Thursday, November 14, 2013

Why More Farmers Should Be Growing Organic Vegetables

By Leslie Griffith


There is a global trend towards a more healthy lifestyle. This incorporates the physical activity in which people engage as well as the food that they consume.An all natural farm, is one of the best ways to ensure that you consume healthy, chemical free food. It also has its financial benefits. This is why so many people are interested in growing organic vegetables.

Planters often start with the soil when converting to organic farming and with good reason too. Much of the contamination that gets into the food is contained in the soil in which it is planted. Many farmers look to composting to reduce the need for commercial fertilizers.

Preparing the soil for planting is the first step that an organic farmer must take. A great way to do this is by composting. This is essentially a method of allowing biodegradable waste such as peelings and leaves to decay and break down. When these are added to the soil they make the land more fertile and eliminate the need for harmful fertilizers.

Commercial pest control products have the potential to make food unsafe. This is why most commercial pest control products have specified periods for use and restrictions on reaping within a certain time after application. Quite often, if food is reaped and consumed within a certain period after application, serious health complications follow. There are, however, safer, more natural means of keeping pests away from plants and ensuring that you reap a bountiful harvest.

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.

Using the tools that nature provides is a cost effective means of securing the plants in the garden or farm area. This is so because it lessens the need for the (often dangerous and chemical laced) pesticides that are sold on the market. Additionally, the health of the applier and the consumer get spared from exposure to the chemicals of pesticides that are laden with harmful chemicals.

Harvesting must also be done organically. This means avoiding chemical at this stage in order to ensure that the organically grown status of the crop is not compromised. If, for instance, preservation is needed, natural means of getting this done must be used. Using chemical preservatives, at this point would cancel out all the work put into cultivating the natural way.

It is quite obvious that growing organic vegetables has a lot of benefits. One benefit is the freedom that it provides since it removes the farmer's reliance on commercial items such as fertilizers.The food produced by these methods is safer and those who consume and provide the food reap health benefits.




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