Interesting Gardening Facts

By David Wall

Guest Columnist

Do you wash your fresh produce? Produce having the most pesticide residues are strawberries (#1), spinach (#2), bell peppers, tomatoes, peaches, apples, celery, grapes, nectarines, pears, potatoes and cherries. Words to the wise.

Bumblebees have a sense of smell, and they use it to check footprints to see if they were made by a stranger, relative, or themselves earlier!  By knowing who has been there, they can avoid wasting time trying to get nutrients that may have already been taken.

Neem oil, approved for use in organic gardens, has several functions. It can reduce & eliminate certain pests (read the label or Google it to find out which ones). Neem oil ingredients stimulate plants to release immune responses to fight fungal diseases. They have fatty acids to feed soil organisms.

Stories about early pilgrims and others learning about planting a fish with corn are right on. Everything from fish heads, internal organs to the whole fish provide nutrients needed for corn, tomatoes, and other vegetable crops. Egg shells, if ground up, provide needed calcium for veggies. Whole egg shells work, but take much longer to dissolve.

Spreading hay bale material is a tried and true method for controlling weeds, keeping the soil cool and then breaking down to help feed soil microorganisms. (BUT (there's always a but!), do you know from where that hay came? Was it treated with pesticides while growing. If so, that hay can have a negative impact on your vegetables, particularly if it comes in direct contact with them. 

In 1820, 72% of all workers had some sort of farm occupation. Today, 2% of the population are farmers, and proportionally, they're producing less. Food imports from China alone amount to 25% of our food.  50%+ of our farm labor is provided by immigrant and/or seasonal workers.