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Subject: gardenwriters-on-gardening
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- From: jo ellen meyers sharp <hoosiergardener@sbcglobal.net>
- To: gardenwriters-on-gardening <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????
- Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2007 06:49:50 -0400
Title: Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????
Gee, it has been all too quite on this list. Let's shake it up a bit and get back to what it was before Lon started censoring all of us. What happened?
So, here are three questions I am interested in for an article.
1. Do you garden organically (naturally if you want)?
Yes -- I have been practicing and writing about natural (organic)
gardening since 1989, which is when I took up the activity. I grew up
in a greenhouse family, where grandparents, aunts and uncles worked in
the family business, growing flowers for the florist trade. I have
another uncle who grows annuals and perennials for the retail and
wholesale trade, so I grew up knowing about chemicals. The first time
my dog munched on the grass or the birds or rabbits chewed on a plant,
I knew synthetic chemicals were not for me.
2. Is there a growing trend towards organics and away from chemicals amongst your audience, vica versa or status quo?
Yes -- and it's getting stronger as the idea of sustainability
gains hold. I think people of all ages are tuning in and paying more
attention to their personal environment, from the products they buy
(packaging) to their food (grown locally) and what they throw away.
All of us should live in Germany for a month to get the idea of how
much trash we generate and what it would cost us to dispose of
it.
3. Do you see a divide between "Older gardeners" (40 plus) who are chemical users and Younger Gardeners (Below 40) who are organic?
I work in a garden center every spring and I hate to get
caught inside the store near what we call the "chemical aisle,"
where people hover, reading labels and hoping someone will come and
tell them what to use. I try to get them used to the idea that nature
is not perfect and sometimes plants get holes in their leaves.
Of course, I try to educate those willing to listen about the
products and encourage them to read the label, just as I do to
figure out which pesdicide to use. As I stand there with the customer,
I make a big deal about identifying the problem before dumping
anything on the plant. If I could wave a magic wand, that's what I
would want...for people to know what they have before they treat. I
can't tell you how many times readers or listeners have contacted me
about a problem in their yard and what they've already dumped on it.
For instance, earlier this year, a nasty and deadly cold snap hit in
April. It stayed below freezing for more than a day and many plants
took serious hits. A reader wrote me about her hostas, how they were
coming out of the ground really well and how the cold snap hit and the
leaves turned to mush. By the time she wrote me, she'd already applied
a fungicide twice to the mushy leaves. It's people like that I'd like
to throttle.
jems
Interested in your thoughts. Feel free to respond off list.
See you all in Oka!
Jeff L
Plant one row in your garden to feed the hungry...to see how go to www.gardenwriters.org/Par/index.html
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-
[gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Jeff Lowenfels, 06/26/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, Sandie Parrott, 06/26/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, Doreen Howard, 06/26/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, Nancy Szerlag, 06/27/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, N Sterman, 06/27/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, jo ellen meyers sharp, 06/27/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, Gene Bush, 06/27/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Dan Clost, 06/27/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????, Jeff Lowenfels, 06/27/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Lorraine Ballato, 06/28/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future????? - organic lawns, gardenlit, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Miranda Smith, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Nancy Szerlag, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Doug Green, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic growing list of resources,
gardenlit, 06/28/2007
- Re: [gwl-g] Organic growing list of resources, Jeff Lowenfels, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic growing list of resources,
gardenlit, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Doug Green, 06/28/2007
-
Re: [gwl-g] Organic or chemical future?????,
Nancy Szerlag, 06/28/2007
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