All Posts in "The Senior Scene"

Right crops give gardens good cover in fall and winter

By Melinda Myers

Put your garden to work over winter by planting a cover crop this fall. Covering the soil with plants that are turned into the soil or smothered and allowed to decompose in spring provides many benefits.  

Fall-planted cover crops protect the soil from erosion over winter and reduce stormwater runoff into nearby waterways and storm sewers. They also help reduce weeds by forming a dense mat that increases organic matter, adds nutrients, and improves the soil quality for your plants. These crops also help conserve soil moisture, and many provide welcome habitats for pollinators and other beneficial insects.

Oats, winter rye, winter wheat, crimson clover, and hairy vetch are common fall cover crops. The crimson clover and hairy vetch are legumes that can add a lot of nitrogen to the soil when they decompose. Try combining these with non-legumes when possible. Consider purchasing a cover crop mix like the True Leaf Market no-till pollinator-friendly cover crop mix, which contains both and helps support pollinators.
Most cover crops go dormant over winter and resume growth in spring. Annuals like daikon radishes and oats are killed by cold winter temperatures. This makes oats a good choice if you want to get an early start to planting in spring.

  • Plant fall cover crops at least four weeks before the first killing frost to give them time to establish. Cereal rye can be planted right up to the first frost. You can plant the whole garden bed or just the area between vegetables that are still growing.
  • Remove weeds, plants, and mulch when planting garden beds. Loosen the soil and rake it smooth before seeding..
  • Check the seed packet for the amount of seed needed to cover the area you are planting. Spread the seed by hand or with a broadcast spreader and gently rake the seeds into the soil. Make it easier to evenly spread tiny seeds by mixing them with compost and then spreading them. Once the seeds are planted, gently water using a fine mist.

Annual plants will be killed by cold winter temperatures, but the perennial cover crops will put on vigorous growth in late winter or early spring. Suppress this growth and kill the cover crop before it sets seed and at least two to four weeks before planting your garden. This allows microorganisms time to decompose the plant residue and avoid nitrogen deficiencies in spring plantings.

In the spring, use your mower or weed whip to cut the cover crop to the ground. Till the residue into the soil or cover the area with a black tarp or weed barrier for at least two weeks. Remove the tarp, then incorporate the residue into the soil or plant your vegetables through the dead plant remains.

Avoid working wet soil that can result in hard-as-rock clods and take years to repair the damage. Do a moisture test before working the soil. Grab a handful of soil and gently squeeze. If it breaks into smaller pieces with a tap of your finger, it’s ready to work. If it remains in a mud ball, wait a few days.

Two weeks or more after the cover crop has been killed or tilled into the soil, you can begin planting. Planting any earlier can result in nutrient deficiencies that will require a light spring fertilization.

Adding cover crops to your gardening routine will improve the soil, plant growth and is good for the environment. Like any new gardening practice, it can take time to adapt it to your space, climate, and gardening style. The cover crop growing guide at trueleafmarket.com can help.

Melinda Myers (melindamyers.com) is the author of 20 gardening books and host of.a DVD series and the “Melinda’s Garden Moment: TV and radio programs.

The Senior Scene by — October 11, 2023 in Lifestyle, Home, Adventures

When a fragrance wafted through the bedrooms of older adults for two hours every night for six months, memories skyrocketed.

Participants in a study by University of California-Irvine neuroscientists reaped a 226 percent increase in cognitive capacity compared to another group that received less exposure to scents. The researchers said the study transforms the long-known tie between smell and memory into a non-invasive technique for strengthening memory and potentially deterring dementia.
The study, whose results were reported in August, involved men and women 60 to 85 years old who don’t have memory impairment. All were given a diffuser and seven cartridges, each containing a single and different natural oil. Some received full-strength cartridges, while others were given the oils in tiny amounts. The cartridges were activated for two hours as participants slept.

Cognitive performance was measured by a word list test commonly used to evaluate memory. Participants also reported sleeping more soundly.

Scientists have long known that the loss of olfactory capacity, or ability to smell, can lead to neurological and psychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer’s and other dementias, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. Researchers previously found that exposing people with moderate dementia to up to 40 different odors twice a day boosted their memories and language skills, eased depression, and improved their olfactory capacities.

Having people experience the odors while sleeping eliminates “the need to set aside time for this during waking hours,” said Cynthia Woo, one of the researchers.

The Senior Scene by — October 11, 2023 in Health & Fitness
Worth celebrating: 40 years of free medical attention

By Douglas Hill

2023 marks the 40th anniversary of Tacoma’s Neighborhood Clinic. The clinic will be holding a celebration to mark the occasion on Oct. 14 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Bichsel Hall rec center on the campus of the St. Leo Church, located at Yakima Avenue and South 13th Street. Tickets for the event are available at www.neighborhoodclinictacoma.org.

Likely, you’ve never heard of the Neighborhood Clinic. But it may be one of the most important community resources in Pierce County.

The clinic was started in 1983 by Father Bill Bichsel and members of the St. Leo Parish community, and is located in the former St Leo High School, with the goal of providing compassionate medical care to the people in need in Tacoma’s Hilltop Neighborhood.  In 1989, Neighborhood Clinic became a completely independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit health clinic, and is now supported by many denominations. The physical condition of the school building in the 1980s was very poor. In the ‘90s, the building was taken over Catholic Community Services and completely renovated for housing CCS and other charities. The clinic is still there, at 1323 S. Yakima Ave., and provides a modern facility for limited types of current urgent healthcare.

The clinic is governed by a board of community volunteers from various backgrounds and professions. The board employs only three paid staff–an executive director, a clinic coordinator, and a receptionist/medical assistant. 

The clinic is open Monday and Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. but doesn’t close until the last patient is seen. Two to three care providers (physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners) are there each night, along with two nurses, two clinical support workers, a social worker, and interpreters as available. The number of people volunteering in these capacities each year numbers in the dozens. None of them are compensated for their service but for the satisfaction of assisting people in need in our community. It is typical to hear a volunteer say this type of satisfaction and caring is why they got into the field of medicine to begin with. 

The goal continues to be helping all underserved patients by providing free immediate primary care for urgent and/or ongoing chronic medical conditions. For follow-up care, the clinic utilizes an onsite social worker to refer patients for affordable followup care in a primary care medical home.

If there is one thing that the Neighborhood Clinic has always had a supply of, it’s patients needing medical help. The number of patients being seen continues to grow. In 2022, it treated 1,633 patient visits, up 20 percent from 2021. As many as 2,000 patient visits are anticipated in 2023.

Typically, the patients can’t access the routine medical system.  Many are in transition, suffering homelessness or various mental health disabilities, have no medical insurance, and/or are non-English speaking. The clinic utilizes volunteers who speak a language or use the telephonic foreign language service to communicate with patients when needed. The latest wave of refugees, not surprisingly, are Ukrainian.  The clinic is open to everyone and doesn’tt take appointments. Those in need simply need to show up an hour before the doors open and sign in and wait their turn. 

Patients are never charged a dime.  But needless to say, the care is only partially free. The board is responsible for paying its three employees, rent for the facility, utilities, insurance, and other expenses. The budget for 2023 is approximately $250,000.

If you want to learn more or make an online donation, you can visit our website at www.neighborhoodclinictacoma.org. 

Douglas Hill is a member of the Neighborhood Clinic’s board.

The Senior Scene by — October 11, 2023 in News