It has been proven that organic farming yields
more food than conventional farming. Why haven't the farmers figured this out? Well, many farmers in Vermont
are finding the virtues of organic farming and have switched over.
Each year, my family plants a vegetable
garden. Our plot is about 100 square feet. Planting season is short here, but our crops still yield more than we can eat.
We give a lot of tomatoes and zucchini to our neighbors.
The fertilizer
we use is Alaska Brand fertilizer which is specially formulated for the different stages of plant development. There are
other brands which will be referred to on the right soon. You can also buy individual ingredients and make your own
fertilizers. Many organic fertilizers are by-products of an animal. Bat guano,
cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, manure and sewage sludge are some of the organic fertilizers used. Each of these
contains nutrient ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus, or potash. These fertilizers must be broken down by tiny organisms in order
for the plant to absorb them. It is best to make a tea with which to water your plants. If there is not
enough of one nutrient, you can add natural materials such as lime, rock phosphate, and green sand. Always be sure to
check your Ph balance. Many garden stores carry these kits for $8-12.
Have you ever seen a forest grow after a fire has decimated all plant life? Trees and
plants pop up from the ground and life comes back strong and healthy. This is partly due to the ash left from the burnt vegetation.
We mix ash, compost and chicken poop together on our plot prior to planting. We then
cover the garden with cardboard or a tarp and let the soil settle. After about a month, we take the cover off and till the
soil. Our garden is ready for planting. Now we just need to keep the animals from eating it before we get to.
We have a lot of slugs in the summer and if we are not careful they will eat all of
the plants before they have a chance to grow. Last year, to keep our garden safe, we set out half full cans of beer for them
to go to. This worked exceedingly well and we were re-locating slugs every few days. For plant eating insects, we use a
pepper tea with soap. Jabanero is the best but other hot peppers will work as well. The pepper is for the taste and the
soap keeps the tea from being washed off the plants. We also spread straw around the plants to keep weeds from taking over.
By the end of the growing season, we will have enough tomatoes to make some really good
sauce. The herbs are hung up to dry and potatoes are put in a cool place. The soil is raked and straw is spread out on top.
This keeps weeds from coming up before the next planting season begins.
Organic gardening is not hard to do and you will find that your yield is more than adequate
for you and your family. So, make sure that the food you buy is organic and support sustainable farming where ever you go.
If enough farmers begin to listen and change their methods, they will be contributing to a sustainable future for their crops
as well as surrounding land and water resources. If every farmer were to start organic farming, they would be growing enough
nutritious food to feed the whole world and then some. Would that be great or what?
Today there are still many large farms employing petroleum based pesticides, which contaminate their soil and local
water. This does not promote sustainable crops and they have to constantly fortify their crops with nutrients and pesticides
just to produce a yield. Some farmers use genetically modified seeds and in some places like Maui, Hawaii, sugar cane
is still being burned before harvest. Support organic farming and help educate others about the benefits of sustainable
agriculture.
