Image via Wikipedia
In order for you to recognize why growing your own vegetables is a clever Plan, let me clarify how the countless changes to the agricultural methods came to be.
It used to be that while growing your own vegetables, you would place seeds in organically enriched soil, rotate your vegetables so that the soil would not become depleted of certain nutrients, and keep some for the winter.
Then again, as farming methods changed so did people’s routine convert from growing your own vegetables to purchasing vegetables from big stores, completely trusting that these vegetables were the same as nutrient filled as the vegetables they would eat when they were kids. Though, this is not the case.
Subsequent to World War 11, up-to-the-minute conventional farming practices spearheaded by large companies were to drastically transform the way farmers nurture their crop. As a outcome, today’s vegetables that we acquireoff the shelf (unless certified organic) are not as nutrient-filled the same as they should be and, more than not, are laced with insecticide or pesticide.
Allow me explain what happened to agricultural procedures during these last 50+ years, why these modern farming method do not bestow the same value of vegetables as we had when we were growing up back before the 60′s.
1: Nurturing your own vegetables by the diverse farming/crop rotation approach was replaced by growing only one variety of vegetable over and over again in the same soil.
Farmers had bought into the theory that as an alternative of following the concept of growing your own vegetables, it would be more profitable to sow huge fields of one crop and benefit from more man-made fertilizers which companies and government claimed were just as beneficial as fertilizer. . . that in the end the price of the compost would be offset by selling additional produce.
2. Organic Compost was switched by “distinctive” imitation chemical-based granular composts.
Nevertheless, when the farmers began abandoning assorted farming and growing your own vegetables in support of growing huge crops of only one, possibly two, sorts of vegetable, the soil was little by little being depleted of greatly needed nutrients. The soil was not being replenished with supplemental nutrients because fertilizing with organic compost/good old fashion compost and crop rotation had been eliminated.
To make matters worse, the new imitation fertilizers did not replenish the soil with all indispensable micronutrients and macro nutrients neither, consequently each farmer’s crop has become less wholesome, has fewer nutrients in them, and definitely doesn’t taste like the ones “Gramma used to grow”.
3: Beside using the modern methods of artificial chemical-based fertilization in its place of growing your own vegetables and using organic soil amendments, farmers ought to do excessive spraying as crops become less nourishing. Why?
It’s a well-known fact that any vegetable which is less than nourishing gets attacked more frequently by insects or fungus; as a result, to shield their crops from being destroyed and/or looking good for the consumer, these big farmers have no alternative but to spray more often with insecticide and/or pesticides.
Individuals growing your own vegetables used methods which kept the vegetables healthier and crammed with nutrients; therefore, these vegetables were less vulnerable to insect or fungus assault. Apparently these modernmethods could not yield the same value of beneficialvegetables.
4: Many big farmers are forced to utilize chemical fertilizers instead of the organic fertilizer.
A farmer once said, ” Composted cattle compost is difficult to ‘come by’ for the reason that cattle farmers hang onto it. The vegetable farmers who do not own cattle have no alternative but to buy this fertilizer!”
He went on to explain that most farmers have very little money so cannot afford to buy fertilizerby the ton; so, they must resort to this chemical-based cheaper manure.
All this is not beneficial news for the consumer, us, who, not realizing to what measure the quality of the vegetables had depreciated, had turned to buying as an alternative of growing your own vegetables.
For the longest period, the consumer did not realize they were part of a vicious circle. . . . 1) vegetables lacking more and more in nutrients and 2) insecticide/pesticide on our food and spreading in our water table. No wonder cancer and other disease is rampant!
And now for the worst news of all . . .
5. It first became evident that in January, 2010. Large companies in the US are trying to oblige farmers to procure and plant GENETICALLY ALTERED SEEDS in their fields/gardens. They would likethe government to pass a bill which would outlaw organic gardening even in a person’s backyard!
If these companies get their way by certain bills voted for at the government level, the farmers would be in a terrible predicament: use genetically distorted seeds or lose their farms; use artificial fertilizers bought from these companies . . .. Just like the song: “I owe my soul to the company store.”
For a better comprehension, you may want to view the documentary “The Future of Our Food”.
As I was viewing this video, the section about how big companies in the US are trying to force farmers to buy and plant GENETICALLY ALTERED SEEDS in their fields and gardens. They want the government to pass a bill which would outlaw organic gardening even in a person’s backyard! If these companies are planning to sell seeds which have been genetically changed to self destruct after one year of growth made me feel sincerely sorry for the farmers as well as for us customers!
How will farmers be able to continue to exist? How will we live on if we are not permitted to choose our seeds when growing our own vegetables ? How can seeds be saved for the following year’s crop if they are to self-destruct? How are these plants growing from genetically distorted seeds going to influence our health?
To read more about the drawbacks of genetically modified seeds and view the video explaining why the farmers are so exceedingly concerned and worried, go to Genetically Modified Foods Vs Organic Foods, which was written when certain groups in the US wanted to bar organic farming and even forbid growing your own vegetables in your own back yard.
6. Here’s one last proof that one ought to either buy organically grown vegetables or grow your own vegetables .
The David Suzuki Foundation released a document, “The Food We Eat” — An International Comparison of Pesticide regulations, October 2006.
Here_s a part of what it says:
“The Foundation made the claim that Canada’s pesticide regulations are among the weakest in the industrialized world. Sixty chemicals used in 1,130 pesticide products are banned in other western industrialized nations, they say.
However, in 2007 Canada’s maximum residue limits on food are significantly lower than the US, the European Union, and Australia.
Canada reports a 10 percent residue on fresh fruit and vegetables, as compared to the US which reports 76 percent.”
Hopefully there is an improvement in that area since 2007. However,I can’t help but wonder: “How much insecticide/pesticide residual are we swallowing as we eat our vegetables bought at the grocery store? ….. and who knows what else we are swallowing!”
Wouldn’t it be to our benefit to return to growing your own vegetables so that you are able to make sure that you are planting non-gmo seeds (i.e. using organic seeds instead) in a nourishing soil well supplemented with compost or manure so that very little or no spraying with insecticides/pesticides is needed?
It only makes sense to either pay money for organically grown vegetables or if at all possible, take a area of land near the house, add lots of home made compost or manure or both, and begin growing your own vegetables . . .delicious, nutritious, and improved vegetables . . . in your own little garden.
