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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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