There are many reasons why people grow their own food including freshness, taste and nutrition. It is commonly believed that home grown food is more nutritious than store-bought food. That organically grown food is more nutritious than conventionally grown and that heirloom varieties are more nutritious than modern day varieties.
Is any of this true? What can you do to improve the nutrition of your home grown food?
The CDC has reported that 46% of all foodborne illnesses are due to fresh produce. One out of every six Americans that will get a foodborne illness this year. “From a historical perspective, fresh produce was linked to less than 1% of all foodborne illnesses in the 1970s, and less than 12% in the 1990s. Why is foodborne illness from produce on the rise?”
Part of the increase is due to better detection, but it is also due to increased use of fast food and a more complex food production/delivery system. Food that we buy in local stores has passed through many hands from farm to table and each step is a possible source of contamination. Another problem is that more people are growing their own food and they incorrectly believe that home grown food is safe.
In this post I will have a look at a number of myths about foodborne illnesses and how you can prevent them.
We all know cedar chests repel moths and cedar shavings are routinely used in homes to control insect pests. Based on this, gardeners have concluded that cedar mulch will repel insects in the garden and will negatively impact pollinators trying to get to flowers. For these reasons they recommend you should not use cedar mulch.
Is there any science to support these claims? Does it harm bees? Does it affect ants and termites?
Should you stop using cedar mulch?
Baptisia australis, also called false indigo or false blue indigo, is a native of North America and a great garden perennial. In addition to this species there are a number of other species in the genus Baptisia that are suitable for the garden. Some grow as herbaceous bushes while others are vines.
Germination of the genus seems to be difficult, at least in my hands. A single seedling might germinate, but in many cases none of the seeds germinate. This article summarizes a study conducted to better understand the germination of Baptisia australis seed.
I have been aware of Korean Natural Farming (KNF) for some time but never had a close look at it. KNF is not very popular in North America but apparently it and other forms of Natural Farming are popular in Asia. It is time to have a close look at KNF. What is it and does it work?
People love to go organic, which is a good thing. Unfortunately, the information about organic fertilizers is not always correct or complete. Here are some real important things you need to know about organic fertilizer.
Pinching and topping refers to the removal of the top part of a plant. Pinching peppers results in more side branches and a bushier plant which, it is claimed, leads to more fruit and a higher yield. Is this true? Should you pinch pepper plants?
Some people also suggest removing the first bloom to allow the seedling to grow larger and develop a better root system. Does this really happen? Does it increase yield. Should you pinch the first bloom?
There are lots of opinions online and in blog posts, but I found none that actually presented any scientific evidence for their suggestions. What does science say?
Common advice is that tree roots grow in spring and fall and take a rest in summer. The tree is too busy in summer taking care of leaves, flowers and fruit to do much root growth. Roots also grow better in cool weather. Perennials also take a rest in cold winters, but do the roots grow in summer? This certainly seems to make a lot of sense, but is it really true?
There are two common ways to water houseplants – from the top and from the bottom. The debate about which one is best has been raging for many years and it’s time to put a stop to the debate and decide once and for all, which is best – top watering or bottom watering?
Mycorrhizal Inoculant products have been around for more than 10 years but the number of products available is rapidly growing. Clearly manufacturers are finding customers willing to pay for these products, but are they worth the money? Do they work? Are companies able to provide solid evidence that their products work?
I have done an investigation and you will be surprised by the results.
It is winter, and time to close up our homes to keep the heat in and the cold winds out. It is also the perfect time to buy some more houseplants because, if you believe all of the headlines, they will purify the air in your home. This is especially important during the winter months when we keep the doors and windows shut.
Do plants purify the air in our home?
Google showed almost 4 million hits when I asked this question. The good news is that the top of the list shows my previous blog post – and it answers the question correctly. Almost all of the other 4 million hits give the wrong answer.
Is urine in the garden a match made in heaven or hell on earth?
Human urine is not commonly used as a fertilizer but we do use animal urine when it’s mixed with manure. Many gardeners have no issue with its use this way, but few would use human urine even if it is clean and free of feces. Is this just due to social attitudes or are there some a good reasons for not using urine. Is it safe? Will it burn plants? Can it spread human pathogens and what about all the drugs we use? Those can’t be good for plants?
Let’s have a wee look at using urine in the garden.
