Organic Gardener Philosophy - Reap the rewards of going organic

The benefits of organic gardening are clear, perhaps so simple and straightforward that gardeners used to complicated explanations must dial down their expectations and adopt an attitude closer to those of previous generations.

The earth matters. What we do in our own backyards matters. The food that we put in our bodies matters. And it matters especially to the smallest residents of the planet, birds and bees and other critters whose numbers are dwindling; children, whose bodies take in more pesticides relative to body weight than adults. The American National Academy of Sciences estimates that 50 percent of lifetime pesticide exposure occurs during the first five years of life.

Gardeners don't have to contribute to the grim statistics. They can learn to follow the advice of J.I. Rodale, paraphrased by Texas organic leader Malcolm Beck when he writes that "poor soil can only produce poor plants, and poor plants produce poor animals and human bodies."

The opposite is also true. By building up soil content with composting, cover crops and the addition of minerals, plants become less prone to pests and diseases, and the people who eat those plants (or work alongside them) are healthier for it, as are streams, creeks and rivers.

The education of people about gardening expectations, that using native or well-adapted plants reduces the need for water or that reducing lawn space has similar benefits, helps take the desire to be part of a solution to environmental concerns and makes it something tangible and do-able.

Easy to use products and feedback for fledgling gardeners with problems are other keys to organic gardening.

But the real essence of it is an approach that honors and supports something you can't quantify; the delight in raising fruits and vegetables you know are the best for your family, the pride in producing a healthy green lawn without chemicals or undue water use, the satisfaction of turning fallow land into something that draws butterflies, earthworms and other signs of a healthy, vividly functioning environment.