WEEDS,
SEEDS AND GOOD DEEDS
By Nancy Smith, board member Missouri Farmers Union
and consultant to Sappington Market.
For the past 30 years, I have grown vegetables, herbs
and flowers using only natural and organic methods. For
me, that means making and using compost, adding soil amendments
like greensand and kelp meal to the gardens, and gradually
creating an ecology that encourages natural predators
and pollinators, tolerates enough insect pests to keep
the predators around, and makes the plants so healthy
that they don’t succumb easily to insect pests or
disease. In the process of doing that, my vegetables and
fruits taste better, last longer, are more colorful, and
probably have more nutrients.
Some of the best lessons I have learned are:
•
Work constantly to build fertility and tilth in the soil.
Always replenish at least 3 inches of humus per year.
• Plant early plants earlier and late plants later.
Succession planting greatly increases yield, decreases
insect problems and gives the gardener a better connection
to the seasons.
• Learn about companion planting,
and use it effectively. Mix crops together in attractive
combinations, too, to increase the beauty of the garden
and confuse the bugs.
• Essential oils are incredibly
helpful in insect, disease and fungus control.
The only spray we ever use in our greenhouse is a spray
I mix with purchased insecticidal soap and eucalyptus
oil. (1 tablespoon of soap and 30 drops of oil to a quart
spray bottle). Diatomaceous earth is often all that is
needed to control an outbreak, and it is harmless to earthworms,
bees, natural predators, plants and people.
•
Mulching with available materials will help with weed
control and maintain even moisture.
• NOTE:
If you don’t have your own compost, Sappington Market
composts all their fruit and vegetable waste into a product
that is bagged and sold at the store. The varied nutrients
from the vast selection of produce will promote healthy
plants in your garden, as well as saving thousands of
tons of waste from landfills.
As an organic gardener myself, I believe that certification
is far less important than knowing the person who grows
your food. At Sappington Market, we have a commitment
to know our growers, to learn how they grow their food,
to guide them to more natural ways, if necessary, and
to help the consumer find the safest and most nutritious
food for their families private organic certification
programs. Watch for more articles about these programs.
SAPPINGTON MARKET IS LOCATED AT 8400 WATSON ROAD. For
information please call 314-843-7848 or visit online at
www.sappintonfarmersmkt.com.
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