Organic Vegetable Gardening
Once you have gotten everything together that you will need to create and maintain your organic vegetable garden you need something to plant in it. For many choosing what vegetables to grow is the fun part of organic vegetable gardening since you get to imagine what sort of vegetables you will see shooting up from your new garden. There are many organic vegetable seeds available for sale from retailers both online and offline. In fact, there are so many seeds to choose from that some people find themselves completely overwhelmed by their options.
If you are someone that has never grown vegetables before then it is important that you stick to vegetables that are easy to grow. Even though they might be vegetables that you have not usually eaten before or never thought about growing you might be surprised by the results. A good organic gardening book is helpful. Many organic gardeners have found that vegetables they usually hated when purchased canned or frozen, taste delicious when harvested from their own backyard. The following are a few vegetables that are easy to go organically and often a delicious treat.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a popular vegetable to grow at home because they can grow well in all climates. There are many different varieties of tomatoes available, many of which do not require any stakes or fences to grow against. Cherry tomatoes are especially popular because they are usually expensive in stores but are great in salads and served as appetizers in many recipes.
When growing organic tomatoes it is important that they get enough water and sunlight. In order to get the best results and the largest harvest possible you must be sure to pick your tomatoes as soon as they ripen.
Chilies & Peppers
Peppers are a great organic vegetable to grow if you are working with a small amount of space or growing vegetables in pots or containers. They will grow well and will grow almost all year round if the conditions are right. Peppers do not have to be harvested as soon as they appear ripe. This means that you can wait and pick your peppers as you need them.
When you do want to harvest all your peppers storage is very easy. They can be dried by placing them in a dark, dry, place with lots of air (an attic) for a few weeks. If you do not have a good place to dry peppers and chilies, they will often keep if stored in a tight glass jar. Remember that a good organic gardening guide is a useful resource to help you get started.
Zucchini
Zucchini and most squash/pumpkins are great for first organic vegetable gardening project. They are easy to plant and grow very quickly which means you do not have to wait a long time to actually start seeing results. Many people feel as if their zucchinis grow literally overnight.
When growing Zucchini and other squash it is important that you or your family members pick them right away. This will help encourage new plants to grow and will leave you with a large harvest. If you are growing pumpkins then you should wait to harvest them until all of the vines have died.
Peas
Peas are a favorite vegetable for many children so growing organic peas is a great idea if you are growing food for a family. Peas are another vegetable that will grow in extremely large amounts and will grow from spring, through summer, and even into winter. In some climates peas will grow nearly all year round making them a great source of fresh, organic, food.
When growing peas it is important that the plants have support usually in the form of a stake or support that can be found at a plant supply store or nursery. Peas must be watered often and watched constantly for weeds. Too many weeds will quickly ruin your crop of peas so weed them often and carefully.
Turnips
Turnips are another vegetable that grow quickly and easily. Both the root and the leaves can be eaten and turnips are great raw, roasted, boiled, or mashed. When growing turnips the only thing you have to remember is to water them often since turnips need a lot of water to grow.
Corn
If you have the space for it corn is a great vegetable to plant. Roasted or grilled corn is great addition to any meal and watching a corn crop ripen is a wonderful sight. Plus the corn stalks can later be used as compost!
When growing corn you have got to be sure the seeds are planted at least 15 inches apart. Make sure the seeds are well fertilized with compost when they are first planted and again in another two weeks. You will be able to start enjoying your fresh organic corn after the first silks appear.
Beets
Beets will grow beautifully in a well fertilized area and fresh organic beets will always be much better than anything you will find in a can or even in the grocery store. When growing beets always make sure there is enough mulch down to keep the soil warm in the cool months and cool in the summer. Make sure you harvest all of your beets before the first frost comes.
Potatoes
Seed potatoes are easy to plant and even easier to grow. Weed and hoe often for best results and it is best to plant them in larger organic gardens. Planting potatoes with your other crops will often help discourage some insects and children love digging potatoes in the fall.
Carrots
Plant your carrot seeds in early spring and once you have harvested the first crop you can always plant more. As long as the soil is loose and deep enough you can get carrots to grow. Fresh organic carrots are a great addition to any garden.
Green Beans
Planting green beans can help save you money if you are a parent or person that buys canned green beans often. Green beans can be planted as soon as the cold weather breaks and there is no chance of the ground freezing or the plants frosting. You can purchase seeds that will grow in a bush or those that will grow against a pole or stake. For smaller gardens it is usually easier to plant pole green beans.
Lettuce
Lettuce is an easy must have if you are a salad eater. There are many varieties available and lettuce should be planted before the weather gets too warm. The hot summer weather will cause your lettuce to wilt quickly but during the cool spring your lettuce will thrive.
Radish
Radishes are another great vegetable for salad eaters and one of the first vegetables a new organic gardener should try. They are easy to plant and can be grown all through summer and into the fall.
Spring Onions
Spring onions are easy to plant since they only need a lot of water to grow. They are a great garnish to any dish AND planting onions around your garden border will help discourage pests.
You can see that organic gardening for beginners is not so hard to do. The key thing in organic vegetable gardening is too be patient and carefully nurture your plants. And remember that even in a urban environment you can make your own compost, so keep all the cuttings from your vegetable garden.
Posted in: Organic Food 
Health Benefits of Organic Food
The society of today is one that struggles to find its balance when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. We are bombarded on a daily basis with the newest and best products on the market all designed to help us achieve maximum health. But for many who have traveled this road many a time, the answer is simple; a healthy lifestyle begins and ends with a nutritious diet rich in whole foods. But while we may know the types of food we should be eating – fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains – we are now faced with another choice – that of organic food.
Ask any organic food enthusiast and they will happily tell you the health benefits of organic food. And when faced with the information it’s difficult to ignore the substantial differences between organic food and that food that is grown or produced in a traditional environment.
Organic food is grown and raised by a group of committed organic farmers working within strictly enforced government guidelines. Produce that is grown organically is done so without the use of pesticides or chemical additives. Chemicals and pesticides are, however, used on traditional farms. And while not much thought is given to additives when we encounter fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, the truth is that insufficient research has been done regarding the long term effects of these chemicals on the human body.
The same holds true for agricultural and dairy farming practices. While agricultural and dairy farmers traditionally feed their livestock supplements and hormones to speed their growth and milk production, organic farmers do just the opposite. Animals are given only organic feed and are not subjected to chemicals or hormones of any kind.
Organic food has benefits that extend to the environment as well. Organic farming means that the ground is not subjected to chemical or pesticide run-off. Organic farmers are strongly committed to the environment and their product is only considered certified organic food if they adhere to strict government regulations.
Organic food can mean significant benefits for your health and that of those you love. Additionally, it shows a dedication to the environment and the future of the planet.
Posted in: Organic Food
Save Money to Buy Organic Food
Grow your own
The cheapest method has got to be to grow your own. The
great thing is that it doesn’t require you to have much
garden space, or even a garden at all!
We grow tomatoes, and strawberries in containers and the
extra benefit is that you get total control over the growing
conditions.
The best combination is to have organic soil together with
organically produced seeds or plants, that way you ensure
you get the full flavour and benefit.
Containers can be placed anywhere that receives a
reasonable amount of daylight, which means that you can
use them on balconies or other hard surfaces.
Look for your local suppliers
One of the most satisfying things to do is to buy organic food
locally. That way you get the freshest ingredients for your
kitchen and also get to support local businesses. With no
transportation costs for the supplier too you should get very
competitive prices.
Don’t forget that these same businesses will be employing
local staff so you are also helping the local economy,
everybody wins in this scenario.
Local markets
We visit a big monthly market held on a disused airstrip.
Organic food is just one of the variety of items sold there but
the prices are very, very good indeed. Of course they are all
local suppliers and with several of them in one place we
benefit from healthy competition and get to sample a lot of
fruit!
Local box schemes
If you are unable to get out of your house or are too busy
working to select your groceries by hand then why not
subscribe to an organic box scheme?
You will receive, delivered to your door, a weekly selection of
fruit and vegetables in season.
Farm shops
Finally, investigate whether any farms near you are
operating an organic farm shop. Our local one is operated
on an open farm so that you can go and see where the
animals are being kept and take a look at the crops being
grown.
They actually have a well-designed walking route around the
farm which makes a nice day out for the kids too.
If you investigate the options above you should be able to
make considerable savings whilst you and your family
sample the delights and advantages of organic food.
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Virginia Louise is a keen convert to the organic way of life, having two children has especially highlighted the benefits to be gained by them from eating organically. |
Posted in: Organic Food
Organic Food Is Better Food
The Organic Premise: Many people are aware that food grown according to organic principles is free from exposure to harmful herbicides and pesticides, but that is only one small aspect of organic agriculture. A larger part of organic agriculture involves the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops and livestock are raised. Organic farmers recognize that healthy, vibrant, and live soils and ecosystems significantly benefit crops. Natural, undisturbed soil is alive with microbiotic organisms that exist in harmony with the native plant life and the inorganic minerals that provide the soil’s substrate.
Synthetic chemicals (such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers) applied in or around crops interrupt or destroy the microbiotic activity in the soil. Once the microbiotic activity in the soil has stopped, the soil becomes merely an anchor for plant material. In this conventional method of agriculture (in use for only the past 75 of 10,000 years of recorded agriculture) plants can receive only air, water, and sunlight from their environment – everything else must be distributed to plants by farmers, often from inputs transported thousands of miles to reach the farm. Plants are commonly fed only the most basic elements of plant life and so are dependent on the farmer to fight nature’s challenges, e.g. pests, disease, and drought.
illustrates this very well as summarized below:
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Feed The Soil |
Feed The Plant |
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Sustainable |
Non-Sustainable |
Why should a consumer care about agricultural techniques if an organically cultivated green pepper looks identical to a conventionally grown pepper?
The answer is multi-faceted, but simply stated, an organically cultivated pepper will be healthier and more nutritious than a conventionally cultivated pepper. By growing in a living soil where microbiotic activity constantly breaks organic matter and solid minerals into nutrients a plant can use, an organically cultivated pepper plant always has exactly what it needs to grow, from germination to fruit set, and the plant will be healthier throughout its lifespan than a conventionally grown pepper plant. As a result, the organically grown plant will be able to add more and complex components to all of its parts, including its fruit, resulting in a pepper chock-full of micro-nutrients and trace minerals that are important for human nutrition.
Flavor is another benefit of healthy plants growing in a living soil. Flavor results from a mixture of many different and complex molecules. Healthy, living soil provides a constant and more complex mixture of these molecules, which results in more flavor. It’s no surprise that chefs working in the highest caliber restaurants prefer organic ingredients to conventionally grown ingredients.
By purchasing locally-grown, organic produce, the consumer supports sustainable methods of land use that result in far less pollution and top-soil loss than does conventional agriculture. Synthetic pesticides and herbices not only kill soil microbes and leave toxic residues on food, they also threaten the health of farmworkers and disrupt natural ecosystems around the farm. Chemical fertilizers pollute lakes, ponds, rivers, and groundwater.
The alternative to using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers usually requires more labor on a farm. With more labor, organic farmers can match or exceed the productivity and quality of chemically dependent crops. Labor, rather than synthetic inputs, typically means more support for local economies, but it can also mean higher prices. Conventionally grown foods cost less because their hidden costs are passed on to consumers and the environment. These hidden costs include creating synthetic inputs, the resulting pollution from spreading them, and long-term health effects of pesticide residues in our food.
In the long run, organically grown food is the best bargain for us, the environment, and future generations.
MOFGA defines organic agriculture as a locally sustainable, low-input technique for raising crops and livestock. For details on the legal definition of the word “organic,” which is now regulated in the United States by the US Department of Agriculture. Make sure you ask the right person who wears lanyards ID
Posted in: Organic Food
