What is Organic Gardening?

Organic gardening is basically good common sense gardening. It's the way that people who live close to the earth have gardened for centuries. They respect the web of life and know how it works. They know not to poison their land, water, or food that they eat. They care about the world they are creating for future generations.

Today most people depend upon modern farming technology. It is important to remember that these practices grew out of the industrial revolution and the chemical industry, and that they are relatively new to our long history of agriculture. Global food production now fills our markets with luscious, perfect looking food, throughout the year.  Many of us have grown up with this availability and take it for granted, not realizing that it is based on a short term, profit first belief system. 

The interest in organic gardening has grown out of the concerns that these practices are not healthy for humans or for the earth. More medical and scientific research is starting to validate these concerns. David Steinman, author of Living Healthy in a Toxic World (Perigee, 1996) points to studies that show a disturbing connection between breast cancer and reproductive problems, and many of the chemicals found in common pesticides. These chemicals are consumed daily, especially through the food we eat. They have been dubbed "gender benders" because they act like the female hormone estrogen when ingested. Endosulfan, for example, has shown estrogenic activity comparable to DDT and is the 7th most prevalent pesticide detected in the food supply. Studies show the reproductive health of both wildlife and humans suffers from the harmful effects of these estrogenic chemicals.

The good news, though, is that a 1994 Danish study published in the British medical journal The Lancet, found that male organic farmers and other men who frequently consume foods grown without pesticides have "an unexpectedly high sperm density". The organic food consumers had twice the sperm counts as those who did not. More studies like these are showing the importance of eating a diet free of pesticides.

Steinman recommends eating more plants with phytoestrogens, beneficial substances that will displace toxic forms of estrogen in the body. Eat more crucifer vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, mustard greens and turnips which are rich in indole-3-carbinol, which reduces the metabolism of estrogen into a toxic form, while stimulating its metabolization into a nontoxic form. Avoid plastic food packaging, for it contains estrogenic contaminants that leach into the food. Choose unwrapped produce or foods wrapped only in unbleached paper (free of Dioxin) whenever possible. Store food in glass containers or unbleached paper towels placed inside a plastic bag.

We can make better choices and have better health, if we continue to educate ourselves. There is a a growing trend to be more knowledgeable about our food choices. But, most consumers remain unaware of the amount of herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides on the food they eat and how it affects their health. And, they do not understand the harmful long term use of these products and chemical fertilizers on our farm lands.  We are just starting to get a wake-up call on this issue. I know we have a long way to go to change our farming practices on such a large scale, but I believe we can do it.
 
A shift in understanding is happening, through reconnecting to nature and the whole of life. The old mechanistic world view of manipulating nature for our own gain, is no longer working for our survival on planet earth. Organic methods are oriented to "sustainable" practices, through considering the long term effects on the natural systems of life. In fact, many people are preferring to use the term "sustainable", since "organic" now has a specific commercial meaning set in 2002 by the US Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program (USDA NOP). On their website they say, "This program is a marketing program and makes no claims that organic farming is 'better' in any respect than conventional farming."

One of their certifying agents is Oregon Tilth which was founded in 1974. Being a longtime resident of Oregon, I witnessed their pioneering efforts in educating farmers to use organic methods. Now they have become a world leader in organic certification of crops, livestock and processed products, and are widely respected for the integrity of the Oregon Tilth Certified Organic name (OTCO). (Many interesting details about the labeling of "100% organic", "organic", and "made with 70% organic products" and organic farming can be found on their websites.)

The Dragonfly Garden in not a certified organic farm and since we are so small, these new labeling regulations allow us to use the term "organic". If we were to sell more than $5,000 of "organic" labeled produce per year, we would need to do more record keeping and follow more strict management practices. After reading the Q & A about USDA NOP regulations, it is a wonder that so many farmers can keep track of all of the requirements and exemptions.

It was probably necessary to create these guidelines because the term "organic" was being misused, but there are USDA NOP allowances that make me feel uncomfortable, such as the EPA pesticide residue tolerance levels. I am personally skeptical about the government's standards for what is or isn't healthy, especially with its tie to the chemical industry.

There are a growing number of people that believe the best way to sort through some of these problems, is to get back to growing your own food or to buy it from a local grower whom you trust. Farmers' markets are starting to thrive, spreading the awareness that fresh, organically grown food tastes good and is good for you. These farms have abundant yields, are easy on the land, and are developed with varying levels of sustainability in mind. Many of them have work/study programs or community outreach programs to help people reconnect to nature and make better choices for healthier lives.

I've been growing gardens for almost 40 years and have grown many successful gardens without the use of chemicals. My first gardening teacher was an old woman, named Lyda Ruffin, who came from a pioneer family who settled in Yamhill County in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The century old farm was simple and sustainable. Her survival depended on her farm and she knew how to do it. When I was 21, she took me under her wing and showed me the seasonal round. I am very grateful for the wisdom she shared with me. And now it is my joy to pass some of this on to you!