How to think organic in the garden

I've never been much of a fan of pesticides, herbicides and all those other "-icides" that make plants disease- and pest-free.  I suppose part of the abstinence from chemical sprays is due to ignorance; I didn't know too much and never encountered any problems big enough to warrant chemical intervention.  However, I've been hearing quite a few people mentioning their gardening challenges, saying "we can't spray those pesticides anymore",  sounding frustrated and hopeless.  It wasn't so long ago that we weren't technologically advanced enough to have these commercial chemical resources and society just followed different rules for encouraging healthy plant growth. 

How do gardens survive nowadays without disease and pests taking them down? 

With a "Less is more" philosophy.

Here are a few ideas to keep in mind to help you know that organic, natural gardens are better for you and the earth:

1. Good, healthy soil is the foundation of a bountiful garden - fertilizer should be your home grown compost not commercial chemical fertilizers that are high in salt and dehydrating.
2. Fungi, bacteria and protozoa are part of the healthy soil infrastructure.  These microorganisms allow flora and fauna above and below the ground to naturally thrive.
3. Of 30 commonly used pesticides; 19 have studies pointing toward carcinogens, 13 are linked to birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 15 with neurotoxicity, 26 with liver and kidney damage, and 11 have the potential to disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system.
4. Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 16 are toxic to birds, 24 are toxic to fish and aquatic organisms and 11 are toxic to bees.
5. More than half of the 30 commonly used lawn pesticides are detected in groundwater.  More than 75% have the potential to leach.
6. By eliminating use of pesticides and synthetic nutrients, maintaining high levels of organic matter in soil (compost) and maintaining proper levels of soil moisture, you'll encourage the healthy soil needed to increase resistance to pests and disease in your plants and supply proper nutrients in your soil.
7. Put the right plant in the right place!  Know the ideal conditions for plants and trees and plant them in their proper growing environment.  This encourages plants to be at their healthiest and strongest and they'll naturally be pest- and disease-free.

Respect the surface of the Earth and that same earth will give back a bountiful harvest and beautiful growth. 

David Suzuki Digs My Garden Contest is open til August 4th.  Check it out for some interesting prizes for motivating your organic gardening. 

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Self Care Mission

Do you have a personal mission statement? 

A specific sentence that can focus on what you personally stand for and attract into your life is a excellent starting point to know your purpose for being put on this earth.  We need to take care of ourselves and know ourselves so we can put all that good that rests inside of us out into the world.  A few years back I created my personal mission statement and refer to it often to keep on track and remember what my overall ongoing goal is. 

My Personal Mission Statement:  "To empower myself and others to live more clearly, simply, and fully" 

I came to define my personal mission statement after experiencing self-nurturing or self-care techniques.  Since being introduced to the concept of nurturing myself I have more focus and feel more authentic than I ever have.  Even though I have experienced great results from focusing on my self-care, I still struggle with maintaining my self care practices and finding self-care techniques that are most effective for me.  I gravitate towards the outdoors stuff, like walking or biking and noticing natural occurance like wildlife, trees and gardens/flowers.  I've taken that focus on the internet to provide products for camping, hiking and backpacking, creating this blog to bring focus to the nurturing ways of nature and have been joining social sites to interact with other like-minded people and to influence others to turn to nature to find their "roots".  

Focus on what your overall reason is for living by nurturing yourself and taking up regular activities that you enjoy.  Some of those activities should include feeling the connection to nature through camping, nature walks/hikes, and just spending time outdoors and being aware of your surroundings but there are also lots of other stuff to take time for yourself.  Do you enjoy sewing, scrapbooking, writing, photography, baths, meditating?  Just do whatever you seem drawn to, but make sure it's just about you.  The concept of self-care is very important to me to better deal with others and to feel more balanced, relaxed and rejuvenated.   After spending time on you create your personal mission statement that can direct you to live more clearly, simply and fully.

Nature for Your Health

It's no secret to the majority of people that nature does something to help us relax and calm down.  The popularity of cottages, camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities displays that fact.  The city dwellers, people with hectic lifestyles and high stress jobs will almost always pick a vacation destination that includes alot of time in the outdoors.  I would expect that it's not always a conscious choice to spend some time with nature, but our human nature subconsciously directs us to nature when we're in need of some rest and relaxation. 

I can personally relate my experience of a change in perspective from spending more of my time in the outdoors after moving to the country.  It's been a gradual change - no aha moment - but the more I embrace our natural world the more I feel the improvement of my overall outlook on life.  Nature exists in a self-sustaining way.  I'm not just talking about the trees and plants but also the wildlife, insects and how all these different parts of nature rely on each other but not in a dependent kind of way.  They are just supported by each other.  Humans are definitely part of that interwoven connection, but it seems that humans are the only part that resists connecting.  My fairly new relationship with God has been part of that realization of the connection in nature and to nature.  It seems that God has created a perfectly interwoven world but given humans the option to choose to see this or not.  It's quite a profound realization so I am glad to have experienced life without seeing the nature connection and coming to a point where I do see and feel that power of connecting.

Some things need to be believed to be seen.  Believe that being connected to nature will improve your life and you will see the rejuvenating results.  Not only just spending time in nature but using herbs and essential oils taken from plants, eating more whole foods directly grown from the earth, creating a home environment with plants and animals and if you can't get ouside to enjoy the sounds of nature, listen to the many recordings of the outdoors that have been made to help us relax and let go of any tension.

Connect to Nature for your Health

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Solar Food Drying

 I'd been familiar with drying food with commercial food dehydrators when I came upon the beauty and simplicity of solar food drying.  I  felt I'd hit the jackpot of nature's bounty - no electricity, using up all my grown produce, taking advantage of local fruits and vegetables, and preparing tasty, balanced meals for  food on my camping trips.  Using the suns' natural energy for drying meat, vegetables and fruit from local harvest is a timeless tradition of preserving without adding anything for preserving.  Food drying is a very practical plan for meals and snacks for camping, hiking, backpacking and the many other outdoor excursions.  Foods consist of 50-90% water, so dehydrating food can greatly reduce pack size and weight and since a great variety of foods can be dried you can enjoy various meals for your oudoor life.

Read more about dehydrated Meals and how drying works.

A few advantages to drying food as compared to other food preservation methods:

• Simply and easy - slicing is about as difficult as the procedure gets
• dried food retains more nutrients
• no energy used for solar drying
• dried food is concentrated, reducing bulk and weight 50-90%
• drying requires fewer containers and less storage space

My new found interest in solar food drying came from a book I'm eargerly reading and some of the facts above are from "The Solar Food Dryer" by Eben Foder

I haven't made my solar food dryer yet, but I can't wait to connect to probably the oldest method of preserving food and to be even more dependent on the sustainable energy from nature. 

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