Agrichemicals Are Not Needed or Welcomed

I read a commentary posted in Grist entitled “Agrichemical industry steps up pressure on White House organic garden”. The author compared the mafia’s infamous ‘protection scheme’ with an agrichemical company’s letter writing campaign to ‘entice’ Michelle Obama into using chemicals on the White House garden.

Okay, this is a bit of a stretch.

You can’t fault agrichemical companies for pushing their products because that’s what businesses do to stay alive. However, you can fault them for the tactics they use to sell those products: mis-information and the omission of relevant facts.

Despite the amount of data available warning of the toxic side effects of chemicals in the gardens, to humans, pets, soil and wildlife in general, far too many home gardeners are buying into the wrong-headed notion that chemical ‘protection’ is required to have a healthy and productive garden.

If gardeners would concern themselves with maintaining the health of the soil, which in turn promotes the health of the plant, there would be no need for chemicals. Pests don’t attack healthy plants.

In the gardening blogosphere we know the many benefits of using compost to feed the soil. There are tons of sites citing personal experience with its benefits, I am included in that number and urge everyone to participate and leave the chemicals on the store shelf.

Nature has a marvelous answer to harmful pests: beneficial insects. Using chemicals to rid the bad guys also kill off the beneficials.

Most chemical pesticides are petroleum based. Another good reason to avoid them.

Other ways to ensure a healthy garden is to allow for good air circulation. Overcrowding your plants allows them to stay wet longer which makes them more susceptible to fungus and other diseases.

Using natural repellants such as sprays made out of hot peppers, coyote or bobcat urine, rotten eggs, bonemeal, or bloodmeal (even castor oil) can make your garden unappetizing to herbivores. Reapply the repellents frequently, especially after rain.

What we need to do is write to Ms. Obama to congratulate her for her level-headed thinking by not using chemicals and remind her that farmers managed to feed this nation for decades without the ‘protection’ of agrichemicals.

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Vegetables are coming ‘out of the backyard’

I read this report from the Associated Press about vegetable gardens coming out of the backyard and into the front yard.

The reporters ‘spin’ on the story is how the vegetable part of the landscape ‘riles’ neighbors. But as I read the article, what I got out of it was that more and more people are growing their own food. Not that people are ‘upset’ about the looks of it.

Leigh Anders, of Viroqua, Wisconsin tore up about half of her yard and planted vegetables. She says her garden sends a message that anyone can grow at least some of their own food. She is an advocate of taking the responsibility of food supply away from agribusiness and back to our communities. Hooray for her. I absolutely agree.

I think we should have more community gardens. It gets more people out of their houses, away from their television sets, co-mingling with their neighbors, creating a healthy hobby and decreases the dependence on agribusiness.

Food that is shipped to us from who knows where, many times from other countries, raises the cost of that food in order to pay for the fuel and extra handling. When you take into account that food that has to travel so far before it gets to your table, well, lets just say that your local supermarkets claims that their food is ‘fresh’ is stretching it.

We, in the garden blogging universe, know why we grow vegetables, but why would someone grow vegetables in their front yard? I have seen some people’s backyards and it would take a lot of work and expense to get them into a reasonable condition in which to grow food. Unlike their front yards which most people tend to keep better care of because it is what the neighbors see. And frankly, I think that if food is going to be grown at all, it should be wherever space can be made for it.

Of course, you will always find people who ‘get behind’ on the gardening ‘duties’ and let the plot get ‘unruly’ looking. How many yards have you seen that ‘unruly’ look and didn’t see one vegetable growing in it? But that just happens, no big deal, right? It can be fixed. The trouble that some people have with veggies growing in their neighbors front yard is that the plants don’t look as ‘pretty’ as flowers or ‘well-manicured’ shrubs. To this I say ‘lighten up’. Maybe after you tasted some of your neighbors bounty you might want to grow your own vegetables. And just maybe, your own front yard is the only place you have to do it. Ask them why they grow vegetables, maybe it’s the first time you’ve ever spoken to your neighbors. Who knows, you might just strike up a friendship.

Many herb, vegetable and fruit plants look perfectly beautiful when well cared for and are just as legitimate as the traditional front yard fare.

The report referred to victory gardens that were grown during WWII, those were grown more out of necessity rather than trying to ‘save a buck’. Although those of us growing our own sometimes wonder if we really ‘save a buck’. But hey, just having grown our own is it’s own reward and it tastes so much better.

The reporter presented the article in a negative vein by saying the practice of growing vegetables in the front yard ‘riles’ the neighbors. I think the article should have been presented more positively by stating that more people are growing their own vegetables and then maybe, just maybe, if the reporter really thought it was necessary to say so, then the reporter could say something about how some people think it should stay in the backyard. But I don’t think that point has to be brought up.

We need to get more people involved in growing their own food, if not in their own yards then in community gardens. Mainly for the reasons I already mentioned. However, there is another important reason. Lets get our kids started down this path so they will learn the importance of eating healthier (and have a healthier appreciation of nature) and maybe they will stop frequenting these ‘fast-food’ heart-attack factories that pass themselves off as acceptable food sources.

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