The Courier-Journal, the Louisville newspaper, recently asked residents why and how did they become drawn into gardening. Me, being a gardener for over 15 years, had to answer. I was lucky enough to have my response and photo in the newspaper. The following is what I wrote on why I'm drawn to gardening:
My parents got me into gardening and I'm so glad they did. Gardening teaches you responsibility as well as the satisfaction of growing something that can be appreciated or eaten. Even in Kentucky, you can grow almost whatever you like. Gardening has been one of my favorite hobbies for years. From flowers to tomatoes, gardening has taught me a lot about nature. I recommend gardening to anyone and everyone.
You can see my response and other gardeners in the Louisville area here.
Over the years I have grown just about anything you can in Kentucky. The photo below is the last all-out garden I had a few years ago. The scarecrow was a fun little thing to add to the garden, but I’m not sure it really worked. Days after this photo was taken a family of deer wiped out my entire crop of sweet corn. I guess they needed it more than me. One of the casualties of gardening, I reckon.
A nationwide study reveals that children exposed to higher levels of a type of pesticide found in trace amounts on commercially grown fruit and vegetables are more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than children with less exposure.
Researchers measured the levels of pesticide byproducts in the urine of 1,139 children from across the United States. Children with above-average levels of one common byproduct had roughly twice the odds of getting a diagnosis of ADHD, according to the study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics.
Exposure to the pesticides, known as organophosphates, has been linked to behavioral and cognitive problems in children in the past, but previous studies have focused on communities of farm workers and other high-risk populations. This study is the first to examine the effects of exposure in the population at large.
Maryse Bouchard, Ph.D., a researcher in the department of environmental and occupational health at the University of Montreal says, "Organic fruits and vegetables contain much less pesticides, so I would certainly advise getting those for children. National surveys have also shown that fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets contain less pesticides even if they're not organic. If you can buy local and from farmers' markets, that's a good way to go."
If this research is true it would be just another of many reasons to eat more organic fruit and vegetables.
So which fruit and vegetables have the potential of the most and least amount of pesticides? See the The Dirty Dozen & The Clean Fifteen.
Is enough being done to protect us from chemicals that could harm us? Watch "Toxic America," a special two-night investigative report with Sanjay Gupta M.D., June 2 & 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CNN.
Now the temperature is even warmer (over 70 degrees today). This makes me think of even more of gardening. So I thought I would come up with a list of my favorite 15 flowers that I like to grow. I just posted the list on Lunch.com here: Favorite Flowers To Grow. I'm sure your favorites are different than mine.
What are your favorite flowers to grow?
My top 5 in the list are below:
Well the Sun is shining and temperatures over 50 degrees, which makes me think of gardening. So I thought I would come up with a list of my favorite 12 vegetables (not all are actually veggies) that I like to grow. I just posted the list on Lunch.com here: Favorite Vegetables To Grow. I'm sure your favorites are different than mine. What are your favorite vegetables to grow?
My top 5 in the list are below:
A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, roundworms, microbes and people that destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals.
Pesticide use raises a number of environmental concerns. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including non-target species, air, water and soil. Pesticide drift occurs when pesticides suspended in the air as particles are carried by wind to other areas, potentially contaminating them. Pesticides are one of the causes of water pollution, and some pesticides are persistent organic pollutants and contribute to soil contamination.
Below are two lists from the Environmental Working Group on the fruit and vegetables with potentially the most and least pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain highest pesticides load
- peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarines
- strawberries
- cherries
- kale
- lettuce
- imported grapes
- carrots
- pears
Clean Fifteen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain the least pesticide residue
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mangoes
- asparagus
- sweet peas
- kiwis
- cabbages
- eggplants
- papayas
- watermelons
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- sweet potatoes
You can peel your fruits and vegetables and trim outer leaves of leafy vegetables in addition to washing them thoroughly. Keep in mind that peeling your fruits and vegetables may also reduce the amount of nutrients and fiber. Some pesticide residue also collects in fat, so remove fat from meat and the skin from poultry and fish.
So how do you possibly avoid pesticides totally? The answer is either grow your own food or going Organic. Or both. Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms. Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown at a rapid pace, to reach $46 billion in 2007.
Think before you buy. I'm starting to do that and buy organic foods. There are more and more options because demand is increasing. Be healthy and eco-friendly.
The temperatures are getting cooler and the leaves, they are changin' colors. In my corner of the world in Kentucky, I get
red from burning bushes,
green from evergreen shrubbery,
yellow is from maple trees,
golden brown from oak trees and
white from pampas grass.
Notice the Moon showing itself off in the photo below: 
Well that it for my neck of the woods for this autumn. These colors are about as peak as my colors seem to get. Do you have photos of your Fall colors?
My tomato plants have done their job for the year. No more good
tomatoes or blooms are on the vine so today I picked off all of the respectable
tomatoes and heaved my tomato plants into my compost bin. Alas, colder
weather is near (in Kentucky anyway) and this is just one of the things to do to
get ready for autumn. My tomato plants won't be lonely, a lot of leaves
will be joining them very soon.
Don't fret, I made sure there were no bugs or diseased areas on the plants.
You don't want to spread disease into your compost bin. That just wouldn't
be good for your compost bin at all. Speaking of compost bin, mine has
seen better days. It has gotten pretty sad looking. I made it around 8 years ago out of wood.
It has done its job, but I plan
to get or make a new one for this coming spring.
Don't have a compost bin and don't know how to compost, and would like to?
Do It Yourself Composting At Home
