The Old Schoolhouse - March 2012

Animals can contaminate the soil by depositing faeces; cats’ waste can cause toxoplasmosis, a disease related to birth defects for the developing baby in the womb. Tetanus is a serious disease that a;ects the body’s muscles and nerves; typically, it is caused by a bacterium that is o;en found in soil. 1 Wear gloves when working with soil, and always get into the habit of vigorous hand washing a;er gardening. Proper caution is needed to protect against skin damage from the sun, so get out the sun block and other protective gear.

Water in or near the garden can be a danger too. ;e presence of ponds, streams, and even water in containers can lead to drowning accidents. Chemicals in the garden can lead to serious health problems, prompting many people to investigate natural gardening alternatives.

Organic Gardening
Organic gardening—what does it mean?
It is a gardening approach that works with
nature rather than ;ghting against it with
chemicals. Putting chemicals on your gar-
den o;en makes the problem worse since
some pests will just adapt to the pesticides,
so you will have to add others, resulting in
a toxic mixture in your garden. Scienti;c
studies have proven that the chemicals
used to kill o; pests in the garden are very
harmful to our health. “Few of the ;rst
gardening chemicals are still in legal use.
Each year, more are taken o; the market
as evidence of health dangers emerges.” 2

Gardening for a Purpose
When God planted a garden, He had a
purpose and a plan, and we need to do
the same. Without a long-term vision
in mind, those good gardening inten-
tions can wither. Pick a purpose or two
for your garden and it can ;ourish—be
creative and have fun together! Here are
a few ideas to get you going:

When God
planted a garden,
He had a purpose
and a plan, and
we need to do
the same.

Opposite: Digging up treasures in God’s Garden!

Le;: When there is no space to plant a garden, try growing upwards! Scarlett Runner Beans work out well, and many other plants can be trained to grow vertically.