Page 33 - Oundle Life December 2024

FESTIVE
GARDENING
Burn those Christmas calories off
At Christmas most people focus on the celebrations but there are other activities you can do as well. The garden is often forgotten over the winter especially during the Christmas holiday period. Yet gardening is very good exercise both
for your physical and mental health; it is out in the fresh air and a very satisfying activity. Gardening tasks will burn off some of the calories consumed over the Christmas period and the weather is often quite reasonable and not too cold.
depth and place the soil to one side. If the soil is compacted (hard to dig), fork over the base of the hole and make the hole slightly larger. If the soil is of poor quality mix some compost or
gardening is very good exercise both for your physical and mental health
other organic matter like well-rotted manure or leaf mould into the soil dug out of the hole.
In the vegetable garden, garlic
and shallots can be planted between October and January so there is still time. They need a cold spell to ensure they produce a good yield of bulbs next summer. Dig a hole with a trowel and put a shallot bulb or garlic clove in the
The December to March period is a
good time to do some planting if the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. Both bare root plants and container grown can be planted during this period. Dig a hole at least 15cm larger than the root size or container and the same
hole so that they are just covered. Replace the soil and firm with your hands.
Coming back to the exercise, a bit of digging is good strenuous exercise that will burn off a good number of calories. Use a good posture
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