THE BENEFITS of organically grown crops are invisible to the eye. Many studies have suggested that although present-day agricultural practices --which includes the heavy use of chemical measures-- yield bountiful crops, the fruits and vegetables produced appear to contain less riboflavin, iron, vitamin C, and other nutrients than they did 50 years ago.
 

Fruits, herbs and vegetables grown organically also show significantly higher levels of CANCER-FIGHTING ANTIOXIDANTS than conventionally grown foods.
 

Until recently scientists thought that pesticides did not have any effect on REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. But animal studies suggest that we may be at risk after all. A research study has shown that mice exposed to common garden pesticides experienced fertility problems. Another study found that exposure to pesticides not only lowered sperm count but also damaged the part of the testicles that produces sperm.

The True Meaning of Organic Gardening
(Does it allow fertilizing?)

 Organic gardening might seem like such an old and familiar concept, yet it is surprisingly misunderstood by so many of today's urban gardeners. First of all, let’s define what organic gardening is not. It does not simply mean staying away from chemical pesticides. Plants that were not exposed to chemical bug sprays may still have been regularly fertilized with chemicals -- so that means they were not organically grown.

Yes, organic gardeners fertilize -- using purely organic fertilizers
 Organic gardening does not mean leaving the land alone. Some supporters of chemically-grown food argue that if you don’t fertilize the land, eventually, the soil will lose all its nutrients, the plants will suffer and produce less, so the farmer loses his livelihood and the rest of us have a food shortage. They go on to say that if you don’t use any pest control, the same thing happens, but much faster because the pests will destroy everything in sight even before the farmer has a chance to harvest. Obviously, these people have completely misunderstood what organic farming means.
     Let’s make one thing perfectly clear, organic gardening or farming means raising plants without the use of drugs, hormones, or synthetic chemicals. It means taking care of the land using fertilizers or pesticides that are strictly of animal or vegetable origin. It does not mean leaving things alone and letting nature take its course.
     Remember: Organic gardening means abstaining from ALL chemical pesticides, antibiotics, growth-promoters INCLUDING chemical fertilizers. Many local growers proudly boast of raising organically-grown herbs and vegetables when in fact they actually raise crops using chemical feed but simply don't spray with chemical pesticides. This does not qualify them as organic growers. Plants raised purely on chemicals like urea or 'complete' fertilizers, even though they are not sprayed with synthetic pest control measures, are still not classified as organically grown.
     Unfortunately, many local growers don't realize this and can actually look you in the eye and claim organic farming practices because of their own misconception of what organic farming means. What's worse, some local sellers claim to be selling organic produce -- simply because they realize there is a growing awareness regarding the disadvantages of consuming inorganic food. Which is why more and more urban dwellers are turning to backyard kitchen gardens for some of their herb and vegetable needs.                    
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Does organic gardening allow pest control?

Similar to organic fertilizers, organic pest control measures are also of plant or animal origin. Examples are garlic and pepper sprays, tobacco dust, pyrethrum which is derived from chrysanthemums, and extracts of neem, lemongrass and other herbs. Beneficial organisms such as ladybugs, spiders and lacewings are also effective against aphids and other pests. Companion planting is another organic measure; for instance, planting marigolds is widely recognized as an effective means to counter nematodes.
     However, it is important to note that healthy soil out in the garden or in the farm field, properly composted and left free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides produces strong, healthy plants that naturally repel pests. It is a strange fact but plants grown on well-balanced fertile soils do not have the same attraction for insects as those grown on poor soils artificially stimulated by chemical fertilizers.
     The appreciation for organic gardening of GreenHearts’ owner and founder actually began with a lesson she learned from roses. For years, she had stuck to a meticulous schedule of chemical feeding and pest control to keep her roses looking healthy. She used synthetic fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. But still, her roses would always somehow succumb to one affliction or another; usually black spots and thrips. When she began herb gardening, she stuck to a completely organic regimen for the herbs, but kept to her chemical routine for the roses – because that’s what all the books and magazines told her to do. One day, she finally had enough of the chemical ritual and stopped it completely then told her herb gardeners to simply include her roses in the fertilizer routine of seaweed extract and fish emulsion they used on the herbs. To her surprise, the roses flourished and produced more blooms! And best of all, she hasn’t seen one more case of black spot since. 
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What's the difference between  hydroponics and organic farming?
 Hydroponics has come to be misconstrued as clean, organic farming. What it really is is space-saving, precision farming  using nutrient-rich liquid rather than soil or a potting medium. It does not necessarily mean organic or more health-giving plants.
     The most common type of hydroponic-gardening in practice is actually inorganic or one that uses chemical nutrient solutions. Organic hydroponic gardening is not at all popular among commercial growers because it is very difficult to match the yields of inorganic techniques. Plants with high nutritional demands, such as tomatoes, can be a problem under organic hydroponics. Of course, one of the biggest problems with organic production is controlling pests and diseases with exclusively organically approved methods. In contrast, inorganic hydroponics allows growers to mix the systemic pesticide in with the nutrients fed to the plants.
     Inorganic hydroponic growers argue that the chemicals being fed to the plants are the same nutrients plants need anyway – except it’s been pre-processed so it’s made readily available to plants. By the same argument, we can say that the chemicals in your multi-vitamin tablet are the same nutrients you need to stay healthy – so why doesn’t your doctor advice you to just consume your RDA of vitamins and minerals daily and skip eating time-consuming meals? Feeding plants chemically is like raising living things through intravenous feeding their whole lives. Organic fertilizers break down slowly and that may be a drawback if you want to grow crops quickly for the commercial market. But on the other hand, since organic fertilizers break down slowly, the plants are able to absorb the nutrition slowly just as a human body does from healthy eating habits.
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What makes chemical fertilizers so bad?
We’ve all heard the adage “We are what we eat.” This truism applies not only to humans but to all living things. It has been said that food produced from chemically-treated land is almost equivalent to junk food. They look great, are brightly colored and are often larger than normal in size – but what these fruits and vegetables actually provide the human body can sharply contradict the attractive exterior.
     Dr. William Albrecht, a professor of soil science at the University of Missouri, more than a quarter of a century ago struggled to stress the importance of healthy soil to crops, animals and humans. He had said that with respect to analyzing fodder, cows are more intelligent than people. Regardless of how tall and green the grass may look because of excessive quantities of artificial nitrogen (e.g. Urea), the cow will refuse to eat it and will eat the surrounding grass shorter and shorter. He said, “Though the cow cannot classify forage crops … she is more expert than any biochemist at assessing their nutritional value.”
     Another scientist, Dr. Andre Voisin of France’s National Veterinary School of Alfort, realized that plants and animals are intimately associated with the soil where they are born and raised. While Voisin was in England, he visited a farm wherein the incidence of grass tetany afflicting its herd of cattle was particularly high. Voisin learned from the farm owner that his livestock had been led to forage on young grass to which enormous applications of industrial fertilizer had been applied. Voisin later wrote, “I think that it is not merely a question of healing the animal or man stricken by disease, it is necessary to heal the soil so as not to have to heal the animal or man.”
     The most common complaint against chemical fertilizers is that they weaken soil structure. Large quantities of readily available nitrogen, which is found in most chemical fertilizers, feed soil bacteria, whose numbers then increase. The overgrown bacteria population quickly devours the soil's humus, the organic matter and beneficial organisms so vital to plants’ health.
     A farmer who decided to try mixed farming practices (applying both natural and artificial measures) said he was shocked to see the effect of synthetic fertilizers on earthworms. He had introduced earthworms in the basins around coconut trees, earthworms being one of the best residents you can have in your garden to ensure healthy soil. Weeks later he also applied the recommended amount of fertilizers. He was shocked to see earthworms burst open when they came into contact with chemical fertilizers. 
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Why did we get hooked on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to begin with?

Because we like things pretty, fast and cheap. Following are the main benefits of chemical solutions and how those reasons got everyone hooked.

•  Chemically-grown plants look better. Human beings are highly influenced by what they see. We just can’t help but judge ‘books by their covers’. Chemically-grown plants often have larger, greener leaves that look impeccable, with no holes or damage from insects. Chemical pesticides stay on the plants' leaves for a long period of time, offering the plants immunity from passing insects that want to take a bite. Systemic pesticides even travel up the roots and into the plant's system, making every part of the plant itself deadly to insects -- even the beneficial butterflies and bees. The herb-based pest repellent sprays we use at GreenHearts are effective only when sprayed directly on the offending pests and usually dissipate from the stems and leaves within a day. Mercifully, the fact that our herbs are organically-grown also makes them highly resistant to pests and diseases so insect pests aren't a major problem for us. (It's mainly birds we need to contend with; they seem madly in love with our basils.)
     When compared to chemically-grown herbs, admittedly our potted herbs’ leaves are smaller and the plants themselves when kept in small pots don’t usually grow as tall. (In comparison, a plant in a tiny pot can grow to huge proportions as long as it is constantly pumped with chemical nutrients. This is the principle behind hydroponics.)
     However, the organically-grown herbs we have at Thyme Square never fail to show off what they gain from being 100% organically grown. Just brush your fingers against the leaves – in fact, just walk past them and you can smell the rich aroma wafting from their leaves. In contrast, you sometimes even have to crush the leaf of a chemically-grown plant and still find it difficult to detect a scent, or it may not be as flavorful and may wilt too soon after you cut it off the plant.
     This situation is similar to comparing two body-builders: one relying on sheer hard work pumping iron plus a good diet to beef up, and another using steroids and pills (some local body-builders even use drugs used on horses) to bulk up. Between the two, we know who’s going to get the Mr. Universe physique. But we also know who has the greater health risk. 

•  Chemical fertilizers cost much, much less. Not only will you find synthetic fertilizers cheaper, you also need to use very little of it per application. Often, putting a pinch into a pot is good enough for a week; put any more and you risk fertilizer burn. The main reason organic vegetables cost more is the higher cost of organic fertilizers. That’s why farmers prefer to use chemicals because if they spend less on fertilizers they can offer their produce at a lower price, making it easier to sell them. Naturally, the customer - that's us - would prefer to buy vegetables that look great and cost cheaper, too.

•  Chemicals work fast. It’s the same reason why you’d rather reach for an aspirin than drink tea made from willow bark if you have a pounding headache. The results come quick and are close to miraculous. Chemical fertilizers have visible effects that you can sometimes see even within 24 hours. Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, sometimes need weeks to demonstrate any improvement. That’s because chemical fertilizers are concentrated, pre-processed nutrients that are highly soluble so the plant no longer needs to digest and process anything. It’s like sticking an I.V. into a plant and pumping the chemicals straight into the blood stream, skipping the digestive system. That’s why the controlled use of chemical fertilizers is a good choice for aiding plants in severe distress from nutrient deficiencies. This, we believe is acceptable; it’s the long term use that damages the environment and diminishes the overall health-giving properties of agricultural crops.
     However, this quick action in the long run is also a disadvantage. Because synthetic fertilizers are highly soluble, they provide little or no long term benefits. In addition, they possess no soil-conditioning properties thus resulting in poor soil structure, leaving the soil vulnerable to leaching and runoff. Organic fertilizers serve the double purpose of providing a wide range of nutrients released over a long period of time while also improving soil structure. In addition, the fact that the plants have to work to release these organic nutrients contributes to the overall health and well-being of the plants – just like exercise does us good along with a well-balanced natural diet.
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