Grow a healthier and tastier garden this year organically

BDN - lettuceSay you’re going to have an organic garden this year.  Are there ‘organic’ seeds and should you buy them?

There are organic seeds and buying organic seedlings guarantees your seeds will not be treated with neonicotinoid pesticides. You might have heard of these chemical pesticides that are sucked in by the plants in their watering and then invade every part of the plant, including, of course, its blossoms.

Once considered a wonder chemical pesticide that killed any insect lunching off the plant, now research has strongly suggested links behind neonicotinoids and the collapse of bee populations in those countries using this pesticide. Since the chemical is part of a treated plant’s blossom, insects feeding or gathering a plant’s nectar are killed as well as the caterpillars gnawing on its leaves.

Birds control most harmful pests, depending on them to feed themselves and their young.  Birds and their chicks will starve and shortly there will be no birds around if neonicotinoids are used. Often organic seeds use heirloom plant seeds, so you might be able to grow tomatoes, for example that are much tastier than those found in grocery stores.

How do you protect your flowers and veggies from various hungry bugs without using chemical pesticides?  You can choose from a host of commercial organic products, many probably available at your hardware store or garden center, along with a number of ‘home remedies’ you can find on the Internet. We have included our Ogunquit Conservation Commission site where you can find both.

http://ogunquitconservation.org/links/

Why not grow an organic garden this year?  You won’t have to use those chemical poisons that have been linked to a variety of cancers and other debilitating diseases in humans and that harm pets, bees and birds.

Bill Baker

About Bill Baker

Bill's interest in a clean place to live is rooted in growing up in the country – a cornfield across the road and fields, sandstone cliffs and hundreds of acres of woods where he spent many hours.