Most people would agree that a basic ingredient of natural health is natural whole food. Avoiding processed foods and eating food as nature intended is one of the quickest ways you can begin feeling better and taking better care of yourself.
I'm sure that most of us who are interested in natural health therapies are aware of the pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers used in commercial food production are not necessarily the best thing to put in to our bodies. And how can we know that when we wash them that we are getting that stuff off? We can't. I'm sure most people would prefer to buy organic foods. But let's face it, they are pretty expensive and maybe we can't or don't want to spend our money that way.
One great way to be sure you know what goes in your fruits and vegetables is to grow them yourself. Gardening and specifically organic gardening is not as daunting as many people might think. It is so rewarding that even if you don't consider yourself a 'green thumb' or if gardening does not appeal to you; you might be surprised to learn you really enjoy it.
I live in Southern California now so I am fortunate to be able to grow lovely things to eat all year. But I'm a Minnesota native (arguably one of the more gardening-challenged places in the U.S. for a good part of each year). I gardened there too. It doesn't matter where you live. You can make the most of your local conditions and grow healthy food.
In every thing in life I truly believe that if you keep it simple you will have better success.
Here are my Keep It Simple ideas with regard to gardening:
1. Start small - A plot that is 4 feet wide and 4 to 10 feet long is small enough to manage and big enough to grow quite a lot of vegetables. You can use containers if you don't have ground to grow in. Containers can be an advantage; you can control the quality of your soil and the amount of moisture and sunlight. Just be sure they are at least a foot deep or more to keep most vegetables happy.
2. Ask the pros- If you live in the U.S. we have a wonderful free resource called Master Gardeners. Master Gardeners are volunteers who work for the County Extension and staff phone lines to answer your questions about gardening and pests in your local area. Look them up in the 'county' section of the blue government section of your white pages. In addition to any gardening questions you have, ask them for one best resource book to buy for your local area.
3. Buy a book- Buy at least 1 good reference book for gardening in your area. In the western U.S. it is the Sunset Book of Western Gardening.
4. Plants need to eat too- Fertilize organically. My favorite method is with compost tea. Compost tea is just what it sounds like; tea brewed from compost. I have a great local organic/hydroponics store that has compost tea available every Saturday free of charge. Call some stores in your area to see if someone near you does the same thing. My second favorite organic fertilizer is chicken manure.
5. Control Pests- Many pests can be controlled by handpicking or spraying with a stream of water to knock them off. Horticultural oils and soaps can also be used to deter pests and keep your food pesticide free.
Growing your own food is fun and satisfying. The vegetables tend to taste better and you know they are healthy since you know what you did or did not put on them. Some of the simplest to grow are salad greens such as leaf lettuce, Swiss chard and arugula, as well as tomatoes, beets, carrots, squash and beans.
An important final note of why gardening falls in to the category of natural health therapies is that in addition to great tasting healthy food you get exercise doing it. Gardening can be a great way to burn calories and enjoy nature. What a fantastic way to do something good for yourself!
Kristine Clemenger
Holistic Health Practitioner
http://www.naturalhealththerapies.org/
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