I was going to write about the obesity epidemic, and the news reports that show it’s worsening across the nation, yet ... what on earth is there left to say about that? Plant a Victory Garden and eat fresh, organic whole food? Explore your walkshed every day? Enough. How many times can I beat that dead horse?

So, there I was once again, with a fistful of herbs, heading to a neighbor’s house when it hit me: Something to share. Surely it's one of the most important health benefits of keeping a garden.

Ever since I have had my garden, I have had something to share. I no longer show up empty handed. No one ever leaves my house without something, and I am never stuck needing to run to the store in rush hour rain when I want to thank someone who has done me a kindness, or want to give a little pick-me-up to someone in pain. I save jars to fill with flowers and herbs, and leave them on doorsteps like old-time milk deliveries.

The folks to whom I give these things appreciate them, but I know that I’m the one who really gets the gift.

Forget the diet benefits of gardening. There are health benefits – connections to other people – that should not be overlooked. When push comes to shove, isn’t this all we really want? A way to share?

The other day in my Environmental Studies class, my overly enthusiastic professor told the class about a special group of three plants, known as the Ancient Three Sisters, that, when grown together, actually help each other grow stronger and healthier.

The Sisters — corn, beans and squash — have been grown together by indigenous people for thousands of years, some evidence dating back 10,000 years. Here’s how it works:

Squash acts as a natural mulch, providing shade for the roots of the beans and corn, and keeping weeds away.

Beans have special nodules in their roots that store nitrogen. As the beans grow, the roots release some of the nitrogen into the soil, which any gardener will tell you is a necessary element for a garden to be successful, especially for nitrogen-loving corn plants.

Finally, corn serves as a natural bean pole, which the beans climb up for more sunlight.

Isn’t it amazing how the earth’s organisms interact?

As the summer winds down, you may be ready to let some of your garden beds go until next spring.

But wait! Before you call it quits for the year, consider cover crops. Now is a great time to sow a cover crop or two that will enrich your garden soil over the winter. It's a remarkably easy and inexpensive way to improve your soil.

Oats are one simple choice for a fall cover crop. Just visit your local garden or farm supply store to pick up some seeds and get them in the ground now. The oats will grow quickly during the cool days of fall, and then winter temperatures will kill them in most regions, leaving a soil-protecting mulch. (In warmer zones, you'll need to turn the oats under in the spring to kill them.)

Other good choices for fall cover crops include Austrian field peas, barley, crimson clover, rye, vetch or winter wheat. If you need a source for seeds, a good one to try is Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Want to learn more about cover crops? Check out these helpful sources:

Cover Crops for Home Gardens This cover crop cheat sheet from Oregon State University is a quick way to figure out what to plant when. 

Eight Strategies for Better Garden Soil This recent Mother Earth News article from writer and homesteader Harvey Ussery is a great overall summary of how to improve your garden soil, including specific cover crop suggestions. 

Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures This publication from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service explains all the details of cover crop use, especially as it relates to farmers and market gardeners.

It's easy to overlook how useful grass clippings can be, but early fall is a great time to collect this valuable 'yard waste' to use in your garden as mulch.

That's because as the weather cools, the grass starts growing faster and needs more frequent mowing. Sure, you could bag all these clippings and set them out to be hauled away with your trash. But why let them go to waste? A much better use is to put them in your garden as mulch. And don't stop with grass clippings — shredded leaves make great mulch, too.

Not only does this all-natural mulch help suppress weeds and retain moisture, but as it slowly breaks down it will naturally enrich your garden soil. Mulch is so valuable for your garden that you might even consider collecting unwanted yard waste from friends and neighbors — anything beyond your immediate needs can go into the compost pile. (Just be sure not to use grass clippings from chemically treated lawns. You don't want to introduce herbicide residue into your garden because it's harmful to your plants.)

For more about how and why to start using grass clippings in your garden and yard instead of throwing them away, check out this helpful information on recycling grass clippings from the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Or for more tips on composting your yard waste, check out the Mother Earth News article, Composting Made Easy.

Garlic — delicious, hardy, and packed with health benefits — is a low maintenance and cold-hardy crop that actually grows best if planted in the fall. Follow these tips to help you get started.

Garlic grows best when its foliage has plenty of time to develop. The more leaves on the plant, the bigger and tastier the bulb. By planting the cloves in the fall, the plants can establish roots and get a head start. Leaves then grow in the crisp, short days of spring, and the new garlic bulbs develop as days lengthen and temperatures climb. For this reason, (and because gardening in October is usually preferable to being outdoors in February), it is best to plant your garlic now.

Can't I just buy garlic?

Garlic is not just the standard variety available at the grocery store. In fact, there are hundreds of unique varieties. They vary in flavor (from pungent and spicy to mild and sweet), appearance (from purple to silver), and climate preferences.

There are two main types of garlic — soft-neck and hard-neck. In general, soft-neck garlic is best suited for warmer climates, and hard-neck garlic can bear and indeed prefers a colder winter season. To reduce the risk of disease, it is best to start your garlic from a reputable seed supplier rather than store-bought cloves. Though you may initially invest around $15 a pound for garlic from a seed supplier, it is a one-time investment and will yield more varied and plentiful results than simply using grocery-store garlic.

Best of all possible soils

Garlic does best in soil that is enriched with organic matter. Plant bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep and in rows 5 or 6 inches apart. Plant them sometime before the first hard frost in your area, so that roots have time to develop. You can then cover the bed with either straw or shredded leaves to protect the garlic from winter cold, and sit back and relax until next summer, when your bulbs are ready for harvest and — the best part — consumption.

For more information and a list of mail order garlic suppliers, see our article Plant Now for Great Garlic.

What if someone could come to your door to sell you organic gardening products and offer demonstrations the same way a make-up sales rep could bring a catalogue and a guide to applying mascara? The Happy Gardener is a three-year-old company that does just that. By giving demonstrations and lectures at community events and garden shows as well as private parties, Happy Gardener distributors do more than just push a product: they inform their customers about the benefits of organic gardening.

This month, the Happy Gardener is a part of the Forbes.com Boost Your Business Contest, which will award $100,000 to one deserving business to help it expand.

Mother Earth Living spoke with Annette Pelliccio, founder of the Happy Gardener, about her (pardon the pun) grass-roots approach to sustainable living and organic gardening education.

Q: The direct sales model of your business (like those used by Avon and the Pampered Chef) facilitates conversation and education between distributor and customer. Why is education so important in organic gardening?

A: Most Americans do not realize that the average product used to fertilize their lawn is detrimental to the groundwater, wild life and community around them. The average person still doesn't know about organic alternatives; why would you change and use something that's more Earth-friendly if you didn't know it was out there? Our distributors can offer that information to their customers.

Q: How can people already practicing organic gardening benefit from your company?

A: We supply people with easy and affordable organics. I've been an organic gardener for 15 years and I used to have to do a lot of mixing and measuring myself; our products eliminate that problem. We also offer instruction in birding and composting, it's not just pest control and gardening. In addition, we offer them a way to have a part-time or full-time career opportunity in a career they're already passionate about.

Q: Why is organic gardening important to you personally?

A: I've always had a big vegetable garden, fruit orchard and have grown herbs. When you have children and pets and you love gardening you really start to wonder about the effects of using conventional products on the food that you growing and, in turn, feeding your family.

The Happy Gardener would use their prize money to expand their customer service department, increase sales representative training, and register their products with OMRI (Organic Measures Research Institute) so that the whole product, not just the ingredients, can be certified organic. Click here to vote for Happy Gardener and help it reach the final round of the Forbes competition. Voting ends Aug. 31.