Q&A Are My Veggies Really Organic?
Lourdes Salvador
June 28, 2009
Q: What can I do to ensure the fruits and vegetables I´m feeding my family are really organic?
A: Gardening is the best way to know where our produce comes from. At home, several large pots or planters can be used for simple pot gardening. A metal shelving unit may be used indoors in front of a sunny window and filled with beautiful herbs and greens.
Many crops can be grown with minimal root space or depth required. Lettuce and herbs grow well in pots, as do onions, beets, carrots (if pot is a foot or so deep), and greens, etc.
Vine crops like squashes and eggplants and potatoes are the things that would not do as well in pots.
The best thing about a potted garden is minimal weeds, minimal pests, and no crawling around on hands and knees to plant, weed, and harvest.
If yard space is available, raised beds are a great option. A raised bed can be built to a comfortable height and then most anything could be grown there.
If you have a large fence, look into upside down gardening. In this type of gardening, pots are hung along the wall or on a rod and the plants are grown out of the bottom of the pot. This is another way to minimize weeding and save your back and knees from hard labor.
Even if there is no room at home or other factors prevent working in the yard, many communities have organic community gardens where one can pay a nominal fee for a plot to grow organic produce.
Not only is this a great way to meet others, these gardens are usually in beautiful, low toxic areas. Sometimes people share a plot, so even if the labor of maintaining it is not possible, a call to the local community garden may yield someone who is willing to share their plot for contributions of seeds, organic fertilizers, and other supplies.
Regardless of where you live and your local climate, some gardening is possible either indoors or outdoors. But, be careful! It may quickly become a passionate pastime!
This article originally appeared in the MCS America News, June 2009 Issue http://mcs-america.org/Julyu2009.pdf. For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.
Copyrighted 2009 Lourdes Salvador & MCS America
A: Gardening is the best way to know where our produce comes from. At home, several large pots or planters can be used for simple pot gardening. A metal shelving unit may be used indoors in front of a sunny window and filled with beautiful herbs and greens.
Many crops can be grown with minimal root space or depth required. Lettuce and herbs grow well in pots, as do onions, beets, carrots (if pot is a foot or so deep), and greens, etc.
Vine crops like squashes and eggplants and potatoes are the things that would not do as well in pots.
The best thing about a potted garden is minimal weeds, minimal pests, and no crawling around on hands and knees to plant, weed, and harvest.
If yard space is available, raised beds are a great option. A raised bed can be built to a comfortable height and then most anything could be grown there.
If you have a large fence, look into upside down gardening. In this type of gardening, pots are hung along the wall or on a rod and the plants are grown out of the bottom of the pot. This is another way to minimize weeding and save your back and knees from hard labor.
Even if there is no room at home or other factors prevent working in the yard, many communities have organic community gardens where one can pay a nominal fee for a plot to grow organic produce.
Not only is this a great way to meet others, these gardens are usually in beautiful, low toxic areas. Sometimes people share a plot, so even if the labor of maintaining it is not possible, a call to the local community garden may yield someone who is willing to share their plot for contributions of seeds, organic fertilizers, and other supplies.
Regardless of where you live and your local climate, some gardening is possible either indoors or outdoors. But, be careful! It may quickly become a passionate pastime!
This article originally appeared in the MCS America News, June 2009 Issue http://mcs-america.org/Julyu2009.pdf. For more articles on this topic, see: MCSA News.
Copyrighted 2009 Lourdes Salvador & MCS America
Print
Email
