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| Organic Gardening - Photo: Maxpixel |
The history of organic vegetable gardening dates back many centuries ago as the ancient civilizations relied on this livelihood and fishing to put food on the table.
Back then, nobody used fertilizers and pesticides but as the world’s increased in population, the demand for food also went up. To fill the gap, scientists decided to introduce fertilizers and chemicals to cut the harvesting time and make the vegetables bigger.
Organic vegetable gardening only made a come back in the 1980’s making an old practice new again when the US Department of Agriculture encouraged farmers to do it by giving them incentives. This made more farmers join the bandwagon which is also being done in Europe.
But organic vegetable gardening is not just eliminating the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers will have to use other means to make crop grows such as compost, crop residue, crop rotation, integrated pest management and mechanical cultivation in order to preserve soil productivity and combat pests.
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements is the regulator these days that tells farmers across the globe how this should be done. Their recommendations help crops grow to 75 million acres of land across the globe.
Their strategy is focused on sustainable development so that the land used today can only be used by the next generation as we have left for them a healthy ecosystem.
Organic vegetable gardening has proven to be effective because since its inception in 1980. To prove this point, one study has pointed out that the amount of corn and soybeans produced using this method was almost the same compared to those who used fertilizers and pesticides. The best part is that this was achieved without using that much energy and without the risk of having harmful chemicals enter our bodies.
It has been estimated by one university that if developing countries also practice organic vegetable gardening, they too can also double or triple their crops without wasting money on buying pesticides and fertilizes.
One thing you have to keep in mind here is that a percentage of vegetables being consumed in the US are imported from other countries.
Because organic vegetable gardening is so easy, anyone can do it. This will enable you to plant your own vegetables at home instead of buying these from the supermarket.
The key to a successful harvest using organic farming is planning. You will need the land to plant these on that has adequate sunlight and an efficient drainage system so that they are able to get water.
If you are able to figure that out, the only thing you have to worry about is what to plant because some vegetables do not well under certain conditions that could be attributed to the climate and the type of soil in the ground.
Those who know what they can and cannot plant will save themselves time and money so they can focus on what works.
The history of organic vegetable gardening has now come full circle as we are doing what the ancients have practiced long before we were born. You can do your part by buying those that are organically grown from the supermarket or planting your own.
The end result is that we eat healthy without ever thinking if these contain any chemicals that may be harmful to our bodies.
