Grow organic, grow healthy

Kundai Marunya Home and Garden Writer

Organic food is often expensive to buy in retail outlets or even at farmers’ markets because it takes longer to grow.

This leads many to buy whatever is available on the market, including genetically modified foods or fruit and vegetables grown using chemicals.

Chemicals are toxic to human bodies and may in the long run result in health complications, including cancer.

Instead of opting for cheap toxic foods, one can always grow their organic gardens for home consumption and healthier living.

This maybe an unusual idea to many city dwellers, but growing a good enough garden for consumption of a relatively small family does not take much land nor is it time consuming.

Just a small space in one’s backyard can do wonders in keeping one’s family healthy.

A few herbs, spices and leafy vegetables can be a good dietary supplement, if one carefully plans their planting for the full year cycle.

To keep the land fertile and keep away pests and diseases in the absence of pesticides, one can rotate different crops like legumes (beans and peas), root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beetroot), and brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, rape).

Growing herbs together with one’s vegetables can provide good nutrients for your crop and enables one to avoid chemical fertilisers.

Herbs such as comfrey, yarrow, stinging nettles, tarragon and borage are all good plant food, and also makes up a healthy diet.

The plants can be used as composting materials.

Instead of using chemical fertiliser, one can also use top soil manure and poultry manure.

Organic pest control is an ever improving subject, with many suggestions popping up every day.

For aphids, some use soapy water mixed with a solution of chilli and garlic, or black jacks soaked in hot water for 24 hours, or paw paw leaves soaked in hot water.

For fungal or viral diseases, you can use a mixture of a litre of milk in 10 litres of water.

For slugs and snails, some use crushed eggshells and coarse salt as a barrier around plants.

A good grow needs a good plan and time management.

One has to look at their dietary requirement, the food they regularly consume and that they crave for, then pick out what’s possible.

A thorough research on how to grow and look after them is necessary.

This information is readily available on the internet. Check out the most yielding times, soil types and seasons of whatever you wish to grow and get growing.

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