Categories: Health

Growing tomatoes from seed isn’t hard, but there are a few things to be aware of. As with all things agrarian, timing, genetics and environment have to be in alignment to reap the rewards of your efforts. Time and Place Tomato seeds are almost always started indoors—whether in a greenhouse or a sunny window ledge—and then transplanted to beds once they have at least a few leaves and an established root system. Starting seeds indoors is optional with many vegetables, but tomato seeds need a constant soil temperature of at least 60 degrees, and preferably 80 degrees, to germinate. In temperate climates, it may be midsummer before the soil gets that warm, and by then it’s too late for tomatoes to grow and mature before the end of the growing season. Tomato seeds are typically started “six to eight weeks before the average date of...

There is ever increasing evidence on the benefits of tea drinking. Tea has high levels of vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin B, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and minerals such as potassium and manganese. The presence of polyphenols, particularly in green tea, gives tea high anti-oxidant properties. Polyphenols can represent around 15% of the dry weight of tea and may assist in the prevention of numerous types of cancer and various other problems including heart disease. What is tea? Tea is made from the dried leaf of Camellia Sinensis. This plant is native to China and India and is now cultivated around the world. Tea was discovered nearly 5000 years ago, not reaching Europe until the early 1600's. How is tea manufactured? After picking, tea goes through the following stages: Withering: The leaves are spread out and a current of warm...