The reasons for embracing organic practices in your garden and eschewing conventional chemicals and practices are varied. Some gardeners go organic out of concern for the environment. Others do so because they wonder what all of those lawn and garden chemicals are doing to their health, as well as the health of their family. Still others find that, for those gardeners on a budget, organic gardening just makes sense.
Reason #1: Environmental Concerns
Many organic gardeners are concerned about the impact their gardens have on the overall ecosystem. We hear about lawn chemicals (particularly fertilizers) washing into local waterways and wreaking havoc on marine life. We hear about colony collapse disorder, and wonder if all of the pesticides gardeners use are having an adverse impact on beneficial insects. We think about the petrochemicals that are key components in many lawn and garden chemicals, and decide that gardening organically is one more way to reduce our dependence on oil.
Some of us decide that we'd like to make our garden a haven for wildlife, and, if we want to attract butterflies or bees to our gardens, pesticides are out. Many organic gardeners see their garden as part of an overall ecosystem - not something apart from it.
Reason #2: Health Concerns
When we hear that the "inert" ingredients in RoundUp cause damage to fetal cells, or when we hear, for example, that rates of childhood leukemia are seven times higher for those children who have been regularly exposed to pesticides, it just doesn't make sense to keep using these chemicals around our families. There are several reasons to be concerned:
- Among the 30 most common conventional pesticides, 19 have been found to be carcinogenic, 21 have negative effects on reproduction, 13 have been liked with birth defects, 26 of them cause kidney or liver damage, and at least 11 cause hormonal disruption.
- Even at low levels of exposure, lawn pesticides have been found to increase miscarriage rates.
- Lawn and garden pesticide exposure increases a child's risk of developing asthma.
- Pesticides are able to pass from mother to child via both the umbilical cord and breast milk.
Reason #3: Budgetary Concerns
Chemicals are expensive. There is no getting around that. You can buy a pump sprayer of herbicide to get rid of your sidewalk weeds and pay around $20, or you can dig them out yourself (or pour boiling water on them) for free. You can buy fertilizers for your lawn and garden, or you can turn your home and garden waste into compost. You can spray your lawn to get rid of insect pests, or you can promote a healthy turf in the first place by following responsible watering, fertilizing, and mowing practices that discourage pests. In each and every case, the organic option is cheaper.
Of course, you can also buy many organic sprays and fertilizers, and many of them are effective. But if you're a budget-conscious gardener, you can often find a way to deal with most problems for very little money - which is not an option when your garden is dependent on its regular "fix" of chemicals to keep it growing and pest free.
These are just a few reasons to go organic. There are others out there, but these three reasons seem to be the most prevalent. Whatever your reason is, gardening organically is rewarding, and well worth making the switch.
