Telling it Like It Is - "The Truth About Organic Gardening"
It used to be just religion and politics we had to avoid discussing. Now lines are drawn everywhere from Casual Friday to Tupperware. I’m always amazed how willing we are to argue about things, when the only facts we have are second-hand. That’s one of the nice things about talking gardening with a gardener. We’ve all been duped by deer repellents and black spot cures. We know gardening is an applied science and there are few absolutes. We only know what works for us.
To his credit, Jeff Gillman steps out of his role as academic and into his own “test garden” to see what organic practices work and what’s hype. As an organic gardener who has experienced her share of disappointments in the garden, I like that he starts right off asking why we turned our backs on organic gardening in the first place and that he keeps an open mind about whether natural products are necessarily safer and superior to synthetic: "If we start to divide pesticides by natural versus synthetic rather than by their safety and efficacy in controlling pests, we’re just fooling ourselves into thinking that we’re making rational decisions when in fact we’re making a meaningless and artificial separation that could well be to our detriment." Here’s what our Organic Gardening Guide has to say about his book. Book Review - "The Truth About Organic Gardening".
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Comments
Hello Marie
Having a garden to me is second nature, like breathing. Life is never interesting without a garden. I read that nurturing a garden keeps one healthy (all things being equal, no drinking booze, no smoking and all the vices people have that destroy their health). It’s probably because we are replicating God’s Garden of Eden. Also,a garden makes for happiness, contentment and peace of mind. Because of my garden, I’m one who never gets sick, thank God. Looking at all those beautiful creations of God lifts the spirit and therefore makes for super good health.
I thank God for your knowledgeable garden newsletter.
Ellis
I use no fertilizer,
other than coffee grounds.However, I did use
Round-Up on a brick sidewalk
in front, but thanks to a volunteer from Bowman’s Hill
http://www.bhwp.org/, I don’t do that anymore.Ordinary vinegar works almost as good.A 2nd shot would be needed with vinegar to completely eliminate ‘those not wanted’, but a 2nd shot is often necessary with Round-Up.
Ellis, it makes sense to thank Marie for her wonderful blog. I must have missed God’s byline!