Gardening

Extension Offers Program On "Living To Be 100 . . . A Commonsense
Approach."

by William M. Johnson
March 16, 2005

Our diets play a pivotal role in our long-term health and well-being. The role of vegetables and other foods on long term health as well as a variety of longevity issues will be discussed at the upcoming seminar on "Living To Be 100 . . . A Commonsense Approach" by Carroll Lassiter, Ph.D. The seminar will be held on Saturday, March 19, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at the Galveston County Extension Office. This program is free-of-charge but pre-registration is required. Photo credit: William M. Johnson

A prolonged life, a healthy life into our senior years-over the span of recorded history, this has been a common hope and focus of mankind. Even if it is achieved, it is sometimes shrugged off to being a gift, sometimes to good genes, and sometimes to good luck. On occasion, it may seem at times to be the ironic reward for a lifetime of plain crankiness.

What camp are you in-the good genes camp or the just plain luck camp? Some folks may feel that they have been dealt out a not-so-good hand of cards. The medical community and research scientists generally agree that the cards dealt out (i.e., genes from our parents) have an important impact on our health and well-being.

However, how you play those cards also has a critical influence on your health and well-being throughout your life span. In large measure, it comes down to what you do with what you have and this in turn comes down to being informed and keeping commitments.

But where do you start? Do you sometimes feel as if you are drowning in a sea of unpronounceable terms and bewildering contradictions and an alphabet soup of claims and counterclaims when it comes to issues of your longevity, health and well-being?

An excellent opportunity to get started in the right direction or to enhance your current level of awareness is to attend the upcoming seminar entitled "Living To Be 100 . . . A Commonsense Approach." This seminar is being presented to aid you with understanding issues that can profoundly affect your longevity, general health and well-being. It will help to cut through the hype, the mis-information and the scientific mumbo-jumbo.

A few of the topics to be covered include:

- From turnip greens to blueberries: kitchen secrets for optimal health and well-being.

- How old are you really? Some folks are dragging at 60 while life begins at 60 for others.

- Myths and facts about improving memory.

- What great foods can I eat that will help extend my life?

- Does attitude influence our well-being?

- What you should know about cholesterol-provided in plain English.

In case you're wondering, this seminar will not be presented by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon at the Fountain of Youth! Rather, it will be presented by Dr. Carroll Lassiter, a Master Gardener and retired professor of microbiology at the University of Houston, Clear Lake. Dr. Lassiter presented this program a couple of years ago and program participants came away informed, enthused, and enlighten. I believe you will too.

This encore presentation on "Living To Be 100 . . . A Commonsense Approach" will be conducted on Saturday, March 19, from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the County Extension Office located at 5115 Highway 3 in Dickinson.

The presentation is sponsored by the Galveston County Master Gardener Association as a public service to our county residents. The program is free-of-charge but pre-registration is required due to space limitations (GALV3@wt.net or 281-534-3413, ext. 6).

More Q&As From the Galveston Home & Garden Show

Question: How soon should I start fertilizing my houseplants?

Answer: Mid-March is an excellent time to start fertilizing most houseplants. They are just starting to come out of their inactive growth period due to cooler indoor temperatures and the shorter days of winter which are not conducive to plant growth.

Question: I get mixed answers on whether I need two different varieties of peaches to insure proper pollination. Do I need to plant more than one variety for peaches and other fruit trees?

Answer: Nearly all varieties of peaches are self-pollinating (also referred to as self-fruitful). Apricots and nectarines are also self-pollinating. Therefore, planting just one variety (or even one tree) is sufficient.

Apples and pears have more complex pollination requirements and generally require cross-pollination. In each case, it is advisable to plant at least two different varieties. To complicate matters further, the blooming periods of cross-pollinating varieties must overlap and plants should be within 50 feet of each other.

Question: When do you prune photinias?

Answer: Photinias (also known as red tips) should be pruned just before new growth starts in the spring.

Question: Two years ago, I relocated here from Arkansas. Will the surprise snow of Christmas 2005 help reduce our spring insect pest populations?

Answer: Nope!

Question: Will the surprise snow of Christmas 2004 eliminate fire ants?

Answer: Nope!

Question: Can I have any hope or expectation that the heavy rainfall this winter will substantially reduce problems with fire ants?

Answer: As to the notion of hope-most definitely yes. As to reasonable expectation-most definitely not.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

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