Your Organic Garden

It's really quite easy to plant and grow a flourishing organic garden. It all begins thinking of your organic garden as an integrated ecosystem built upon nature's principles, not man's laboratory creations.

The foundation for organic gardening is biodiversity. In the wild, a variety of plants and wildlife exist interdependently-providing shelter, moisture, continual bloom when pollen is available for insects, and support for all the creatures within the system.

You can apply the biodiversity principle at home by following these key steps in organic gardening:

• Build-up the soil
• Use natural fertilizer and pest control
• Choose companion plants for your climate zone
• Arrange plants so they provide a habitat for insects and wildlife that actually benefit garden health.

If you combine these principles with good gardening habits, you'll soon have an organic green thumb (and lots of delicious, good-for-you vegetables to eat)!

It's Not Just Dirt!

What's the difference between how the organic gardener feeds a garden compared to the conventional gardener? The conventional gardener feeds the plant (with chemicals from a lab), while the organic gardener feeds the soil.

Soil is living matter full of as many as 50 billion microscopic plants and organisms! Soil, and the creatures living in it, requires air and water to thrive. If you don't know the condition of your soil, contact your local master gardening organization, or university agriculture department-both will usually test soil for free or a nominal fee. When buying soil, you want it largely composed of organic material (read the package label).

To maintain and protect organic soil:

• Continually feed with organic matter-compost, manure, leaves, straw, and grass clippings.
• Weed regularly.
• Incorporate companion plants that naturally tame weed growth.
• Check plant packaging or a regional organic gardening guide to learn how to properly select and space plants to best match the yield you want from your garden.
• Use mulch

Protect Against Pests and Fertilize, Naturally

Synthetic herbicides and insecticides seep into groundwater, affect the health of wildlife and plants, and can contaminate your food. These chemicals also kill off beneficial insects that are part of nature's pest control system.

Synthetic fertilizers are not recommended for an organic garden because residual chemicals, including salts, can interfere with plant growth and even build-up in lawns. For example, quick-release high nitrogen fertilizers produce lush foliage but damage root structure - a plant's only way to extract nutrients.

Your best defense against pests is preventing a problem to begin with. You can accomplish this in a number of ways, all of which will invite natural enemies of pests into your growing area. Plus, these are great practices for any size garden:

• Carefully select plants for the your climate zone, build-up your soil, and plant in appropriate light/shade and space for the growing season.
• Water early in the day, not at night. Keep water in the root zone, not aimed at the plant.
• Maintain "plant personal space." Prune plants and weed to maintain good air circulation and prevent crowding, which can spread disease.
• Use netting or chicken wire to keep out pests that scurry around your yard.
• Learn to properly use botanical poisons, chemicals extracted from plants or minerals that are toxic to plant predatory insects (ex. Neem, certain essential oils).
• You can also search online for resources to help you with natural, integrated pest management (IPM). These resources can also help you resolve a pest problem.

Image Attribution: amenic181/bigstockphoto.com

Your Organic Green Thumb

Once your soil is in good condition and your ready to plant, follow these tips to start, and keep, your organic garden growing.

Prepare & Maintain: Clean-up your garden area in the fall. Remove all debris and weeds from a vegetable garden. Do not compost weeds - you might transfer seeds to your compost pile. Prep the soil. In spring and summer maintain weeding and mulching. If you don't have a local seed supplier, check online for a seed catalog and order early.

Right Plant, Right Place, Right Time. Decide if you will start from seed or young plant. Planting time will vary. Choose plants based on your growing zone, which is shown on the seed packaging or found online. Consider a vegetable plant's need for light/shade, moisture and the weather patterns typical for your area. Check the yield on the packaging for plants that you intend to grow. Some plants produce rapidly, such as cucumbers and tomatoes.

Go Native. It makes sense to use plants that are known to successfully grow in your area. Native species, seeds or plants, can be found at local growers and community supported agriculture (CSA) farms. These farmers can also tell you if a native plant has been prone to disease in your area.

Go Disease-Resistant. Certain varieties of vegetables are the superheroes of disease resistance, and are easy to grow. A partial list: Green beans, snap beans, yellow wax beans, cucumbers, Zucchini elite, black magic eggplant, Lady Bell Pepper; Klondike Yellow Bell; Cubanelle, Italian Sweet, Cherry Sweet. Tomato- Jet Star, Jackpot, Supersteak, Supersweet Cherry, Cherry Presto.

Diverse Companions. Include, and properly space, a variety of companion plants - herbs and flowers - with your vegetables, according to your growing zone. For example, dill, parsley, and angelica, can be planted near your vegetable garden to attract beneficial insects and enhance biodiversity.

Keep a Garden Journal. Note weather patterns, combinations of plants and effects on growth and pest control. Record the yield from your plants and their quality (appearance and taste). Take photos throughout the growing season.

Image Attribution: warrengoldswain/bigstockphoto.com

References

Earth-friendly 2016 Diet Resolutions

Too many of us have become Eco-Zombies... careless about the relationship between the health of the planet and the health of our own bodies and minds. From farm to fork, the way food is grown, processed, and distributed affects not only its quality and variety, but also impacts  our health and the sustainability of Mother Earth. That's why a lot of people who are concerned about both the size of their waist and recent extremes in climate change are making Earth-friendly dietary choices.

A useful starting point for understanding the relationship between the environment and your health is "planetary boundaries," or tipping points in our planet's natural air, land, and water systems. Recently, a team of 28 internationally renowned scientists identified these boundaries and related changes in natural systems, such as air quality, biodiversity, and land use. Breaches to these boundaries and the altered environmental trajectories could result in rapid, irreversible changes that threaten the conditions under which humanity can thrive on Earth. According to the scientists, 3 of the 9 planetary boundaries have already been crossed: climate change, biodiversity, and the global nitrogen cycle. The direct and indirect effects are seen in loss of biodiversity; soil, air and water pollution; polar ice melting; rising sea levels; ocean acidification; species endangerment and alterations in habitats; and inadequate development of water and land resources to meet food and energy needs. These changes have inexorable effects on human health, including increases in food and waterborne disease; disease carried by wildlife (e.g., Lyme, West Nile, Ebola), malnutrition, and rising rates of cancer, heart disease, respiratory illness, and diabetes.

Our reliance on factory farms - a.k.a Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs-is a big contributor to environmental rifts and the degradation of health. Most meat, poultry, eggs and dairy sold in the U.S. come from CAFOs, a major driver of deforestation, habitat destruction, and climate change. To prevent disease and promote faster growth, these animals are given hormones and antibiotics. Overuse of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance, a serious public health problem. Animal feed consists largely of subsidized Genetically Modified (GMO) grains grown with toxic pesticides and fertilizer, which end up in the water supply and on our produce.

"Grass-fed" beef may be more humane for animals but even the most humane farming practices wreak havoc on ecosystems. We have to feed billions of people, too many of whom consume too much of any kind of meat. Fish aren't off the hook, either. Overfishing has depleted many marine species and degraded marine ecosystems. Fish farms face similar problems to CFAOs. When it comes to reducing the negative impact food production on the planet, reducing seafood consumption is part of the equation.

Earth-friendly Diet Resolutions
Every day, you have three chances to choose a healthy, Earth-friendly diet consisting of more fruits, veggies, and legumes and no (or less and more carefully chosen) meat, dairy, eggs, and fish. In turn, you'll create a healthier future for Mother Earth.

Grow Your Food. Growing food helps save money, reduce the environmental cost of factory farming, and gives the whole family an "agri-education." Use organic soil, compost, and practice conservation-friendly watering to help your garden grow.

Eat Organic, Seasonally & Locally. Choose organic and in-season foods from local farms (Community Supported Agriculture-CSA) to support your local economy.

Go Meatless on Mondays. Just 1 day a week, try replacing meat-based recipes with savory vegetarian options.

Fish with Care. Like beef, farm raised fish also contain chemicals that affect our health and the environment. Choose locally caught, sustainably raised fish like tilapia, catfish or carp or "lower food chain" seafood including squid, clams or mussels.

Start a Farm-to-School Program. Talk with local public schools about partnering with CSA farms and serving vegetarian options to students.

Support GMO Labeling. The only way to know if a food has been genetically manipulated is for labels to indicate products are GMO-free. When it comes to your inbox, sign petitions for GMO labeling laws.

Image Attribution: HalfPoint/bigstockphoto.com
Resources

Gardening Therapy

Recent years have seen gardens popping up in some of the most unexpected places - retirement homes, after-school programs, and even prisons - where, it turns out, they have proven to be a very beneficial form of therapy and rehabilitation on multiple levels. Horticultural therapy is a centuries-old practice that began as a treatment for mental illness. Over the last 75 years that net has expanded to include physical rehabilitative care, memory care, and even social and work-related rehabilitation.

The possible benefits of horticulture therapy include improvement in memory, cognitive abilities, language and social skills, as well as coordination, balance, endurance and muscle strengthening. Gardening with purpose also can help teach people to work independently, problem solve and follow directions.

While many therapeutic gardens are designed by landscape architects for clinical application in order to promote a specific set of therapeutic benefits, you too can create your own garden oasis for at-home therapeutic use. The first step is to decide what kind of therapy you want to use your garden for. If you have mobility limitations, an enabling garden with gently graded accessible entrances and paths and raised planting beds may be right for you. If you want to promote learning and memory care, consider incorporating a sensory-oriented plant selection focused on color, texture and fragrance. If you have kids, you may want to consider making your garden a fun place for them to learn and play as well. Give your child a kid-friendly planter and encourage them to plant and maintain their own assortment of flowers and herbs. Hang a tire swing from a tree in your yard for your child to play on. If you want to encourage physical health and nutrition consider producing your own natural food supply, using organic farming principles. Or maybe you simply want a calm place to recuperate after a long day, in which case you may want to consider incorporating plants with calming scents and easy upkeep. No matter what type of therapies you choose to incorporate, the key is to remember that gardening should be enjoyable and beneficial, it should not feel like work. For more ideas on how to make your garden more therapeutic, check out these resources:

• The American Horticultural Therapy Association's characteristics of therapeutic gardens.
• The American Society of Landscape Architects website.
• Healthcare and Therapeutic Design Professional Practice Network's Therapeutic Landscapes Network.

REFERENCES

Photo Credit. Annies Gardens. http://www.annies-gardens.com/5-gardening-tips-kids-apply.html.

Gardeners Hand Care Routine.  Garden Therapy.ca. http://gardentherapy.ca/gardeners-hand-care/.

About Horticultural Therapy. American Horticultural Therapy Association. http://ahta.org/horticultural-therapy.

Can Gardening Help Troubled Minds Heal? The Salt. National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/17/147050691/can-gardening-help-troubled-minds-heal.

Characteristics of Therapeutic Gardens. The American Horticultural Therapy Association. http://ahta.org/sites/default/files/attached_documents/TherapeuticGardenChracteristic_0.pdf.

American Society of Landscape Architects. http://www.asla.org/PPNIndividualHome.aspx?id=3308.

Therapeutic Landscapes Network. Healthcare and Therapeutic Design Professional Practice Network. http://www.healinglandscapes.org/.

Image Attribution: Annies garden (http://www.annies-gardens.com)