Organic gardening has been praised and campaigned for greatly. But have you ever wondered why there has been a sudden upsurge in organic gardening and use of organic products? It’s because organic gardening offers numerous health and environmental benefits that are otherwise destroyed by chemical pesticides and farming.
Health benefits of organic gardening
Chemical herbicides, fertilizers, and pesticides are strongly associated with health conditions such as; brain damage, breast cancer, infertility, miscarriages, prostate cancer, birth defects, and autism just to mention a few. As such, the greatest health benefit of organic gardening is eliminating the health problems triggered or caused by the chemicals in pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides. There is a common misconception that chemical garden inputs that have low toxic loads are safe. But, all chemicals no matter how small can be harmful if consumed by human beings.
Not using chemicals in your garden means that you preserve and encourage the development of good soil bacteria that in turn triggers the development of healthy soil nutrients. So, foods you grow enjoy organic nutrients and minerals. You harvest and consume nutrient-rich foods that are beneficial to your body.
Environmental benefits of organic gardening
When referring to the environmental benefits of organic gardening, you must go through the negative impacts of conventional gardening. When chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides are mixed, the result is something harmful to the environment and your garden. When the chemicals mix with your garden soil, it is transported to your ground water storage especially when it rains.
The chemicals also mix with the air around the garden, and when you inhale it, it can cause respiratory problems. Moreover, they are non-discriminatory. They can kill all insects including the beneficial ones. For instance, chemical pesticides are believed to be one of the causes of bee colony collapse and butterfly extinction.
Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are also believed to reduce food nutrients in plants. This is a problem that affects all plants despite their species. Also, animals that consume plants that are sprayed with chemicals may die or develop medical conditions. For instance, approximately 14 million fish and 67 million birds die each year due to consumption of chemical pesticides.
Taste
Though your organic vegetables and fruits may not look like the ones you buy in your grocery store, they will taste better. Chemical sprayed vegetables and fruits are drained off crucial ingredients that enhance their taste. On the other hand, organically grown vegetables and fruits retain their original taste and it is also enhanced by the soil nutrients strengthened through organic farm inputs. Herbs like rosemary become richer in the aroma.
With the reduction in farming spaces, organic gardening is the way to go. It not only preserves your health and environment, but it also ensures that you continue enjoying bountiful harvests every year. We all love continuity, and that is exactly what organic gardening provides. Conventional gardening, on the other hand, thins the soil and deprives it off essential nutrients.
