Tip! Sustainability. In his book, Gardening Organically, John Fedor defines sustainability as “the ability of a society or an ecosystem to function indefinitely without squandering the resources on which it relies.
Grow your own
The cheapest method has got to be to grow your own. The great thing is that it doesn’t require you to have much garden space, or even a garden at all!
We grow tomatoes, and strawberries in containers and the extra benefit is that you get total control over the growing conditions.
The best combination is to have organic soil together with organically produced seeds or plants, that way you ensure you get the full flavour and benefit.
Containers can be placed anywhere that receives a reasonable amount of daylight, which means that you can use them on balconies or other hard surfaces.
Tip! Strawberries: 500 pounds of pesticide an acre is sprayed on non-organic strawberries.
Look for your local suppliers
One of the most satisfying things to do is to buy organic food locally. That way you get the freshest ingredients for your kitchen and also get to support local businesses. With no transportation costs for the supplier too you should get very competitive prices.
Don’t forget that these same businesses will be employing local staff so you are also helping the local economy, everybody wins in this scenario.
Local markets
We visit a big monthly market held on a disused airstrip. Organic food is just one of the variety of items sold there but the prices are very, very good indeed. Of course they are all local suppliers and with several of them in one place we benefit from healthy competition and get to sample a lot of fruit!
Tip! Failing to plan – Planning is crucial to a successful organic veggie garden. You need to consider the aspect of your plot/s.
Local box schemes
If you are unable to get out of your house or are too busy working to select your groceries by hand then why not subscribe to an organic box scheme?
You will receive, delivered to your door, a weekly selection of fruit and vegetables in season.
Farm shops
Finally, investigate whether any farms near you are operating an organic farm shop. Our local one is operated on an open farm so that you can go and see where the animals are being kept and take a look at the crops being grown.
Tip! Bananas: Non-organic bananas from Central and South America are produced using benomyl (linked to birth defects) and chloropyrifos (neurotoxin).
They actually have a well-designed walking route around the farm which makes a nice day out for the kids too.
If you investigate the options above you should be able to make considerable savings whilst you and your family sample the delights and advantages of organic food.
Virginia Louise is a keen convert to the organic way of life, having two children has especially highlighted the benefits to be gained by them from eating organically.
Virginia runs an information site on the advantages of organic food where you can obtain lots of free information about what makes organic food so beneficial, where to get it and suggested recipes.
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Great articles with solid information and suggestions!
I’ve been an organic gardener for years and I would have to say it is the ALL TIME easiest and most convenient….especially if you like gardening!
One thing I do that has made a HUGE difference in our garden is I recycle all the juicing scraps we create. We juice fruits/veggies twice a day and I compost everything that we don’t drink. It’s double the yield in my organic garden.
Happy Organic Gardening!
working in ny, living or at least part of the hectic life here in this crazy town I tend (till this minute) buy bananas on food stand believing that because it’s a “covered” fruit no harm will be done. what a mistake.
Thank you for that.