Why Should You Eat Organically Grown Food?

Good morning, and welcome back!

We’ve talked a lot about organic and sustainable gardening. So perhaps we should review exactly why we are doing this in first place…. This is the topic of today’s post.

If you have gone to the doctor, chances are at some point he or she has told you to watch what you eat. If you have been eating the right amount of fish, meat, fruits and vegetables then you may think you have nothing to worry about. But because some of these contain harmful chemicals, many people have started switching to organically grown vegetables and other food products.

So exactly why is this a concern? Many commercially grown products, besides being Image via Wikipedia treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, have been genetically modified. Farmers have used various techniques, chemicals and fertilizers to make fruits and vegetables grow bigger, even if this may be dangerous to your health. (Or, as is the case with GM foods, we don’t exactly know the long-term effects they may have.)

No magic or anything fancy is used to make organically grown crops. You only need fertile soil, sunlight, water and some compost to make it work.

A recent study shows that following this simple plan helps vegetables have 50% more vitamins and minerals than those grown using conventional methods. If you eat them regularly, you are able to have a healthier life.

You will probably enjoy your food more too as organically grown vegetables often taste much better! This is because although fertilizers and pesticides have their advantages, they result in stripped and over-used soil. Plants subsist on the chemicals, instead of on the essential vitamins and nutrients that used to be there, so you are not getting the required daily allowance that your body needs. In short, you may think you are eating right, but in reality, your body is missing out.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges in buying food from the supermarket is that the US imports a lot of vegetables from countries that use a lot of chemicals – sometimes even worse than what are used here at home. It can be difficult to regulate “organic” standards in another country, so eating local is the best way to go, if you can.

Another benefit of eating organic vegetables and food is that you help the environment, as organic farmers generally use more sustainable practices, and replenish the soil as they use it.

This even helps the community, as land which they have worked on can be planted by the next generation because the land that has been cultivated for so long is still fertile.

When you go to the supermarket, one thing you will notice is that the price of organically grown vegetables and other items are sometimes much more expensive than those conventionally grown.

Image via WikipediaShould you always buy something just because it is cheaper? In the case of food, the answer is no because you can’t put a price on the lives of those who eat it.

As more people buy organic food and support organic growers, these farmers will be able to provide more and more to local supermarkets, and thus the price of organic items will go down. (At least in theory!)

However, large-scale organic farms often don’t operate as sustainably as they should, so if at all possible, it is best to buy from local farmers, whose farms you are familiar with. Buying through a local farmer’s market or CSA is a great way to go.

Or, you can grow your own! (See previous posts, or click the link to visit our main website, for more info on how to do this.)

With a little help and encouragement, hopefully the majority of people will soon be able to enjoy the benefits of organically grown vegetables and fruits.

Keep your eye out for next week’s post, and ’til then – happy gardening!
Rose.

Organic and Natural Garden Guide for Managing Garden Pests: Part 3

Welcome back!

Today we will wrap up this short series on organic pest control by discussing a few pests that are specific to certain plant types, and what you can do about them. (We’ll also provide a few specific product recommendations.)

Beside those most common pests which attack many kinds of plants, there are special pests for specific plants. Beans have pests of their own; so have potatoes and cabbages. In fact, the vegetable garden has many inhabitants. In the flower garden lice are very bothersome, the cutworm and the slug have a good time there, too, and ants often get very numerous as the season advances. But for real discouraging insect troubles the vegetable garden takes the prize. (Although, if we were going into fruit to any extent, perhaps the vegetable garden would have to take second place to the fruit garden.)

Holes in leaves caused by cabbage worms.

Cabbage Worms
Neem oil is the cabbage worms’ worst enemy, so if you spray them with it, they will be out of your garden in a jiffy. You can usually determine whether cabbage worms are in the garden if you find small green caterpillars and holes on the leaves of your plants. You can also pick them by hand if you are more courageous or if you don’t have neem oil handy at the time of infestation. (Try Green Light Organic Neem Concentrate.)

A common pest in the vegetable garden is the tomato hornworm. This is a Image via Wikipedialarge yellowish or greenish striped worm with a spiked horn on its tail. Tomato hornworms strip the leaves from the plants, and also eat the young fruit. They are usually the same color as the plant, but are generally easy to spot as they are large, so if you see a lot of damage, look for these (they can completely destroy a tomato plant in just a few days, so if you do see a lot of damage, be sure you find the culprit quickly!). Since they are large and usually there are only a couple of them (at first), you can usually pick these by hand and dispose of them quickly.

A great, light green caterpillar is found on celery. This caterpillar may be told by the black bands, one on each ring or segment of its body.

The squash bug may be told by its brown body, which is somewhat flat and diamond-shaped, and by the disagreeable odor it makes when disturbed or killed. The potato bug is another fellow to look out for. It is a beetle with yellow and black stripes down its crusty back. The little green cabbage worm is a perfect nuisance. It is a small caterpillar and smaller than the tomato worm. These are perhaps the most common of garden pests.

Diatomaceous earth (a fine powder made of ground fossils) is an organic substance which may work well for controlling some of these.  This non-toxic powder may be sprinkled on and around plants, and is safe around pets. It works via mechanical means — it gets between the grooves of an insect’s body (or skin), and dessicates it rather quickly. However, it washes off easily, so will need to be re-applied after every rain, or until the problem is gone. (Be sure when using this that you wear gloves and avoid breathing it or getting it in your eyes; although it is non-toxic, it is highly abrasive, and may cause irritation or drying of the skin.) (Look for Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth. You may also want to check out GOING GREEN USING DIATOMACEOUS EARTH HOW-TO TIPS: An Easy Guide Book Using A Safer Alternative, Natural Silica Mineral, Food Grade Insecticide for practical consumer tips, recipes, and methods.)

There are many other kinds of pests that you can control in your garden given the right handy tools and knowledge on how to best eliminate them from your organic garden. For some great tips and recommendations, check out www.newholisticliving.com/sustainablegardening.html 

And be sure to check back next week for our next post  — we will cover some of the benefits of eating organically raised vegetables. Yummy!
Rose.