What to sow, grow and share to fight COVID 19
Like many people I’ve been feeling a bit worried and helpless in the face of the unfolding spread of the corona virus and the resulting COVID 19 disease. I decided that the best therapy would be to take some proactive action no matter how small.
Top foods to grow to fight COVID 19
Debbie and decided that we could make the most difference by growing food for our friends and neighbours, especially those that need to self-isolate because they are at risk. We already grow food for all of our local family, but we approach the council (who currently prohibit gifting of allotment grown food to friends and neighbours) and they said they would waive that rule for the remainder of 2020.
So we set to work sowing, growing and harvesting as much fresh veg (soon fruit as well) as we can. Looking at how we can squeeze more from the same space by interplanting and better management of successions and bringing more of our garden under cultivation.
Finally I looked into how we can optimise our nutrition to help fight COVID 19 and other corona viruses and we are growing more of the crops that provides those nutrients.
More great foods to fight COVID 19
Not sure what to plant when, please read this article.
Here’s an extract from my database with the details of what we are growing to fight COVID 19. For more details of my database and how to get a copy please read this article
To read more about the science and for other things that you can do to protect yourself check out these articles:
https://chriskresser.com/updates-on-covid-19-and-answers-to-your-questions/
Here’s a summary of the video:
*** immune boost and general health
green garlic
garlic
If you are a smoothie advocate use raw garlic, crushed, exposed to open air for ten minutes
spring onions
onions
*** Zinc
Pea shoots
Peas including mangetout
French and runner beans
Spinach
Summer squash
Calabrese, flowers and leaves
Cucumber
Turnip greens
Asparagus
Beet greens/Chard/Perpetual spinach
Sweet corn
*** Vitamin A
Peppers
Carrot
Brassica leaves (sprouts/kale)
Calabrese leaves
PSB leaves
Turnip greens
Chard
Spinach
Winter squash
*** Vitamin C
Any of the things I’ve already talked about, especially green peppers and soon strawberries!
*** My top 5 absolute favourites (prolific and healthy)
– sprout leaves
– garlic
– beetroot leaves and roots
– new zealand spinach (tender)
– carrots
– turnip greens
– tatsoi
*** No greenhouse? concentrate on
spinach
turnip greens
sprout and kale leaves
and peas
*** next month
beetroot and beet leaves
carrots
and the rest of the brassicas
chard and NZ spinach at the end of the month
*** Supplements might not be the best option
There is some nervousness about supplementing with high levels of Vitamin A, C, D, Calcium and Cod liver oil, if you can get these from food that’s much better. However opinions vary and some people are now strongly encouraging supplementing with Vitamin D, so you have to make up your own mind. I’m trying to get mine from the sun!
That is great that you will be allowed to share from your gardens! I am planting extras here, and plan to share them with our local pantry and the shelter we sometimes volunteer for. I did get the Spider Farmer light fixture and I’m in the process of getting it hung up now. The light output is quite impressive! I was glad I read the instructions to not look directly at it because when I first plugged it in, it lit up the kitchen like daylight.
Hi Dave, It sure is bright and the nice thing about it is that it looks like sunlight, I have my two lights in my conservatory. On the left hand side of where I sit I have true sunlight and to the right the two grow lights and I have them positioned so that I can’t see the LEDs, but I can see the plants bathed in the light. In winter I think it will help a lot with SAD.