Organic Gardening in Oregon City, Oregon

There Are Many Reasons to Go/Grow Organic

Doreen Bradley Satter, RN
Everyone is going organic and growing organic. It's not a new idea but it is a very smart idea and it is not hard to do.

Those of us who are wanting to grow our own organic gardens usually have two main reasons for doing so: (1) To lower the food bill by growing our own fresh vegetables and fruits, and (2) to grow them organically to keep our family healthy and free from toxic fertilizers and pesticides found in most foods from grocery stores.

Organically grown foods are found to be much higher in antioxidants, supplying our bodies with a greater concentration of nutrients. Fruits and vegetables found in stores may not always be fresh, and the essential, healthy nutrients may have been lost between the picking and the time you buy. If you are lucky enough to find a good assortment of fresh-appearing organic foods at your store, the cost is usually very high and you cannot always be assured that the farmer is truly growing organic. Wouldn't you rather grow your own healthy organic food and know exactly how its been grown and that it is freshly picked?

Not many things are more satisfying than walking out to your own garden and picking tomatoes, corn, spinach, peas, beans, carrots, cucumbers, squash, melons, maybe digging a few potatoes and snipping some fresh herbs for your dinner.

Even if you are thinking you have no time to spend on gardening, think again. There is something new on the scene! New services are springing up to do ALL the work for you. These new 'edible landscaping companies' are springing up in Oregon City, OR and other cities on the west coast. They create and maintain sustainable organic gardens in individual yards. They do all the preparation, planting, weeding, watering and will even pick your vegetables for you. All that is left for you to do is to prepare your meal!

The benefits of an organic garden are both environmental and personal. In a small yard, the lawn can be replaced with an organic vegetable garden. You will save time and money by not having to water and mow a large lawn and you will be reaping many benefits of a healthy organic garden.

The produce grown in your own back yard is easily accessible and saves gas and trips to the store which adds further to the total money saved by growing your own organic vegetables and fruits.

Several things must be taken into consideration before beginning an organic garden. The garden must be taylored to specific conditions and climate of your area. Also, you must decide on the size of the garden you want to construct. The location for the garden space needs to be chosen to allow adequate sunlight, and sod (lawn) removed, and also plants and shrubs, if necessary, and perhaps transplanted elsewhere else in your yard. The soil in the chosen garden area should be cultivated well, removing all weeds and then amended with compost and clean topsoil if necessary.

There is always room for an organic garden no matter how small a yard you may have. In a very small garden, tiers of garden beds can be erected similar to bookshelves. Also, containers can be placed on a porch or deck, and planted with vegetables.

When deciding on your edible organic garden, keep in mind that a well maintained organic garden will produce about a half-pound of vegetables per every square foot. This figures out to be a return of about one dollar's worth of vegetables per square foot.

When the cost of seeds, plants and garden supplies are figured into the equation, you can expect to yield about $25.00 worth of vegetables for every $1.00 spent on supplies.

Have fun planning, constructing and maintaining your organic vegetable and fruit garden and enjoy all the healthful and financial benefits you will receive.

Source:

 

 http://www.houselogic.com/articles/save-money-your-edible-garden/

Published by Doreen Bradley Satter, RN

DOREEN BRADLEY SATTER, RN is a mostly-retired Registered Nurse, Artist, Published Author and Freelance Writer and has been writing for the Yahoo! Contributor Network for several years. She has one published...  View profile

1 Comments

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  • Orice Klaas6/14/2010

    Excellent facts that I never knew before. Thanks, Doreen.

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