Grow Organic Vegetables

  There are more reasons than ever why anybody with access to a few square feet of the outdoors should grow their own organic vegetables.

You may be shocked at how much of the produce at your local supermarket has been genetically modified. Some estimates now put this at over 50%. While there is no strong evidence that genetically modified foods are immediately harmful to your health, there are no long term studies either. Do you want to take that risk?

Let’s take a look at pesticides and fertilizers. Farmers no longer use crop rotation or natural manures to improve soil fertility, so they are forced to use ever increasing amounts of chemicals to improve yields and multiple pesticides to protect the weakened plants. Pesticides penetrate deeply into the leaves of plants and pestiside residues remain even after you have scrubbed them.

To quote from The Environmental Protection Agency – “Pesticides are designed to kill pests. Many pesticides can also pose risks to people. The health effects of pesticides depend on the type of pesticide. Some, such as the organophosphates and carbamates, affect the nervous system. Others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some pesticides may be carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body.”

Sure you can, and should, buy organic fruit and vegetables but have you seen the prices? Anybody with even a modest vegetable garden can grow healthy organic vegetables at much lower cost than those at the local supermarket. Not only can you grow them at much lower cost, but you can grow them one hundred percent better.

Even the long-keeping vegetables such as potatoes, onions and squash are noticeably tastier picked straight from the home vegetable garden; but when it comes to peas and corn and salad vegetables- well , there is absolutely nothing to compare with the home garden ones, gathered fresh, in the early slanting sunlight, still gemmed with dew, still crisp and tender and juicy, ready to carry every atom of savory quality and taste, without loss, to the dining table.

It is not in price or health alone that home gardening pays. There is another point. Agribusiness has to grow the things that give the biggest yield. They have to sacrifice quality and taste for quantity and long shelf life. You do not. The strawberries on the supermarket shelves may look bright and red and uniform but you will soon find they taste more like the cardboard of their containers when compared to a home grown variety picked straight from the vine.

And this brings us to what may be the most important reason you should garden. It is the cheapest, healthiest pleasure there is. Give me a sunny garden patch in the springtime, give me seeds to watch as they find the light, plants to tend as they take hold in the fine, loose, rich soil, give me succulent and tasty springtime salads. And when you have grown tired of the springtime, come back in summer to even the smallest garden, and you will find in it, every day, a new vista, new pleasures and, yes, new challenges.

Better food, better health, better living -- all these the home vegetable garden offers you in abundance. So, turn off that computer, pull out some old clothes and find a spot to dig.

About the Author

Vince Apps
http://manualofgardening.com

 Vince Apps

More Articles 

Organize Your Seasonal Home Decorating - Rachel Paxton
I don't spend a lot of money decorating my home. Many people don't want to spend the time or money to decorate with the seasons, but over the years I have learned some ways to creatively seasonally decorate that have cost little or next...

Wrought Iron Bed Romance - Mario Chompass
It seems that wrought iron will never go out of style, the quality that wrought iron has, and the sheer professionalism that is required to master the art of shaping iron onto different patterns and shapes will always be appreciated by almost...

Kitchen Decorating Tips - Lee Dobbins
Small changes can have a big effect on how your kitchen looks. Below are 11 decorating ideas that you can do yourself in a day or less. Not only are these simple changes are easy to do, but they are inexpensive too! 1. Afraid of changing your...

Tylers Lock - Wedding venue extraordinaire reborn from the ruins of a canal pumphouse - malcolm pugh
tylers lock-history reborn !!  The new site everyone is talking about, and featuring the now massive cult status Stiffsteiff Teddy Bear family, also contains details of this famous Worcestershire landmark. Nestling on the Worcester and...

Outdoor Furniture fit for Royalty - Kathy Moran
It has often been said that a person’s home is her or his castle. Whoever first made the remark may have intended some deep, metaphorical meaning – or, may actually have lived in a castle. Either way, the saying has endured. ...

Is a Hot Tub for you? Top 5 questions you need to Answer - Dion Semeniuk
IS A HOT TUB FOR YOU? TOP FIVE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ANSWER As a way of relaxing, more and more people are adding a hot tub to their home. Not only are hot tubs relaxing but they also offer tremendous benefit for people of all ages. Today, the...

Aluminum Cushion Patio Furniture - Cat Greenbriar
Choosing patio furniture can be a difficult decision with so many options. There is one option that is comfortable as well as beautiful to accent any patio, and that is aluminum cushion patio furniture. Aluminum cushion patio furniture is the...

Selecting The Right Bonsai Pots Is Very Important - Andrew Green
As with all types of plant pots, Bonsai pots are available in a huge array of sizes, shapes and colours but making sure you select the correct pot for your Bonsai tree can make the difference between a good looking Bonsai and an...

Nontoxic Pest Control for Your Home and Garden - TC Thorn
Pesticides are toxic and, while often effective against pests, can be dangerous for your family and pets. Outdoors, sprayed pesticides might drift on a breeze and dust your vegetable garden or your neighbor's yard. Indoors, pesticides can...

Improve Your Pest Control - News Canada
(NC)-Pests come in a variety of forms, from mice, earwigs, ants and grubs to invasive weeds. They can trigger allergies, carry disease, contaminate food and even damage our possessions. But a few simple preventative measures can stop pests...

Why Rose Gardening Is So Addictive - Chester Smith
For many of us, the act of gardening brings us closer to nature by getting us outdoors and allowing us the opportunity to tend and grow objects that in the absence of our assistance would not be able to survive, let alone thrive. There is a special...

Canopy Rentals - Ken Marlborough
This article provides useful, detailed information about Canopy Rentals. Because of their beauty and functionality, canopies are now very widely used for weddings and other special occasions held outdoors. Renting...