This is a guest post written by Elizabeth Krause
Elizabeth Krause publisher of an Italian food website featuring simple Italian recipes.
Gardening is becoming a popular hobby in recent years. One can attribute a few factors for this increasing trend. First, the trust people have in many of the companies that supply our food has been shaken. Because of salmonella outbreaks from food in Mexico to even within the United States, some of us begin to wonder if it just wouldn’t be safer to grow our own vegetables at home.
If you are interested in having your own garden, whether small or large, here are a few tips to help make your garden as green as possible:
1. Use organic soil and fertilizers. This insures your soil is free from harmful chemicals and pesticides.
2. Use only water from a trusted source. Tap water or water supplied from your city contains large amounts of chlorine. Of course, this is needed to kill the bad bacteria which otherwise could send us to the hospital. But the contribution of chlorine to our plants is unnecessary. Use either fresh rain water by using a rain water bucket (enclosed so it will not attract mosquitoes), or use filtered water. This is common practice in places in Italy which cannot rely on city water. Many Italian farms are not equipped with water irrigation systems and instead place huge water tubs or barrels in the field.
3. Use drip irrigation systems. These work in a way that you can position the hose, and mark where you want the water to drip out – obviously only at each plant. This has two main benefits – first, less water is being wasted. Second, by concentrating the exact place where you need the water, you will experience fewer weeds in the surrounding area because most weeds need water to grow. By limiting or eliminating the water to those pesky weeds, they will have less chance of survival.
4. Use organic pesticides. These products are made of natural ingredients, such as garlic, water, vinager etc. There are many homemade concoctions available online. You can also check your local nursery to see if they carry these products.
5. Use organic compost. This is not as intimidating as it may appear. By now you pretty much have an organic garden more or less. So when you use your fresh fruit or vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini or peppers, do not throw away the unwanted leftovers. Instead, place them in a composting unit, or for some people, a pile at the back of the garden. Give them a good turning from time to time throughout the season and let them decompose, thus turning into a rich organic material loaded with nutrients for next year’s garden.
There are many ways you can make your garden greener. By following these 4 steps you will be on your way to a healthier garden and therefore a healthier food supply for you and your family.
