Where is this rubber coming from? What is rubber made of? Is rubber not rubber anymore once it has been ground up?

To anyone who would think for a minute, it’s quite obvious  that rubber requires some type of synthetic material to first of all bond the rubber material so one can make rubber tires.  What is being used to do that job? Something we would like to add to our food and water?

Secondly, how do we know that the rubber which is being used to make this mulch hasn’t been contaminated in some way while being used on vehicles?

Some people may argue that sand used in children’s playgrounds can be more dangerous for the children’s health.
That may be true; they can fall on it and hurt themselves. However, at least the sand is a natural material which has been a part of earth for millenia. It is not a manmade material such as rubber which has been put together by adding chemicals, chemicals which can be detrimental to the child’s health.

When cigarettes were first out they were touted as being safe. At the time, nobody mentioned all the chemicals used to turn tobacco plants into smokable cigarettes . . . chemicals which would one day be responsible for cancer.

After the second world war when farmers were being told that synthetic fertilizers were safe, that farmers would have even better growing results when using this synthetic fertilizer than they would by using compost and manure, nobody mentiioned that this fertilizer was made from the same chemicals as those used in the war to kill.

The common people who thought they were being told the truth had no idea how much this synthetic fertilizer would damage both soil and crops. Now we have to reverse our way of thinking and go back to old fashion methods to save our soil and water.

To further complicate the situation,  we have big companies trying to find a place to get rid of old tires — – guess where!   Right into our back yard, into our soil which we are trying to bring back to former high standards of nutrition.  What next?

In this video, Nancy Alderman, President of Environment And Human Health organization explains why it is hazardous for us to use this rubber mulch in our gardens and on our children’s playgrounds . . .

Nancy is right! This rubber mulch will bring only more damage to our health and ecosystem.

Will people ignore Nancy’s warnning regarding the toxins and carcinogens present in rubber mulch just like they ignored David Suzuki”s warning re insecticides/pesticides on our food?
(See Suzuki’s warning in this article http://backyardcompostingguides.com/why-grow-organic/)

There is enough of this rubber in our atmosphere as it is. As one said, tires wear out, and as tires wear out leaving dust particles behind, where do these dust particles  go?

Should we add even more “dust particles” to our environment by buying the shredded rubber mulch and adding it to our soil and our children’s playgrounds?

Are we so blind that we cannot see how  the chemicals from all these degenerating (rotting) rubber particles will seep from our  soil into our water, and ultimately will be swallowed by our children?

I hope people will realize before it’s too late that if farmers and gardeners embrace using this shredded rubber mulch in their gardens/playgrounds, they will be further destroying their own health, their children’s future health, and that of our present ecosystem.

Marcie

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Well you may want to do what my sister in New Brunswick did:  have someone build you a raised  garden bed ( “a garden in a wooden box” built at the perfect height so that she can continue gardening without having to bend much). If you are as lucky as she is, perhaps that person can put in place not only an automatic watering system but also a hot house.

Click on the picture for a better side view of her hot house and raised garden

This garden bed is 51 inches wide, 149 inches long, and approximately 12 inches deep.

When building a raised garden bed,  one should buy  red pine  or red cedar. ( Normal cedar can be used, but it will rot faster than the other two.)  Of the three, red pine is the strongest and will last the longest i.e. will not rot as fast as the other two.

In this case, Jacques (her son) chose to make this raised garden bed with “rough” red pine.  He needed some 4×4 for the pillars (legs), and some 2×6  boards.  (Again they don’t have to be fancy.  The “rough” red pine boards work well)

First, he made the frame of the box by nailing together 2×6 red pine boards standing on edge.  Then he cut long 4 x 4 beams into six  4×4  beams/posts/legs  –  each 22 inches long,  and nailed one of these inside each corner of the box and one at the middle of each side.

Once he had uprighted this structure so that the box was held up by the posts (legs), he made sure strengthening cross boards were nailed in place from side to side (minimum 3 cross boards)

Jacques did not realize that he would need  to put blocks of cement 12 inches square and minimum 2 inches thick under each of the six 4 x 4 beams/posts/legs (whatever you want to call these)  because the weight of the raised garden was slowly causing the legs to sink into the ground.  For the moment reinforcement blocks had to be set under the garden bed to stop the supporting posts from sinking into the ground.  (You may want to remember to do this especially if you have heavy clay soil under the “legs” of the raised garden bed)

The fourth step is to build the bottom of the box with a bunch of 2 x 6 red pine boards set side by side from front to back   (you can put these from side to side if you wish).  Putting these boards tightly side by side allows excess water to simply seep through the tiny gaps between the 2 x 6 boards and fall to the ground thus avoiding  overwatering  the plants. On the other hand, the boards tightly laid side by side keeps the soil in place.

If you look carefully at the next picture, you will notice this layer of boards on top of the frame.  It looks like it is meant to  separate the frame from the above  layer of  boards.

The fifth step is to nail pieces of  2 x 6 red pine boards upright extending from the side of the box frame upwards.  The side boards of the box will be set up inside these and nailed.

In the above picture, you can see four of these  2 x 6 boards extending upright on the side of the raised garden bed.  If you want a box 12 inches deep, you will have to add a few inches to the length of these so that they can be nailed securely to the frame.

The sixth step  to building a raised bed is to add the sides of the box itself and secure the boards in place.  In this case the box itself is 12 or so inches deep, plenty of space for homemade compost,  soil, or whatever else you wish to add.

As a last step, you could add a flat layer of 2 x 4  red pine ( or other type wood)  around  the very top of the box to provide a resting area and to lock together the side boards even more securely.

When all was done, my sister’s raised garden bed stood approximately 34 inches high, just the right height for her.  Click on the picture to have a better view of what the end of the raised garden looks like.

Here are my sister’s comments:

“It makes it easy to weed and I really like it.”

“My hot house is made out of glass on both sides, plastic in front and back with a window in back and the top is plastiglass. I have a rain barrel with a pump that has a timer to water the garden twice a day or however often I want. Jacques (my son) bought the timer because he forgets and/or does not have time to water the garden. So if there is no one home the garden gets watered anyway.”

In this last picture you will have a better view of her rain barrels and her compost bin.  Notice beside her wheel barrow the aerating tool which can be used to add air to her compost every so often.  You can read more about this tool at
http://supercompostingtips.com/adding-air-to-composting-pile/

Although her back yard is very small (as most backyards are), she can still make her own compost to feed her vegetables, use rainwater to water them, grow her own seedlings in her hot house, and enjoy the best vegetables in the world: organically grown lush, healthy, nutritious Vegetables!

Now don’t you think this little raised garden bed with the automatic watering system is the best setup in the world?

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If you have rocky areas, high hills, or extra shady spots, in other words, land where grass does not grow well, an option is to convert to dry garden landscaping.

Here are some ideas which may help you. Click on the picture for a better view.

Soft waterfall fountain at base of steps

1.Paving  walkways or — even better — putting in patios and/or gazebos or other landscape ideas such as a waterfall at the foot of stone stairs will reduce the amount of grassy area in your lawn, giving you a very low-maintenance yard.

2. You might consider putting wood chips or shade-loving ornamental plants like ivy, hostas, periwinkle or pachysandra at the base of a tree, or even use big rocks to create eye pleasing “sculptures”. It could save time, money, and water resources.

Here is an example of an area where it was hard to get grass to grow.

Simulate a dry river bed with rocks

Using wood chips for pathways between flower beds

The home owner decided to give this area a completely different look by
1) using small- to medium-sized rocks to create a dry river bed in one area and
2) alonside this “little dry river,” creating a series of small beds filled with different types of hostas
3)creating wood chip paths to separate the beds. Looks very nice and is easy to maintain.

Replacing grass with a wood chip lawn interspersed with shrubs/plants

Here’s another version of a lawn where grass has been replaced by wood chips.

Ben Conte, a young home owner here in Oshawa, decided he did not want any grass, so he came up with this delightful layout for his lawn.

His only lawn care will be adding wood chips every so often to keep any grass from growing through the wood chips and providing a feeding place for worms and microorganisms which will provide necessary nutrients for his shrubs/weeping caragana and other interspersed plants.

3. Another  option is to cover the area with one of the many excellent ground covering plants available. Three of these many great ground covering plants are:

- The Creeping Juniper, an excellent ground cover for rocky slopes for it grows slowly, grows well in full sun, can tolerate dry rocky soil, and loves good air circulation. There are different cultivars, so you can easily find one for heights from 20 cm to 60 cm.

- Thyme, often used between patio stones, for it thrives in full sun and dry sandy soil. In addition, it has scented leaves and tiny flowers in late spring.

- The ajuga, a fast-spreading groundcover which, in spring, has spikes of deep blue flowers over shiny rosette-looking leaves. It can tolerate sun to light shade and moist soil. It grows to about 10 cm high and multi-colored leaf cultivars are available. Some cultivars can be especially resistant to insect attacks.

See other examples of beautiful ground covering plants .

Using boulders to create levels

If you have a large area where the slope is steep enough, you may want to use huge rocks as a  retaining wall to correct it.  Several different kinds of retaining walls exist, but they all serve the same purpose. Basically, the idea is to hold back areas of soil so that you can separate your yard into levels of flatter surfaces. Retaining walls also prevent soil erosion.

If you don’t like dealing with grass or growing grass is a problem, you can use some form of dry garden landscaping or hardscaping and still have your  beautiful front/back yard!

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In addition, and more importantly, by using this environmentally-friendly lawn  care system, you are creating a healthier environment not only for you and your family but for the whole ecosystem.

What Are The Benefits Of Environmentally-Friendly Lawn Care?

Avoiding insecticides/pesticides and using ecological or natural lawn care methods that supports the ecosystem promotes the following benefits:

1. You get thick grass which prevents soil erosion

2. The soil becomes a rich source of worms and microorganisms for birds. By the same token, worm castings nourish the soil which in turn promotes growth.

3. Non-contaminated grass can filter contaminants from rainwater and absorb many types of pollutants such as soot and dust from the air

4. More importantly, like trees, healthy grass can absorb the carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen in return — a great way to clean the air and diminish the global warming effects.

How Can Anyone Get Good Results With An Environmentally-friendly Lawn Care System?

In order to get good results, you must think “preventative”;  that is, you must take preventative steps that discourage weeds and insects from taking over your lawn!

The best steps you can follow in order to work with nature and avoid using pesticides/insecticides, but  still have a beautiful lawn are as follows:

A. Mow high – up to 3 inches- and often.  Cut no more than a third of the blade length

B.  Fertilize only as needed

C. Aerate and add soil amendments such as compost or sand to relieve compaction

D.  Water for maximum absorption

E.  Top dress with compost and topsoil to level your ground and to prepare for overseeding.

F.  Overseed with grass varieties appropriate for the specific area

G.  Dethatch when thatch is too thick

E. Control white grubs safely.

Get extra detailed  information regarding each step and on how to safely control white grubs in your lawn at

http://www.plantsandgardeningtips.com/organic-lawn-care/organic-lawn-care

However,  if you are having problems with grubs, yet you want to switch to this environmentally-friendly lawn care method rather than spray with insecticide, there is an excellent organic product available that can help you get rid of all your grubs and  at the same time  promote a healthier ecosystem in your lawn.

Find out more about the nematodes – the lawn’s best defense against grubs at the pest control options.com blog.

Switching to an environmentally-friendly lawn care system is one of the many ways we can all help clean up and save our environment . . .

. . . and for those of you who simply prefer not to bother with a grass lawn or have areas where grass does not grow well, you could try your hand at hardscaping or dry garden landscaping these areas.    You can get ideas by reading  Hardscaping &  Dry Garden Landscaping Ideas.

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Using organic matter (or an organic fertilizer) is of prime importance because it . . .
1. improves the soil by preventing it from compacting and crusting.
2. increases the water’s holding ability so earthworms and other microorganisms can aerate the soil
3. slows down erosion and
4. in later stages of decay, organic matter is able to release nitrogen and other nutrients which help the crops grow.

Using organic matter is a technique which is old but is now making a come back.  Why?

The conventional method of using synthetic materials such as synthetic fertilizer and pesticides have ruined the soil and depleted it of organic matter to such a degree that the soil does not produce very well any more.  The soil contains fewer and fewer nutrients, the plants are less and less healthy, so insects abound and spraying insecticides is a must.   After some years, your vegetables are tasteless, lack nutrients, and just don’t grow well.

(You may want to read about the unadvertised ramifications when vegetables are grown with synthetic fertilizers rather than grown organically  as explained at    http://backyardcompostingguides.com/why-grow-organic/ Also,  scroll about three quarters  down the page to read David Suzuki ’s warning about pesticide/insecticides on our food.)

Different Forms of Organic Matter Usable as Organic Fertilizer

Fresh Animal Manure

Believe it or not, the best form of organic matter comes from animal manure. The fresher the better because you can apply this directly to the soil.  HOWEVER fresh manure should be applied only in the fall or MINIMUM two months before planting and plowed down to give it adequate time for sufficient breakdown and ammonia to release before the planting season begins.

Caution:  Know Your manure!!!

While animal manure can be a great way to improve your soil, it is essential that you check where it’s coming from.

Manure from a non-organic farm is likely to be polluted with residues of veterinary products such as antibiotics that are fed to most intensively reared farm animals on a daily basis, or the remains of toxic worming products.  Get your manure from an organic farm or a local source that can provide guarantees regarding its purity.

Dry Animal Manure

If you don’t have access to fresh animal manure, you can use the dried version that is being sold in nurseries and garden stores.  Cattle and sheep manure are  the most popular.  This dried version can be used immediately when you plant or transplant.

A good way to save somewhat is to dig the hole where you wish to transplant and mix dry manure with the soil you took out of the hole; then, use this mixture to refill the hole around your new plant.  If you are using seeds, use a stick to draw a line where you want to plant  and simply mix in the  dry manure with the existing soil along that line.  Then put in your seed as per directions on the package, cover and water.

Again BEWARE OF THE WORD “ORGANIC” . . .

Not because organic is bad but because the use of the word can be.  Gardening items that are labelled as “organic” need only be of  “living origin”.  so your organic manure might be from battery chickens.  Only those products that are certified as organic by an official certifying body are guaranteed to have been produced under strict organic standards.

Of course if your gardening center are pro organic, they will probably make sure their products are the real thing.  Just ask.

Here in Canada, as far as I know, Pefferlaw.com, where the nincompoop which looks like earth but works like mulch originated,  seems to be the only one at this time (fall 2009) that carries the ” certified organic” label, and they sell their products through Home Hardware, Tru Serve, A&P, and Sobeys.  I’m sure that in the future, more will become “certified organic” as people become more aware and begin asking questions.

Compost

For those who don’t use manure, you can use compost instead. This can be made from lawn clippings, leaves, food waste and other plant materials. It is cheap but its nutrient content will depend on the  materials you have used to make your backyard compost.

The ebook How To Make Compost In Your Back Yard outlines hot and cold composting and what materials can be added to your compost pile plus two other composting methods in easy-to-understand step-by-step  explanations from A to Z.   Alternately you can simply browse through the composting explanations at SuperCompostingTips.com blog

Green Manure
There is another kind of manure better known as green manure. You don’t use any  animal waste here.  Green manure means growing a cover crop in your garden and then plowing it under so you are adding organic matter to the soil. The best way to maximize this method is for you not to use the garden for one season.

Alternatively you can sow the seeds of the plant you are using for your green manure in the fall and then turn it under with a plow or a large tiller in the early spring — at least one month before planting. That way, you can use your garden normally while at the same time building up the soil.

Alfalfa is the best.  You can seed it in the fall and plow it under in the early spring before it comes to seed.  Annual ryegrass is also  good  for green manuring and covering.   If this is not available, you can use  rye or wheat.  One great advantage of planting green manure seeds is that it helps prevent weeds from growing. Remember though that in order for this green manure to be effective, you must plow it under at least one month before you  plant.

Sewage Sludge

Sewage sludge is also a good source of organic matter. There are two types: digested sludge and dried activated sludge.

The digested sludge is relatively low quality. It contains from 1 to 3 percent of nitrogen and should only be applied during the fall. But BE CAREFUL:  it sometimes contain metal ions that are not good to use on vegetable gardens.

The second, the dried activated sludge, has been separated from coarse solids, inoculated with microorganisms and aerated. This activated sludge is better than the digested  sludge because it is filtered, dried in kilns and screened. It contains 5 to 6 percent of nitrogen and 5 to 7 pounds can cover an area of 100 square feet. (I’ve used the dried activated sludge  on my lawn and it worked well.)

Take note that these two types are different from raw sewage. That being said, never use raw sewage to garden any soil.

Keeping your soil nourished and able to sustain and grow lush, nourishing, delicious vegetables can only happen if you use  organic matter or organic fertilizers — with compost and manure (animal or green) being the top best.

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To produce big juicy nutritional vegetables, your soil must be able to supply the plant with the following five critical nutrients:

*  Nitrogen — for leaf development;
*  magnesium — to help the plants with photosynthesis
*  Calcium and phosphorus — to help the plant bear fruit and help root growth.
*  Potassium — for root development and to resist disease.
*  a range of micronutrients such as boron, iron and zinc.

(To find out what nutrients might be missing in your soil, you need to get it tested.  See the article explaining how to get your soil tested)

Organic soil amendments can be made of natural plants (ex leaf mold or peatmoss) or animal materials (such as bloodmeal or bonemeal) or of powdered minerals or rock (such as rock phosphate or granite meal).

Adding organic matter stimulates the natural cycles that enrich soil. Earthworms and soil microorganisms break down organic matter into forms that plants can use. As these organic amendments are slowly broken down by microorganisms, they are releasing their nutrients slowly over months or even years.

When organic amendments are added to the upper few inches of soil as mulch and is allowed to slowly decompose naturally, you are in fact mimicking nature’s process of feeding not only plants but also the soil.

The end result is the creation of humus, a stable form of decomposed organic matter that improves soil structure so roots can penetrate the soil easily.

Not only is the soil being replenished with nutrients, the compost or humus also increases the soil’s capacity to hold air and water.

Different Ways to Create Organic Compost:

There are different ways you can use natural materials to feed and remedy soil structure.  You can choose to use compost bins to make compost– a mix of decomposed plant and animal materials, which can then be worked into your soil in the spring before you plant or in the fall after harvest time.

You can choose to cold compost also.  All these methods of composting are explained step by step in the ebook How To Compost In Your Backyard or you may choose to read individual posts outlining each of the   four composting methods step by step.

Organic amendment is far superior to synthetic chemical fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers are water-soluble and produce a sudden flush of mineral salts that are taken up rapidly py plants.  Aalthough such salts can produce good yields, they also repel earthworms and other compost-making creatures, our most important allies to keeping the soil fertile and rich.   (Here’s a personal experience  which showed me  how worms hate  synthetic fertilizers.)

If you use only  synthetic chemical fertilizers, your soil will be lifeless soil, low in nutrients, and low to nil in compost.  The only way to  support your  crops would be to add more doses of chemicals — and you’ve started on a merry-go–round of ruining your soil.

Because your soil is not being replenishes, it will have less and less of the necessary nutrients for lush and healthy growth, the plants/vegetables will be less and less healthy thus more and  more susceptible to being attacked by insects and pests.

To avoid this type of catastophic ending to nutritious food and better health, you might want to consider the opposite route of  feeding the soil — i.e. going organic.

Examples of good common soil amendments:

1. Compost or decomposed plant material — to improve soil texture and add nutrients to the soil. Straw, grass clippings, or shredded leaves are examples of such mulches.

2. Peat moss, a lightweight and inexpensive natural amendment, — to help loosen heavy soils or in the case of sand, to radically improve the ability of soil to hold moisture.  Peat moss can be bought in big or small quantities.  I always used to keep a bag or two in my shed.

3.  Composted manure, (usually cow or sheep manure which can bought in bags) — to improve drainage and moisture retention in the soil and to add nitrogen among other nutrients. Composted manure has a rich, dark texture and is easy to work into soil.

4. Leaf mold (composted or decomposed leaves) — to help loosen the soil.  High in nitrogen and potassium, the leaf mold releases its nutrients slowly in soil. Leaf mold and other garden leftovers are often called “the gardener’s gold” for when decomposed, the resulting material helps any type of soil become rich loam.

5. Shredded bark or wood chippings — to improve soil texture by making it more airy and improve soil drainage.   Shredded bark such as cedar bark is often used to mulch around the base of plants and trees.   Avoid shredding or chipping any wood which has been painted or have been tainted with oil preservatives or such things as plywood which is kept together with glue.

6. Worm castings — a terrific addition which brings with it much needed nutrients. I have been using worm castings for my balcony and indoor potted plants and have found worm castings to be every bit as good as composted plant material.

7. Green manure, — a great soil amendment which can add many nutrients and amend texture immensely. Green manure is easy to make.  In the fall after the harvest, plant alfalfa seeds or soy seeds (be sure the seeds are  GMO-free) in your garden.  Allow it to grow some, and in the early spring before the crop starts making seeds, cut the growing plant to the ground and then plow it in or with a shovel turn this green manure under.  I’ve used this method extensively during the last five years I still had my house.

By adding the proper organic soil amendments to change the texture of your soil, you are well on the way to producing rich loam, the road to healthier, more nutritious vegetables and plants which are lush and vibrant.

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You should do this testing for soil structure as early in the spring as possible, as soon as the ground is dry enough,  so that you will have at least a month for the amendment product (especially manure) to settle in before it’s time to plant.

Your aim is to have a healthy garden soil, in other words, a soil structure which is roughly  half solid material (mineral particles and organic matter) and half pore space (occupied by water, air, living creatures and plant roots).

Three Basic Soil Textures:

Soil comes in three basic textures: heavy clay, silt, or sand.  Clay has the finest mineral particles and sand has the  coarsest.

Clay: Clay soils drain poorly or not at all and tend to crust over as it dries, blocking air and water.  When pure clay soil is extremely dry, you will hardly be able to make a dent in it even with a shovel.  When extremely wet, it becomes soggy, slippery,  and slimy looking.   It’s difficult to walk through it, for you sink a little with each step you take; the soil seems to want to keep you stuck in it.

However, clay soil is very rich; actually potato farmers prefer this type of soil (amended of course with manure) since clay soil stays moist longer than sandy soil.  The one advantage to clay soils is that because  it drains slowly,  nutrients don’t get leached out as quickly.

On the other hand because  it compacts easily,  it has very little space for air, and plant roots don’t always survive because of this lack of oxygen. Thus it is necessary to add amendments to permit more air and oxygen go get to the plant roots.

Silt:  High- silt soils tend to compact, preventing deep root penetration.

Sand:  On the opposite end of the texture spectrum is the sandy soil.   Sandy soil generally drains quickly so tends to lose nutrients quickly.

The aim is to recognize your soil texture and then choose the proper amendment so that your soil structure allows  your plant roots to get the  oxygen, water, and nutrients  conducive to lush growth.

To reiterate — soil structure refers to the texture of the soil (the way soil particles are bound together)  and to the proportion of solids and pore space.

This video will illustrate quite clearly the three different textures of soil.

Testing for Texture

Texture Test 1: Basic Test

The most basic test is to pick up a handful of moist soil, roll it into a ball, and squeeze the ball lightly.

A.  If the soil feels slippery and your fingers leave an impression in the surface, you are dealing with clay soil.

B. If the soil feels gritty and forms a loose ball when you squeeze it, there’s  significant sand content.

C. If the soil feels greasy, then you’re dealing with a high proportion of silt.

D. Finally, if the soil crumbles into large particles or is difficult to roll into a ball, it has a well-balanced texture characteristic of loam.  In that case you’ve hit pay dirt, for loamy soils are excellent for gardening.

Texture Test 2: Visually Compare

Another test which will help you determine the texture of your soil is to visually compare the proportions of sand, silt, and clay.

To do this, you first half fill an ordinary mason quart jar with your soil then add water to the top of the jar. Securely close the jar with a cover and shake until the water and the soil have become thoroughly mixed. Then set it somewhere for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, check the layers:  the sand proportion will be at the bottom, the silt will hover in the middle, and the clay will be towards the top.  By seeing what you have the most of, you can get a rough idea of whether you are dealing with mostly clay, silt, or sandy soil.

Texture Test 3: Soil Drainage Test

If you click on the article Determining Soil Drainage which is on the blog PlantsAndGardeningTips.com, you will learn a third method which was often used by seasoned gardeners. This method is a quick and sure way to determine whether you should add a lot of  compost or amendments or you can get away with only a little more to get proper drainage.  Please be patient when loading this file.  It might take time to load.

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• Soil Amendments – Organic (2)
• Home Vegetable Garden Basics: Soil (0)

Well you can wait till the last minute and chance buying your seeds at your nursery or such places as Canadian Tire or Home Hardware. However, your best bet is to plan ahead and order via organic seed catalogs  so that you can identify whether the company’s seeds are labeled as organically grown.

When researching seed sources, organic seed buyers  look for companies who can identify their seeds as having the  following labels: “U” for untreated, “O” for organic, “OP” for open-pollinated, and/or “H” for heritage.

U — Untreated seeds are seeds which have not been coated with chemicals that are harmful to soil life and humans. However, “Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada” does insist that certain varieties of imported seeds be treated.

Also, organic growers shun like the plague any seeds that have been genetically modified, that is, seeds in which the genes of anything from a pesticide-resistant weed to an animal or even a bacteria have been inserted or spliced right into the seed’s DNA.

There are two main reasons for this:

Organic growers have no idea how these injected genes will mutate into something that will endanger a person’s health, such as create different allergens in the food, damage the liver or the kidneys, combine with the good bacteria in the gut to create its own version, etc.

The second concern is the environment. Once introduced into the environment, no one can predict where the wind will carry the seeds, and there could be irreparable damage done if these genetically engineered plants cross breed with wild ones.

O — Organic seeds come from plants which have been grown via organic methods.

OP — Open-pollinated is the best type of seed because these seeds are capable of reproducing themselves. You can save the seeds from these plants, let them dry off, store them in plastic bags, and use them the following year.

Hybrid seeds, on the other hand, do not always reproduce true to type. The hybrid seeds will grow, but you might have some variance in your results, so if you want the exact same type of plant, it is usually necessary to buy new seed every year. The company will usually identify those hybrid seeds which do reproduce true to type.

H — Heritage seeds are a little more difficult to find for they are not necessarily sold in mainstream seed catalogs.

Heritage seeds have been passed down from generation to generation and are usually a collector’s item. These seeds are generally sold through small seed companies and seed saving organizations who try their best to keep them in circulation to preserve a diminishing genetic diversity. Often people who are interested in heritage seed will find other people who are willing to exchange seeds and thus grow their little collection.

If  interested in conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the diversity of open-pollinated plants where members are encouraged to save and exchange seeds, please contact one of the following for more information:
Seeds of Diversity Canada, SoDC, Box 36, Stn Q, Toronto ON M4T 2L7;  Voice Mail (905) 623-0353.
Seed Savers Exchange, a large US organization that promotes seed saving, at SSE, 3026 North Winn Road, Decorah IA 52101 USA.

Organic Seed Growers Recognized Worldwide

McKenzie Seeds, (http://mckenzieseeds.com) 30 – 9th street, Brandon, MB R7A 6E1
Has a plethora of useful information about gardening, seeds, tips and so much more.
(McKenzie Seeds are sold by Home Depot),

BISHOP SEEDS ( http://bishopseeds.ca)  Box 338, Belleville ON K8N 5A5.
You can order at their website, or phone the Belleville office, toll-free at 1-800-411-2062 and ask for a free catalogue and where the closest dealer is.

DOMINION SEED HOUSE (http://dominion-seed-house.com/en-CA/) Box 2500, Georgetown ON L7G 5L6
Founded in 1928 by the Harding family in Georgetown, Ontario, Canada, Dominion Seed House is a leader in gardening products by mail order: flowers, vegetables and herbs (available as seeds, plants, bulbs or cuttings), as well as accessories.

Dominion Seed House proudly wears the official title of CERTIFIED ORGANIC ENTERPRISE since January, 2006.

McFAYDEN SEED CO. LTD. (http://mcfayden.com) 30-9th St., Suite 200, Brandon MB R7A 6N4 The website is available in both French and English. To learn more about this company, you must click on “About Us” after you have clicked on one of the products. Since McKenzie is the parent company, although it does not say so, I presume like the McKenzie seeds, these are also organically grown.

Spring gardening tips can be found under Q&A tab.

ONTARIO SEED COMPANY (http://www.oscseeds.com/) Box 7, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z6), Phone: (519) 886-0557 Fax: (519) 886-0605 Email: seeds@oscseeds.com
The Waterloo store is situated at 16 King St. South
The Hamilton store (the old Tregunno Seed Co.) is located at 126 Catharines Street North.
The Ontario Seed Company is Canada’s foremost supplier of Native Seeds for Conservation and Reclamation. Note: OSC is unable to deliver to addresses in the USA.

STOKES SEEDS LTD. (http://stokesseeds.com) Box 10, St. Catherines ON L2R 6R6)
(Accommodates new customers and returning customers)

VESEY=S SEEDS FOR SHORTER SEASONS (http://veseys.com) PO Box 9000, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, C1A 8K6 Phone: 1-902-368-7333 Fax: 1-800-686-0329 (toll-free) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

This website is extremely easy to navigate and has one website for Canadians and another one for US citizens.

Veseys offers a selection of certified organic seed – seed which has been produced under strict guidelines which govern the production of certified organic products. Veseys is also certified as a shipper/handler of organic seed and is NOP accredited. For growers who require documentation for their certification reviews, you can see their printable GMO-free document.

(When I was living in New Brunswick, my sister and I would order our seeds religiously every year from Veseys. We have always been totally satisfied with our results.)

Full Circle Seeds (http://fullcircleseeds.com) Box 807, Sooke BC V0S 1N0. T:250-642-3671 F:250-642-3671
Open-pollinated vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more

RICHTERS (http://www.richters.com) 357 Highway 47, Goodwood ON L0C 1A0
Herbs: Medicinal, Culinary, Aromatic   (U=all, O=many, OP=many, H=some)

Extensive collection of herb seeds plants (over 700 varieties, some biological), a few gourmet vegetables.

Besides herbs, they sell such item as tea blends, spice blends, bath collections, exclusive oils, Home and You, Garden Products, Bodyguard Products under the banner “Herb Wild”. That’s quite an impressive array of products and so close to home, too.

Their products are available online and at the Richters giftshop in Goodwood, Ontario, Canada. They may also be contacted by fax at 1.905.640.6641 or by phone at 1.888.HERB.726

If not interested in any of these Canadian companies, you can always google “organic seeds + your location” to find a place closer to you where you can find organic seed sources for organic gardeners.

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If bills  HR875 and S425 which had been presented to congress to be passed as soon as possible had been  allowed to become law, our ability to have access to do our own organic gardening or to have a choice to eat organic food would have become a thing of the past. Big companies would have total control!

This is what has been going on without people knowing about it:

Is The Death of Organic Upons Us?

The presenters of these bills were asking President Obama to nationalize farming. Do you realize what that means?   The farmers would have been obliged to buy genetically modified seeds as well as their pesticides AND organic farming would have been  outlawed!

You may think that law would not have affected you, the small home gardener, but it would have … and  dramatically  and drastically so!

If bills HR875 and S425 had been passed through the US legistature, it would have affected everyone who wants to garden organically — even those who want a little organic vegetable garden in their backyard so they can grow healthy vegetables.

The acceptance of Bills HR875 and S425 would have totally destroyed organic gardening!

Farmers (and small gardeners) would have been forced to buy only genetically modified seeds sold by these specific companies such as those spearheaded by Monsanto.   No organically grown seeds— or heritage seeds — would have been allowed to be planted by farmers, and by the same token, not even in your little garden in your back yard.

At the moment Organic farmers are the targeted group.    However, the implication is that those people who are putting up a small garden in their back yard could be fined as well. This short video on youtube explains why

How Passing Bills HR875 and S425 Will Affect Organic Gardeners/Farmers

You might also want to google “GMO” and listen to videos explaining how this technology is used within the food industry.   In addition, you can rent the video “Future of Our Food.”   It’s so important that people know this information now and realize its implications  before it’s too late.

To summarize a bit — If President Obama does one day pass these bills or anything like them,  farmers will be forced to  use genetically modified seeds for their farming; otherwise, they could (and would) be heavily fined (up to $500,000) or even have their farm and all belongings confiscated.

Here’s an example of   a heart-breaking scenario which has in fact happened and could happen over and over again:

If I want to use organically certified seeds for my organic garden and my next door farmer grows genetically modified seeds and some of these seeds inadvertently blow into and grow in my yard, I can be heavily fined because I did not buy the seeds from Monsanto et al’s company.  If I don’t pay, I could lose all I own — everything I have worked for all my life!

In addition, my organic crop would be tainted by this GMO crop mixing with mine, and I would have a lot of difficulty getting rid of this problem .

Organic farming is in danger of being outlawed! Organic farmers are fighting for their freedom and their rights.

If these big GMO pushing companies  get their way and legislation is allowed to go in their favor now or in the future, organic farming and organic gardening will  cease to exist.  People would have NO choice.  Istead of  eating organically grown vegetables, they will have to eat genetically modified foods which can do untold harm to our bodies and our health.

And what about our children’s future?

Here’s another video which tells about what GMO foods could end up doing to us humans, especially our children, and that information is even more scary!

For other related videos you can go to

Hidden Dangers In Kids Food

I’m so glad US citizens who got wind of this information immediately called or emailed their congressman or the Capitol switchboard at  202 224 3121 to protest passing these bills.   I’m sure, though, that is not the end of the food war!

It is devastating to realize that we are being told that it is safe to eat GMO food in which organisms such as insecticides have been injected.    If these types of plants kill the insects that feed on them, what will it do the human body?

URGENT:   Please tell  your friends about this danger.  Everyone should be on the alert and do what they can to squash the GMO tainting of all our food.

If everyone passes on the news and as many people as possible protest the ongoing practice of genetically modifying our food and insist that the genetically modified food be identified, perhaps this genetic modification of food would be abandoned before it’s too late.  Now is the time to act.

However, we must not be so naive as to think these big companies won’t try something else.    So please remain on the alert, stay up to date with what is happening, and let us save our freedom to farm organically — to be able to grow and/or eat organic foods anywhere freely!

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Benefits of Organic Foods?

The best explanation comes from the Soil Association, a very strong organization in the United Kingdom who have become very involved in supporting and promoting organic farming. The benefits of eating organic foods are as follows:

1. Organic Foods Are Tops For Taste
Many people buy organic food because they believe food grown organically tastes better than those grown non-organically. This could be because organic fruit and vegetables tend to grow more slowly and have a lower water content, which may contribute to the fuller flavour some people experience. A poll in 2005 showed that quality and taste of food are important to more people than low prices.

2. Organic Foods Are healthy
On average, organic foods contain higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium as well as cancer-fighting antioxidants. Of course the vegetables are more nutritious because they have been planted in soil fed with organic fertilizers; therefore the soil has more nutrients to pass on to the vegetables.

Organic milk is naturally higher in Omega 3 fatty acids, Vitamin E, Vitamin A (Beta Carotene) and certain other antioxidants than non-organic milk.

3. Organic Foods Have No Nasty Additives
Only 32 of the 290 food additives approved for use across the EU are permitted in organic food. Amongst the additives banned by the Soil Association are hydrogenated fat, aspartame (artificial sweetener) and monosodium glutamate which have been linked to health problems.

4. Organic Farmers Avoid Using Pesticides
The best way of reducing your exposure to potentially harmful pesticides is to eat organically grown food, where their use is avoided. Over 311 pesticides can be routinely used in non organic farming and residues are often present in non-organic food. Over 40% of all non-organic fruit, vegetables and bread tested in 2005 contained pesticides according to the Government’s Pesticide Residues Committee.The results for particular fruit and vegetables were much worse, e.g. chemicals were found in all oranges tested, 90% of bread, 72% of grapes, 95% pears.

5. Organic Foods Are GM-free
Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards. Over a million tonnes of GM crops are imported to feed non organic livestock that produce much, if not most, of the non organic pork, bacon, milk cheese and other dairy products in our supermarkets.

6. Reliance On Antibiotics Removed
Antibiotic additives routinely added to animal food to speed animal growth are linked with bacterial resistance in humans to the same or closely related antibiotics. Soil Association standards ban the routine use of antibiotics.

7. No Hidden Costs
Compare this with the millions of dollars that tax payers fork out annually to pay for chemicals to be removed from drinking water, mainly as a result of the pesticides used in farming.

8. High standards For Organic Foods
Organic foods comes from trusted sources. All organic farms and food companies are inspected at least once a year. The standards for organic food are laid down in European law.

9. Higher Level Of Animal Welfare Standards(at least in the UK)
No system of farming has higher levels of animal welfare standards than organic farms working to Soil Association standards. Compassion in World Farming believes that the Soil Association’s welfare standards are leaders in the field. (Joyce d’Silva, Director, Compassion in World Farming, UK.)

10. Good For Wildlife And The Environment
Another benefit of eating organic vegetables and food is that you help the environment. Because farmers will use less or no harmful chemicals, organic farming supports more farmland wildlife than non-organic farming. Overall, growing food organically is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide – the main global warming gas – and less dangerous wastes.
(Source:  SoilAssociation.org)

One more point which should be included is that the land which organic farmers have worked on can be planted by the next generation because the land that has been cultivated for so long is still fertile

If you go to my backyard composting guide salespage, you can read what I have witnessed regarding the insecticide spray and non organic fertilizers being used by farmers growing vegetables non-organically. Also note what David Suzuki has to say about how much residual insecticides/pesticides can be found on fruit and vegetables sold here in Canada and the US.

(Note: You will get the full details there.   I thought it senseless to repeat here what I have already said on this sales page. No need to buy.)

So, as you can see, not only have the majority of the foods you buy been genetically modified, but many farmers have used various techniques, chemicals, and fertilizers to make their vegetables bigger even if they know that these products and fertilizers are dangerous to your health.

So one can conclude that people who switch to regularly eating organically grown vegetables should have a healthier life  since according to a recent study, organic foods  have 50% more vitamins and minerals than those made from conventional methods.

Additionally, you will probably feel better too since you are getting more nutrients by eating organic foods. Although fertilizers and pesticides have their advantages, they remove essential vitamins and nutrients so you are not getting the required daily allowance that your body needs. In short, you may think you are, but in reality, this isn’t what’s happening.

One thing though when you go to the supermarket, you will notice that the price of organic foods  are much more expensive than those conventionally grown.

Should you always buy something if it is cheaper? In the case of food, the answer is “no” because you can’t put a price on the lives of those who eat it.

Surely, you also don’t want to wait until someone you know gets sick to think about the future and start taking advantage of the benefits of eating organic foods.

Eventually, the price of organic foods will go down when more farmers decide to sell these in supermarkets. At this point there is only a small section of organic foods  available  in the store, but when growing organic foods become an industry standard, things will change.

Until that happens, you can probably plant and grow organic vegetables  in your backyard. You just need the supplies, especially the seeds or the fully grown plant, to help you get started.

No magic or anything fancy is used when growing organic foods. You only need fertile soil, sunlight, water and some compost to make it work.

If you do a little bit of research first, you will quickly find out how to take care of your organic vegetable garden. After all, sprinkling water every morning is just one of the many things you have to do to help these grow.

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges in growing organic foods is that the US imports a lot of vegetables from countries that are not yet practicing this back-to-the-basics  method.

But with a little help and encouragement, they too will come around so everyone both here and in other countries  will be able to enjoy the benefits of  organic foods.

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