It was one year ago that I made a strong commitment to switch to an organic approach to gardening in my nursery.
Having passed the first anniversary of this process, I feel good about my journey. It has been difficult making all of the necessary adjustments. I have tried to advise my readers well, and I’ve written programs to help succeed in every facet of organic gardening. It is an awesome responsibility.
My commitment was born of the realization that we all need to do something to improve our environment. As gardeners, we should be the good guys—and yet we do things that negatively affect the earth. There are better and safer ways to grow our plants and grass.
Our focus in the past has been on cures rather than prevention. But these cures often poison our soils with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. These poisons affect the quality of our water and the health of our children, our pets, and ourselves.
Going organic is the way to go; and it employs all of the principles of growing a good plant. Timing, detail, and following a good program are important factors in building up the immune system of a plant. Prevention programs enrich our soils and develop strong plants that will resist insects and diseases. This approach has proven to develop bigger and more beautiful plants and lawns, and has left us with a safer environment to live in—an environment filled with beautiful plants and an abundance of butterflies, birds, and bees.
Mother Nature has shown us the way to tend her gardens, and all we need to do is follow her example. Everything has its source in the earth and the plants that grow from it. If we want to make a change, we must begin in this arena. All life is dependent on plant material; the plants we grow determine the health of our country and world. We are ruining our environment and the younger generations are going to have to pay. We need to get back to the earth and the basic lessons it teaches us.
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