What’s better than feasting on fresh fruit and vegetables handpicked right from your very own garden? According to the National Gardening Association (NGA), 80 million U.S. households (that’s three out of four!) participated in at least one type of lawn and garden activity annually for the last five years.
With all that growing going on, you can’t help but wonder just how much of it is sustainable. “Anytime you introduce a foreign substance into an ecosystem, it can throw a wrench in the works. Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are foreign substances that start altering the garden ecosystem the moment they are applied,” says Jessica Walliser, co-author of Grow Organic.
Many have heard of commercial farms using organic growing methods, but these methods can be applied to the lawns and gardens of individual homeowners and apartment dwellers as well.
The easiest way to enjoy your growing experiences and support a sustainable planet at the same time is to grow organically. What exactly is organic gardening? Many debate the difference between using fewer chemicals and no chemicals, but one thing about organic gardening is clear: strong soil. “[Organic gardening] means building up the soil through compost and mulch. The heart of organics is healthy soil,” says Jeff Gillman, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota and author of The Truth About Organic Gardening. “The key is to build the soil up by adding organic matter [i.e. leaves, newspaper; anything that can be composted or will decay] each year. When the soil is fertile, plants will outgrow just about anything,” says Walliser’s co-author Doug Oster.
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[Image courtesy of *Susie* on flickr.com]
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