GARDENER’S OUTPOST

Gardener’s Outpost Polycultural Gardening and Sustainable Lawn Care Done Right

by Kristi Antley

Through awareness and education, many people have come to realize the damage our daily lives have on the world around us. Individual responsibility and small behavior changes within our own surroundings are essential to preserve and balance the environment. We are choosing Earth-friendly options more often when it comes to food, exercise, transportation, waste disposal, clothing, energy and personal products, but what about our lawn and garden areas?

It is time that we stop considering our lawn and gardens as separate, private spaces from the “natural” or “habitat” areas that exist nearby and instead begin to adopt a more sustainable, nurturing approach to caring for these areas. One way to do this is to incorporate a form of agriculture known as polyculture—a technique of growing several plant species together in the same area. This method utilizes available resources, preserves the earth, and bonds humans and the environment together in a mutually beneficial way. The result is less waste, less soil damage, minimal chemicals, and fewer issues with diseases and pests.

The goal of Gardener’s Outpost—an ecologically conscientious garden center located on Woodrow Street, in Columbia—is to combine the health and natural placement of plants to achieve its customers’ desired outcomes. The center’s knowledgeable staff is eager to share the concept of polyculture with you, along with other ways to promote beauty and functionality naturally, without damaging the environment. Whether it is a tiny kitchen garden or a 1-acre lawn, it can be a full-fledged ecosystem, inviting entertaining wildlife and encouraging healthy vegetation. Not only will you find environmentally friendly tools, plants, genetically modified organism (GMO)-free seeds, compost aids, artistic items, and soil amendments at Gardener’s Outpost, but the center also provides services that will help you naturally maintain an established lawn or garden area, or create a new one.

The lawn and garden services at Gardener’s Outpost include a wide array— from plant identification and individualized care techniques to full landscape plans and designs. Trained, friendly staff will work with you to define your goals; evaluate the existing area; and make recommendations based on your budget, taste and space. The area will be prepared and cultivated in a way that will not only keep it visually appealing but will ensure the health and vitality of the surrounding plants and wildlife. Gardener's Outpost's electric bike lawn service reduces overall carbon footprint as compared to traditional lawn maintenance. Through the use of battery-powered equipment, less carbon is emitted and noise pollution is reduced, ensuring the smallest disturbance possible.

The lawn service package includes mowing, edging and weeding two or four times per month; pruning and trimming (as needed); corn gluten application four times per year; and organic fertilizer and mulch application two times per year.

Make your spring outdoor and indoor developments intentional and mindful by using a polycultural gardening approach. This will reflect your compassion and respect for the Earth as well as provide a safe area for wildlife and children to thrive. Visit Gardener’s Outpost to get started!

Gardener’s Outpost is located at 709 Woodrow St., in Columbia. For more information, pricing and package options, call 803-252-0041 or visit GardenersOutpost.com. See ad, page 8.

Goodbye Junk. Hello Relief.

Trusted Junk Removal Since 1989

1-800-468-5865 | 1800gotjunk.com

Outdoor Fun

Childhood Immunity Enhanced by Natural Environment At the University of Helsinki, in Finland, a new project recorded in the journal Science Advances found that switching a child’s playground from gravel to natural forest floor could foster a better immune system within a month by exposing them to a greater variety of skin and gut bacteria. The researchers studied 75 children between 3 and 5 years of age at 10 daycare centers in two Finnish cities to see how a change in their playing environment altered their skin and gut microbiota, as well as immune markers in their blood.

Four centers turned their gravel playgrounds into fields of forest floor, soil and grasses, while three already had that setting. Three others kept their existing gravel playground. One month after the changes were made, scientists collected samples of skin, blood and feces from the children. In just a few weeks, microbiota of the children at the renovated daycare centers quickly shifted to become more like the microbiomes of children that attended centers that already had more natural play surfaces. The children at the renovated daycare centers developed a higher ratio of the anti-inflammatory proteins to pro-inflammatory proteins in their blood, indicating that their immune systems were in better shape.

Stress Responses

Disaster Fatigue Influences Decisions Extreme levels of stress from wildfires, hurricanes, floods and the pandemic can induce “disaster fatigue”, a form of emotional exhaustion that may reshape how people make choices. Tara Powell, a behavioral health expert at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, states that there isn’t a single strategy for combating disaster fatigue, but current studies could help researchers and emergency planners customize interventions to aid specific communities and individuals, helping them prepare for impending disasters and recovery afterward. The condition can have major implications for emergency planners trying to encourage people to get out of harm’s way.

Jennifer Collins, a severe weather scientist at the University of South Florida, and her collaborators received more than 7,000 responses to a survey sent to Florida residents before the last hurricane season began. Nearly 75 percent of respondents perceived the hypothetical risk of evacuating to a shelter and potentially exposing themselves to COVID-19 as more dangerous than sheltering in place. But after September’s Hurricane Laura, Collins saw shifting perceptions in 300 responses—some that said they had sheltered in place during the storm admitted they would not do so again the next time.