Organic vegetable gardening seems to be the trend these days as more people have become conscious of what they are eating.
This is because conventional methods which involve the use of harmful chemicals may enter our systems.
With organic farming, farmers will no longer need to plant crops using genetic engineering, irradiation and sewage sludge. Instead, this will be replaced with crop rotation.
Why Is Organic Vegetable Gardening So Important These Days
Crop rotation is the practice of planting a different crop in the same area where another crop once occupied. This keeps the soils nutrients fertile so it can be used again in the following season.
If you think about it, this approach is easier said than done as farmers are accustomed to the old ways of doing it. To help them change their minds, the government offers incentives and subsidies to farmers who decide to follow this plan.
But the main reason why organic vegetable gardening is so important is the fact that the crops harvested have 50% more nutrients and vitamins compared to that of conventional farming methods.
This means the food they consume will reduce the risk of people suffering from a number of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.
Children who drink milk will be able to get more anti-oxidants, CLA, Omega 3 and vitamins when this is extracted from pastured grazed cows that willreally strengthen their bones and muscles.
2 ways to make Organic Vegetable Gardening happen
There are two ways to make this happen.
- First, you buy the seedlings until they grow so you can harvest the.
- Second, you buy them fully grown and then just plant it into the ground.
Most people prefer the first because it makes them proud to know that what is served on the table was done from scratch.
In both cases, you have to prepare the soil, use compost and make sure that these are safe from threats such as insects, weeds and other animals that will eat what you have planted.
You can fight these with other animals, insects, organic fertilizers, deodorant soap and a few other items which you can find out after doing some research.
For those who dont have a big garden, they can try growing these organically grown vegetables in containers. They require more water than those planted in the soil so give doses frequently.
There is no doubt that organic vegetables and other products are important these days. If you value your health and those of your family you can buy these from the store or plant it yourself.
For those who decide to buy organically grown vegetables, remember to wash before cooking them. This will remove any harmful substances or residue that may still be there which is invisible to the naked eye.
7 Reasons to Grow your own Organic Vegetable Garden: Advantages of Organic Vegetable Gardening
During the last decades there has been a change towards mechanization and homogenization of farming, which uses pesticides, additives, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers and mass-production techniques.
All this is clearly affecting mankind’s health, and new diseases are spreading rapidly amongst humans and animals (bird’s flu being the most recent one).
The World Health Organization produces reports to show how the use of chemicals and other products on food, coupled with the manufacturing processes involved, are actually a threat for our health.
If you have space for a few pots or even a small piece of land, it is a wise decision to grow your own organic vegetable garden. Today I’m presenting you with seven reasons for doing this:
1# No Additives in your Vegetables
You will have no additives in your vegetables. Research by organic food associations has shown that additives in our food can cause heart diseases, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.
2# No Pesticides Nor Synthetic Fertilizers
There will be no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers used. These chemical products are applied to obtain crops all the time regardless plagues or weather conditions, and affect the quality of the vegetables.
Besides, pesticides are usually poisonous to humans.
3# No GM ( Genetically Modified ), No Antibiotics…
Your vegetables will not be genetically modified (GM). Antibiotics, drugs and hormones are used on vegetables to grow more and larger ones.
One of the consequences of this practice are vegetables which look all the same and are usually tasteless. Besides, we end up consuming the hormones that have been used on the vegetables, with the potential risks for our health.
4# More Healthier Foods
Eating your own organic vegetables will be much more healthy for you.
They will not contain any of the products or chemicals named above, and they will be much more natural than any ones you would find at the supermarket.
Your health will not be at risk because you will then know that nothing has been added to your vegetables.
5# More Taste for Organic Vegetables
Your own organic vegetables will be much more tasty. The use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics make vegetables grow unnaturally and take the taste away from them.
With organic vegetables, your cooking will be enhanced as their flavour will show fully.
6# Environment Friendly
Organic farming is friendly to the environment.
Because you won’t use pesticides or other equally harming products on your vegetables, you will not damage the soil or the air with the chemical components.
7# Start building your Self-sustainability
When you grow your own organic vegetables you are contributing to your own self-sustainability and the sustainability of the planet.
Small communities have been founded where members exchange products that they grow naturally, thus contributing to create a friendly and better place for us all.
In the end, eating organic products only means that we do not add anything else to them than they would naturally have.
As you can guess, additives, fertilizers, pesticides or hormones are not components of naturally grown food. To better care for your health, grown your own organic vegetables -and a few pots is all you need.
What you need to know About Organic Vegetable Gardening
Organic food products are the trend these days after studies have shown that the age old practice of using fertilizers and pesticides happen to be harmful to our health.
This means that we have to change our approach and try something else.
The concept of organic vegetable farming is not new given that ancient civilizations have been doing it for years. We somehow forgot that thinking that modern science could help us produce better crops.
But if we go back to the basics, we realize that the resources need to make this work is right before our eyes.
1# Soil
First is the soil. Although 2/3 of the Earth is made up of water, the remainder is what we use for infrastructure while a certain percentage of that is devoted to agriculture.
Read more about soil on Soil Preparation in 5 Easy Steps For The Organic Gardener
2# Water
The second thing you need is water. The ancients used an efficient irrigation system so that water from the rivers would go to the land they planted on.
These days, we have the technology to divert water to these areas using pipes.
When it has not rained for a long time, we are able to make artificial rain.
3# Sunlight
Third is sunlight. We may not control its movement but if we are able to plant our crops in an area that has sufficient exposure to the sun, whatever we plant will grow.
But between the period of putting the seeds in the ground and before these are harvested, farmers have to be on their guard. The crops are threatened by insects. This is why people are advised to use other insects, birds and toads.
4# Fertilizers
Organically made fertilizers also come to play here and some examples of them include the application of compost, manure and cover cropping.
5# Rotate Crops
The soil where the vegetables were grown and harvested may not be ready to plant the same crops so maintain its fertility, farmers are also encouraged to rotate their crops.
To make sure that farmers who practice organic vegetable gardening are doing it right, the Department of Agriculture together with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture or IFOAM that has been in operation since 1972 sees to it that certain standards are in place.
6# Low Organic Farming Producing
Some people will argue that organic farming is not able to produce the same amount of yields as compared to those who use fertilizers and pesticides.
This is true however, in times of drought, these crops are still able to survive because there is still enough water underground. This means farmers will still be able to harvest and there is a steady supply of goods in the market.
It is expected that the demand for organic vegetables will grow in the future. This is as more people become of food safety issues and how this affects the environment.
7# Backyard Organic Vegetable Gardening
You can do your share by trying organic vegetable gardening in your backyard. The things you need are very affordable. You just need to practice what farmers do in the fields.
In fact, such information can now be found in books and online so do some research and put this into practice. It is fun and rewarding to see that what you worked on for weeks is now being served on your dinner table.
Back then, you have to remember that there were only a few skilled jobs and one of them was being a farmer.