Most avid gardeners know how futile it is to keep good soil health. Soil is your foundation for everything successful and the health of our plants and Earth. Our foundation is not something that can be compromised. Roundup or Glyphosate is 100% harmful to all things in the soil, including good bacteria and introducing cancer-causing chemicals. Why resort to this chemical when we have so many great ways to grow efficiently?
As a flower farmer myself, I know the value of keeping the soil, in terms, better than we found it yesterday. We have such an advanced culture now that chemistry is easy for us. Altering it with unnatural chemicals has been proven to be harmful. It’s just a matter if we can accept it.
My start in gardening actually started as a single mom wanting to feed the family organic grown foods. At the time, I couldn’t afford to buy organic so I had to figure it out myself. I ended up falling in love with rustling around in the dirt and watching plants grow and thrive. It was an amazing feeling of, “I grew that!”, not ever thinking I would one day be managing an acre of various flowers and vegetables. 100% rewarding and beneficial way to use time and money!
HEY! I totally get it…we need to be efficient with TIME and MONEY.
There is no question as to needing the most cost-efficient and time-efficient way to do your gardening or farming. The key is here–a compromise. Find the healthiest way to do things and accommodate nature.
Here is my example. I have 6 kids, there is never enough time in the day to get it all done. There is also never enough money we could have to pay for “everything we need”. But, what do we do? We figure it out anyway. We still take time to make breakfast or pack a lunch. It’s time to accommodate what the Earth needs and be cognizant of how WE HURT the Earth as well. When we damage the Earth we in turn can damage ourselves and our family.
Sebastian from Drugwatch.com
Has some great key points that I have adapted and use often. My fellow farmers at the Reeves Family Farm have adapted these ways and so have many, many others.
How to protect yourself, your garden, and your small farm from Glyphosate, by Sebastian A.
The main component of many herbicides, glyphosate or roundup, has drawn a lot of attention because of the possible hazards to human health and the environment. Avoiding glyphosate exposure is important for those who look after gardens and small farms not only for the sake of their own health but also to protect the environment. Here is how to go about it:
1. Select Glyphosate-Free Herbicides: If you must use herbicides, choose those that are glyphosate-free. Today, there are other environmentally friendly herbicides that may successfully control weeds without the glyphosate risk.
2. Adopt organic farming methods by converting your garden or small farm. Natural weed control methods are used in organic farming, which lessens the demand for synthetic pesticides like glyphosate.
3. Hand Weeding: Although labor-intensive, hand weeding is still among the safest methods of getting rid of undesirable weeds. Make this an activity you can do together as a family or community.
4. Mulch: Mulching serves as a weed barrier in addition to helping to keep the soil moist. Herbicide usage can be considerably decreased by using mulch.
5. Crop Rotation: Regularly rotate your crops. This method reduces the demand for pesticides and herbicides by confusing pests and disrupting their life cycles.
6. Educate yourself: Keep up with glyphosate’s uses and possible substitutes. Your strongest line of defense is knowledge. Participate in workshops, read books, and adhere to trustworthy web sources.
7. Encourage the growth of regional organic markets by purchasing your produce there whenever you can. Supporting organic farmers promotes environmentally friendly methods and makes a statement about the type of agriculture you support.
Additional resources:
https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/glyphosate/
https://www.drugwatch.com/roundup/alternatives/
Keep the awareness going…
Don’t settle for less. Make these changes a “norm” and nothing will seem out of sorts. I use all these methods throughout the year and see great results.
Other insecticides I use are Neem oil and Organic products by Jobe’s. I have great results but I do have to keep up with how fast the bad bugs seem to procreate. Jobe’s has great organic options for fertilizers and eco-friendly products. I saw a huge leap in my plum tree output this year. So many we couldn’t keep up. We used the fertilizer spikes and will continue to use them! Honestly, we buy so much from them, everything is a favorite!
What major problems do I have on my farm?
I wrote about my dahlia failures here last year, yet continue to find good and efficient ways to grow them here. Texas is so humid, I’m not sure how happy they will ever be here. I can’t say I blame them 😆. To be determined on that topic.
I have learned many lessons:
- grow what God intended you to grow in your REGION. Don’t force what wouldn’t naturally be there.
- always choose Organic, do it for your children
- hard work and a clear head always find success. (don’t take the easy way out, it will backfire)
- talk to your plants, tell them you love and appreciate them
- take your kids out to the garden, and show them what you have learned
- about bug control: keep weeds down and Neem oil often! Protect the plants your love!
- make a routine of going out there daily (even if it’s just for an hour). It will help you keep up and know what’s actively a problem.
How have you found success in Organic Gardening? Tell me below 👇
Love to your Mother, and your Mother’s Mother,
Farmer Franny