The Importance Of Growing Organic Vegetables

By Leslie Griffith


All over the world today, people have become more and more concerned about maintaining good health. The current global health conscious thrust has led to a renewed interest in growing organic vegetables. Expert and novice farmers alike have turned their attention to methods that help them to produce chemical free foods. This has become necessary to suit the needs of a growing market for these types of foods.

Organic farming starts with a chemical free and healthy plot of land. This means first choosing land that has not been contaminated by chemical spills or dumping. Once that has been done the next logical concern will be the fertility of the selected plot of land. Composting is one of the tried and prove methods for preparing soil for planting by enriching it.

Composting ensures that the land has a healthy mix of nutrients needed to sustain the plants. This process essentially involves the use of natural fermenting environments that allow biodegradable waste to break down and transform into natural fertilizer. This helps by saving farmers lots of money as it eliminates or reduces their reliance on expensive commercial fertilizers.

All farmers are concerned about the havoc that pests can wreak on their farms. This coupled with the commercialized and consumption driven global economy has given rise to the popularity of a range of commercial pest control products. Many of these commercial pesticides are, however, harmful to those who consume the food as well as those who apply the pesticides. It does not have to be this way however, as nature has provided a number of solutions to the pest control problem.

A number of naturally occurring substances and items help to keep pests away from vegetables. Garlic, a common seasoning used in meal preparation, is known to repel certain garden pests. Ashes does a similar job with destructive snails. If it is sprinkled around the perimeter of the farm area, the snails will be discouraged from entering.

These natural pest controlling methods also save money as they reduce the need for commercial pesticides many of which are harmful especially when they are not used as per directions. They also help to prevent hefty medical bills since they are less likely to result in harm to the health of the consumer or the person who actually applies the pesticide. One of the reasons pest applicators are required to wear protective gear when working is to protect themselves from the harmful chemicals they are applying to the food.

When it is time for the produce to be reaped, steps must be taken to ensure that the activity is chemical free and as natural as possible. If they are to be preserved prior to sale then safe natural preservation methods should be employed. Chemical free harvesting and preservation methods will likely require more time but is safer for all involved.

There is no denying the value and importance of growing organic vegetables. The time and effort that it takes to establish and maintain these practices is well rewarded in the long run. This is so not only because of the production associated costs that are avoided but also because the health and well being of consumers and farm workers are preserved.



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