PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Gardening and all the benefits of getting dirty
2013-March
by Kyle Jensen, MHA President
Are you interested in gardening? We are starting a small 10-by-10-foot garden in our backyard, as I hope many of you are. It would be wonderful if we had an expert gardener who would be willing to offer gardening tips to the neighborhood.
As spring approaches, it is that time of year to compile to-do lists for yard work and gardening—rain barrels, soil testing, shovels, worm farms, compositing, and seeds are all on my list. Even more important than the to dos, however, are the benefits you reap. Gardening decreases your carbon footprint; increases the health of your family; saves you money; increases the amount of quality family time; engages kids in productive social projects with less time spent on TV, internet, and games; promotes recycling, leadership, and sustainability; and it’s great exercise! The lessons learned from gardening are positive, influential, and addictive. You will be surprised by the amount of neighbors who are working in their yard, too. Get digging!
I challenge you to start your own garden this year. The city promotes gardening and provides a discount on rain barrels: rainbarrelprogram.org/cityoffortworth. Need gardening tips? Visit: fortworthtexas.gov/water/info. Soil test kits are available at Tarrant County Extension Office, 200 Taylor Street, Suite 500 or call 817.884.1944. Share pictures of the fruits of your labor this summer on our Facebook Chat Room. Stay connected with your community and engage your neighbor. I look forward to meeting you. Find us:
• On the back of your newsletter (drop us an email)
• Our webpage www.mistletoeheights.org/contact
• Our Facebook chat room www.facebook.com/group/mhneighbors
• Our next members meeting (May 21 @ 7 p.m.)
Join us as we make an effort to clean up our neighborhood and improve the quality of life for all those that live here.
