Pesticide pusher targets Michelle Obama’s organic garden: say no for earth day!

Michelle Obama’s decision to grow an organic garden at the White House for her children’s sake has been celebrated by most anyone with a lick of common sense. However, Big Ag lobbyist Mid America Crop Life Association displaying a big set of brass ones, sent a letter to Mrs. Obama in hopes of pimping her organic garden.

Here is an excerpt from the letter:

Sophisticated Global Positioning Systems can be specifically designed for spraying  pesticides. A weed detector equipped with infrared light identifies specific plants by the different rates of light they reflect and then sends a signal to a pump to spray a preset amount of herbicide onto the weed. Biogenetics allows a particular trait to be implanted directly into the seed to protect the seed against certain pests[...]

[...]As you go about planning and planting the White House garden, we respectfully encourage you to recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply. America’s farmers understand crop protection technologies are supported by sound scientific research and innovation.

Okay, so may be some mad scientist killing lab rats with the latest frankenstein concoction doesn’t turn your stomach, but after MACA sent its letter they fowarded an email around with this message:

Did you hear the news? The White House is planning to have an “organic” garden on the grounds to provide fresh fruits and vegetables for the Obama’s and their guests. While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder. As a result, we sent a letter encouraging them to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy. Read below for the entire letter.

I purposely red flagged  that blurb to highlight the gall. Now, when your blood stops boiling make more than a symbolic gesture in celebration of earth day (April 22) using the following suggestions:

• Turn off all lights to help conserve energy on earth day (traditional).
• Sign the petition to the White House http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/wh_garden/ supporting organic farming and Obamas organic garden.
• Make a committment to yourself and family to boycott agriculture infested with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, synthetic chemicals and GMO (genetically modified organisms).
• Support any number of grassroots organic campaigns at http://www.organicconsumers.org/transitions/index.cfm
• Learn more about organic gardening click here==> free organic garden mini course.

Organic gardening soil key to rich foliage

 Organic gardening soil is the key to success for many would be gardeners beginning to build or remodel their gardens this spring. Here are little hints  to avoid costly growing mistakes:

The biggest mistake commonly made forming  small gardens organically is lack of soil preparation. Your grounds may be perfectly laid out, expertly cultivated and nicely kept but failing to prepare the soil first leads to major disappointment.

 Thoroughly trench and prepare soil now before there’s anything on the ground . This helps avoid problems later in the growing process. Put this off for a better time and you may end up reaping only half the results which a little foresight and advanced planning could have prevented.

Trenching is a simple technique so rarely performed correctly that many don’t know how it’s really done.  Some gardeners consider a piece of ground trenched two feet deep completely ruined. We emphasize the importance of trenching to the depth of at least two feet and if the nature of the soil allows, even three feet.

Beginning on one side of the garden dig a trench  two or three feet deep at the proper width and length. This should be carried to the other side to fill up the last trench. Next dig a trench the same width into the one already opened, placing the top soil at the bottom. Continue to do this trench by trench until you have them all done.  At this point the ground should be properly levelled.

 Cover the entire surface with a coat of good organic fertiliser which should  be mixed in by turning the soil and fertiliser up well together. Given reasonable time to settle, your soil will then be ready for planting. One thing to remember; if the location is wet or the subsoil is clay, proper drainage should be made to remove excess water.  Tiles or blind drains, as they are called, will serve the purpose.

In the case of older grounds the work must be done gradually. Spaces between large trees should be trenched cutting as near to the main roots as possible without injuring them. Proceed in the same manner described above until the ground is properly trenched.

As a result, roots of all plants push deeper and penetrate into the soil producing rich foliage from everything grown on the soil which you will rarely see in unprepared ground.

Organic gardening on the White House lawn

Organic vegetable garden tomatoes

Organic gardening is about to commence at the White House. According to New York Times journalist Marian Burros, first lady Michelle Obama has started to till a section of the South Lawn to plant an organic garden. A White House garden has been missing since Eleanor Roosevelt planted the Victory Garden during World War II.

Burros wrote that Mrs. Obama was mostly interested in teaching parents and children about the health benefits of eating organically grown foods. “The first lady recalled the idea came from her experiences as a working mother trying to feed her daughters, Malia and Sasha, a good diet.”

Just like a number of parents around the country, Mrs. Obama became concerned over the drastic increase in over-weight children and juvenile diabetes after she realized her girls put on extra pounds from eating out so often.

Obviously grass roots efforts being made by advocates such as the Organic Consumers Association, who feel an increase in locally grown organic foods will help reduce child obesity and diet-related diseases, has begun to pay dividends.

Many of these health problems have linked to a school lunch menu filled with junk food that contain fats, starches and meats that have been genetically modified, injected with hormones and antibiotics, and sprayed with toxic pesticides.

Organic vegetable gardening tips

Organic vegetable gardening in your backyard may be a great way to offset the rising costs of living.  You can cut back on your grocery bill and improve your family’s overall  health at the same time.

It would be wise to select seedlings for the vegetables you enjoy most then sow plots in raised beds to grow according to early season, middle of the season and late season varieties.

The majority of vegetable types need a minimum of six hours sunlight each day and a few require eight hours. The quick growing plants, lettuce and radish for example, can be planted in  between rows that take longer to mature. Beets and corn fall into this category. Using this technique takes advantage of every square inch of growing area available.

Organic vegetable gardens need to be watered often during dry periods. A number of vegetables during fruiting, benefit from an inch or more of water every week.

Growing season is the time to watch for problematic insects. Controlling bugs early on makes life much easier, but make sure not to use any pesticides on vegetables that are close to being harvested unless it’s absolutely unavoidable.

 After you have reaped your bounty place any vegetable waste in your compost bin to be recycled for next spring. It’s a good way to help the environment.

Protect your garden with a fence that will keep out dogs, rabbits, and other animals. The fence pays for itself preventing the damage that can be caused by stray animals during one season. A fence also provides a frame for peas, beans, tomatoes, and other crops that need support.

6 Good reasons to start organic gardening

Organic gardening is an environmentally sound way of growing fruits and vegetables using only substances that are found in nature. Why should anyone want to cultivate an organic garden? Well, let’s just start with these six very good reasons:

• You can very easily make compost from garden and table scraps. Although this may be a little more time-consuming than buying prepared organic fertilizer, it certainly helps to reduce the amount of disposable waste and helps further protect the environment.
• Organic farming does not make use of toxic pesticides and synthetic chemicals that may have an adverse affect on your health. This is especially important when growing vegetables that will be consumed by your children. Chemical companies may lead you to believe that the herbicides and fertilizers are safe when used according to directions, but research has shown that even the smallest amounts of poison absorbed through the skin can cause such things as cancer, especially in children. The average child ingests five to six times more cancer-causing pesticides from foods than an adult. This can lead to various diet related diseases later in a child’s life. Organic gardening can help eliminate this harmful exposure.
• Less harm to the environment. Pesticides and synthetic chemicals are often washed into our waterways and soaked into soil, killing wildlife by polluting their natural habitat.
• Organic farming best practices help prevent the loss of topsoil through erosion. The Soil Conservation Service estimates that around 30-32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands each year.
• Cost savings. It’s not necessary spend a fortune buying costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Many organic recipes for pest control and disease come straight from nature. Sometimes other insects can be help control bugs. An example of this is the ladybug and praying mantis, which helps to repel bugs from plants. A simple mulch of pine needles will help to suppress the growth of weeds as well as keeping the moisture in. A mixture of crab meal, lime and green sand can be used to fertilize crops.
• Finally, organic gardening best practices help to keep the environment  safe and replenish the soil for future generations.