“Organic Blitz: Hype or More Hype”

“Organic Blitz: Hype or More Hype”

Darrel L. Hammon

Okay, enough of the organic this and organic that! What’s up with all of the organic stuff? Is this something new or something to give you all the shaft?

When I sauntered by the vegetable and fruit aisles at King Soopers the other day, I saw organic carrots, organic peas, organic asparagus, organic lettuce, organic apples, organic pears, and a number of other organic fruits and vegetables. Plus, I couldn’t help but pass the dairy doors and—gasp!—there was organic milk although I didn't see any organic chocolate milk. Plus, I couldn’t help but pass the dairy doors and—gasp!—there was organic milk. And the deal was this: The organic milk was about $3.00 more per gallon! $3.00 more! It was hard to believe. Why is organic any more expensive than anything else?

What is organic? The organic.com folks along with the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) define “organic” as “Simply stated, organic produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation. Animals that produce meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products do not take antibiotics or growth hormones” (see http://www.organic.org/home/faq).

Based on what I know about organic, everything my family grew growing up was organic. We didn’t use pesticides, synthetic fertilizers (I have no idea what this even is), sewage sludge, or any type of genetically modified organisms unless you call the Snake River flies and mosquitoes as genetically modified. They were bigger than any fly or mosquito that I have ever seen. Must have been that volcanic ash from the Menan Buttes that was about a billion-years old.

What we did use was good-old fashion cow, horse, and chicken manure, usually served up after sitting in a heap for a bit of time to kill off any of the weed seeds or such. We either spread it, using Uncle Milt’s manure spreader or the hard way: We shoveled into our wheelbarrow, wheeled it to the garden spot, spread it around with pitch forks, and then tilled it under with a tiller of some sort. Plus, we added sand from the Little Annis Buttes to heighten the water drainage system. I always used gloves while spreading the money, usually leather gloves.

When it came to our animals, we didn’t give them any antibiotics or growth hormones. They grew on their own—after we gave them natural alfalfa hay, hay pellet and let them graze out in the pasture on natural grasses and a few weeds mixed in. I don’t think anyone added any antibiotics or growth hormones to the pasture unless you count the night crawlers that almost took over the entire pasture every night after dark. Of course, we caught a zillion of them over each summer and sold them for 50 cents a dozen to avid fishermen. And, yes, we were known to have drowned a couple of million a year in Birch Creek, Pine Creek, Spring Creek, Rainy Creek, and few other creeks around. I promise, though, we didn’t feed the night crawlers anything; so, I am assuming their excrement that helped the pasture flourish was not considered “sewage sludge” but rather pure, pristine, and natural—thus, organic.

We sold milk from our cow to the neighbors for about 50 cents or $1.00 per gallon (they brought their own pails); gave away vegetables to our family and neighbors that which my mother didn’t put up into hundreds of pints and quarts, appropriately sterilized and sealed I might add; made freezer jam of most of the raspberries and strawberries we didn’t eat while watering the garden from our well, which I don’t think was bioengineered or ionized through any sort of radiation.

Shoot, if I had known about all of this organic business earlier in my life, we probably could have made a ton more money than we did. I bet if we had labeled the night crawlers “organic,” I suppose we could have gotten $3.00 per dozen for them.

Surely then if farmers don’t use “pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation” or make their animals take “antibiotics or growth hormones,” shouldn’t fruits, vegetables, and animals be less expensive to produce or grow? I mean, really, have you priced synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or ionizing radiation” lately? The prices are insane, if you can even purchase them at your local garden shop or farming store!

So, this organic blitz to me is just another concoction of the organic crowd to make more money. Why, if everyone would just grow a garden, then they would have their own organic vegetables and such. I suspect, though, it will be quite difficult growing organic chickens on your big-city balconies.

It’s time to thinking about planting your garden

It’s time to thinking about planting your garden”
Darrel Hammon

It’s about that time of year again to be thinking about gardening—even on the high plains of Wyoming. I don’t know about you, but those gardening catalogs are a bit addictive and sometimes intoxicating. When they come in the mail, I cannot wait to get home, open them up, and then drool over the new varieties and the old standbys. Often, I have to stop myself and think how all of this can grow in my garden.

The first time through, I circle the things I wish I could grow. This sometimes takes a ton of time because of my anxious thoughts about gardening and the potential. About half way through the catalogs, however, rationale thought begins to permeate my mind, especially when I see the hydrangeas and rhododendrons. Reality sets in quickly because I know I cannot grow them where I live today. I can only look back to places I have lived where I could grow them.

So, here are some general tips about gardening:

Planning your garden—For my garden, I try to plan out what I am going to plant, how I am going to plant, where I am going to plant, when I am going to plant, and where I am going to obtain the various plants and seeds. Usually, I already know what I can and cannot grow. There are a zillion—okay maybe not that many—sites about “garden planning.” Just Google the phrase “garden planning,” and many sites will come up, from Better Homes and Gardens to organic gardening.

Preparing the garden—The first thing I know I must do is prepare the garden. I love the thoughts of rototilling the garden, turning over the dingy soil from fall and seeing the new dirt come to the surface. What I like to do is turn it over first and then add manure, compost, or whatever you might put in to enhance the dirt. Check with your local nursery about the soil composition in order to understand how to prepare the soil. Then, I till it once more. Often, I do this in the fall, too, so that the compost and manure has time to decompose during the winter.

Note: If you want to know more about how to compost, there are several sites that will direct you, but one that might be easiest is http://www.howtocompost.org. This site states it is “designed to be a hub for all composting information.” And they are correct. On this site, you will find a plethora of articles and links to other sites in helping you learn how to compost. Plus, if you Google the word “composting,” you will discover a multitude of other sites that will dispense vast composting knowledge to you.

Buying seeds and plants—This may be one of the most difficult things to do, primarily because you need to be a realist. A good way to find out is to call your local conservation district, agriculture extension office, or go to your local nursery to see what types of plants and seeds actually can grow in your area. But buying seeds and plants can be fun. When you go to your local nursery, you can be almost guaranteed—and sometimes they guarantee them—these plants will grow. Be sure to read the labels on the plants and the back of the seed packages and ask loads of questions of the nursery people before buying. Nursery people love to answer questions. Remember: their success depends on your success.

Planting seeds and plants—To me, this is the best part—getting my hand dirty. Since I have already planned out my garden and tilled it, I begin the ritual of planting the seeds. Even though I have planted gardens almost every year of my life, I always read the backs of the packages and the little information things stuck in the plants. I want to make sure I know what I am doing. Now, I don’t plant everything at once. Some things can be planted in early spring, depending on your area, and others need to be planted once the frost leaves the ground or the temperatures stay at a certain spot on the trusty thermometer.

Taking care of the garden—Once everything is planted, both seeds and plants, the real work begins. For some reason, especially at my house, one major challenge is weeds seem to thrive. With the winds come all sorts of weird seeds that get plopped everywhere, and it seems that those little weed seeds can grow anywhere. Be sure to visit with your nursery persons to determine the best way to rid your garden of these pesky weeds. But you have to be on top of it at all times because if the weeds get ahead of you, you have lost the battle, and your harvest won’t be as great as you anticipated in the beginning. Have your hoe handy.

Enjoying the fruits of the garden –This part is one of my favorites, too. I love to watch my seeds and my plants grow up and begin to flourish. There is nothing better than fresh Swish chard and early peas right out of the garden. Early-bearing strawberries are mouthwatering. Half the time, strawberries don’t make it inside because of how tempting they are. Soon, the corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, and other delicious vegetables show their worth and add to your meals and your palates.

Enjoying the flowers—Plus, the flowers, both perennials and annuals, are magnificent, especially if you purchase both early flowering and later flowering plants. That way you will have gorgeous flowers throughout the entire summer and into the fall. Take some time and pick a bouquet of flowers to adorn your table. Because I love seeds, I let the flowers go to seed so I can harvest the seeds for future plantings.

Gardens, both flower and vegetable gardens, create a sense of worth and enjoyment. For me, working in the garden is simultaneous stimulating and peaceful. It gives me a sense of accomplishment as I look over the garden and see the fruits of my labors.