them?

Build little rabbit ladders or something?

Jump on each other's back, you know?

So how often are you watering?

- Maybe once every three weeks.

- Okay.

Cut back to once every two months.

Cut off the droopy leaves.

And, by the way, any time you have a discolored leaf or a droopy leaf, cut it off because it makes you look like you know what you're doing.

People only see the plant.

They didn't see it pre-surgery.

So take off the droopy leaves.

Keep it in that window that it likes.

Cut way back on the watering, and do not repot it.

One of my best mother-in-law tongues is in a pot where the roots have broken out.

They've actually shattered one side of the pot.

And that tells me that these plants like to be root-bound.

So I think it's a simple question of recognizing that these plants were designed to hold large amounts of water, because in the climates where they come from, there are long periods of drought.

But it's okay.

The plants store water.

So whenever you're thinking of watering, think less, not more, and much less frequently.

Okay?

- Okay.

- So good luck with your mother-in-laws, and we'll talk to you later.

Bye-bye.

- Yeah.

Bye-bye.

- Mia, welcome to You Bet Your Garden.

- Hi, Mike.

Thanks for having me.

- Well, thanks for being had, Mia.

How are you doing?

- I'm fine.

How are you?

- I'm just Duckyyy!

Ducky would prefer that he gets moved around a little bit, but he has a new companion, the Green Giant Sprout, who's leaning on Ducky.

I'm going to get tape.

Where are you?

- I'm in Worcester, Massachusetts.

- What can we do you for?

- Since I read your tomato book a number of years ago, I've been putting about a dozen egg shells in my tomato holes, when I put my seedlings in every year, and it cured the blossom-end rot and I've had great results.

And around this time of year, when I'm getting ready to start my seedlings is when I start buying extra eggs at the supermarket to start saving those eggshells.

And eggs are really, really expensive right now, so I don't think I can afford it, it's going to make my $60 tomato like a $100 tomato.

- Come on!

20 bucks for a dozen eggs?

What's wrong with that?

I want to tell you what to do for next season.

- Okay.

We start saving our eggs right after New Year's.

Not our eggs, our egg shells.

We crack them open, we use the eggs, we put the shells back in the carton, leave the carton lid open 24-48 hours.

They're air dried.

And then, we put them in a special place where we know they'll be when planting time comes around.

Calcium stays good forever.

It's an element.

Now, your question, and I will just briefly explain to our listeners that blossom-end rot is a condition of uneven watering.

But adequate soil calcium can defeat it.

It is almost 100% certain that if you crush up a dozen dried eggshells, put them on top of the root ball before you fill in the planting hole, you will not get blossom-end drop.

But over the years, vegans, people who are allergic to eggs have asked me what the alternatives are.

The biggest one is calcium carbonate tablets.

I don't know if they still sell those horse pills, but some people have them in their medicine chest from a decade ago.

It turns out that calcium carbonate is not absorbed by our bodies to build our bones.

That's calcium citrate.

So they lied to you while choking you all these years.

But if you have calcium carbonate pills, use a hammer and crush up a dozen of those, and put them in the planting hole.

Some people will substitute Tums, especially the higher-calcium versions of Tums.

And again, a dozen just seems to be the magic number.

And I always warn people, don't blame me if your tomatoes come out tasting of tropical fruit.

The other really easy way, and this would be applied a little differently, any organic plant food that is specifically designed for use on tomatoes will have a lot of calcium in it.

You can see it in the ingredient list on the back.

Any of those things will prevent your blossom-end rot.

- Okay.

Great.

This is very helpful.

Thank you.

- Oh, my pleasure!

Thank you.

Yes, we're finally here at the end of the long and winding road, with the Question of the Week, which we're calling... Julianne, in Glenside, PA, writes, "I'd love to hear all your tips, tricks and advice "for people who love to garden, but contend with physical "disabilities or limitations.

"I think you have given more tips about reducing physical "stress when gardening than you might think you have.

"After all, the way you gardened when you were "25 years old isn't the way you garden today."

Oh, 25!

I had hair, I was skinny, but... Oh, all right.

I'll get back to it.

"Valuable advice you've already given that immediately comes "to mind is to use a flame weeder, water-powered weeder, "or other long weeding tool to avoid bending over.

"To use 'no-dig practices,' "to avoid having to weed excessively afterwards, "and to gardening containers on tops of tables.

"You've also urged people not to hesitate to hire, help, "or ask people for help when they need it, "and to be realistic, except that you might have to do less.

"some years, even one large tabletop container filled with "strawberries can be satisfying.

"Gardening is so important to mental health.

"I'm sure there are people of all ages with a variety of "physical capabilities that would love to hear how to "garden in the body they have right now.

"You have been gardening for decades, "so we know you have the tips."

Can I go back to 25?

Just, you know...

I had a ring that I could rub and, you know, I turned into a fly when that happened.

July 27th, 1984.

That was the date my wife and I saw Bruce Springsteen perform at Saratoga Springs early in his "Born in the U.S.A." tour.

Previously a skinny guy, Bruce was now muscular and had even more energy than he had previously, which was quite a lot.

Halfway through the concert, I turned to my wife and said, There's a great story here.

I'm going to find out who trained him.

After a lot of detective work, I found the man, Phil Dunphy, a physical therapist and an exercise physiologist who turned me down for an interview a dozen times before finally saying, "All right, if you can do "Bruce's workout, we can talk."

Luckily, I had been working out for many years, and so I survived the two hours of torture that Phil put me through.

My legs were sore for a week.

But I got the interview.

Phil and I became good friends.

And when I became the editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening Magazine, we collaborated on a series of Get Fit to Garden and How to Garden Smarter articles.

This is part one.

These exercises are designed to get you into shape before gardening season by strengthening the parts of the body you'll use frequently.

To reduce after-exercise soreness, take a warm shower for 5-10 minutes before you do these exercises to loosen up tight muscles.

Then stretch gently after you exercise, never before.

All right.

We're going to start with your legs.

This is the 90-90 wall squat.

Put your back flat against a wall and sit if you were in a chair but without the chair, be sure your feet are directly below your knees.

Fold your arms across your chest and hold that pose for 60 seconds.

Relax, and then do it again.

Do this series of two repetitions 3-4 times in a row.

You will feel the "good burn" in your thighs, calves, and hamstrings.

We move on to your shoulders.

Place your arms in front of yourself, palms down, and then move them straight out to both sides.

Hold each position for 15 seconds to start, and then gradually work your way up to 60 seconds for each position.

Repeat this 3-5 times with a one-minute break in between each exercise.

We move on to many gardener's personal bugaboo, your back.

Don't do this exercise if you already have back pain.

Instead, see a physical therapist for personal advice.

This exercise is designed to prevent back pain.

OK?

Lie on your stomach, hands at your sides.

Lift your upper back and head.

Hold for a count of five, then release.

Repeat this three times to start if you can.

If you can't, go less.

Work up to 10 seconds, then 15 seconds, then 20.

By the time you're ready to start gardening, you want to be able to do five sets of 20 seconds each.

Your butt!

Lie on your stomach, hands at your sides, and lift your legs, holding them slightly apart.

Do this for five seconds to start, and repeat five times.

When this gets easy, increase to ten seconds, and then 20, with a goal of making 30.

Your abdominal muscles!

In PT terms today, I would call this "strengthening your core," which is essential for any kind of personal fitness.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, arms crossed over your chest.

Eyes looking up at the ceiling.

Lift yourself upwards from the middle of your back so that your chest moves towards the ceiling, and your lower back is just slightly off the floor.

Pause for a second, and then, slowly lower yourself back down and then, pause again.

Do not bounce.

The movement must be smooth.

Then do it again.

Start with no more than ten repetitions.

Before you know it, swears Phil, you'll do this with ease.

Common sense cautions.

Stop immediately if you feel real pain instead of exercise burn.

If you have physical limitations, print out this article and show it to your physician and/or physical therapists for their opinions.

Audio-only listeners, this article will appear with illustrations on the TV version of our show, easily watchable at YouBetYourGarden.org.

And that's not all, folks!

Join us in two weeks and learn proper pain-free postures when you're actually out working in the garden.

Well, that sure was some helpful information about getting fit to garden, now wasn't it?

Luckily for yous, the Question of the Week appears in print at the Gardens Alive website.

To read it over at your leisure or your leisure, just click the link for the Question of the Week at our website, which is still and will forever be... Gardens Alive supports the You Bet Your Garden Question of the Week, and you'll always find the latest Question of the Week at the Gardens Alive website.

You Bet Your Garden is a half hour public television show available for viewing on PBS39, PBS Passport, and our website.

It is also an hour-long public radio show and podcast, and they're all delivered and produced to you weekly from the Univest Studios at Lehigh Valley Public Media, in Bethlehem, P.A.

I need a vacation.

Our radio show is distributed by PRX, the Public Radio Exchange.

You Bet Your Garden was created by Mike McGrath.

Mike McGrath was created when he was bitten by a radioactive wombat.

Please don't ask him about the costume.

Yikes!

My producer is threatening to give me fits if I don't get out of this studio.

What does that mean?

Oh, right!

We were fit to garden.

We must be out of time.

But you can call us anytime at... Or send us your email, your tired, your poor, your wretched email refuse teeming towards our garden shore at...

I would get down on my knees to beg this of you, but I need two guys from control to come in and get me back up.

So please include your location!

Even if you think we know who you are, or it doesn't matter.

Location, location, location!

I'm your host and executive producer, Mike McGrath, and I'll be planting my pre-sprouted seeds before I can see you again next week.