Growing your own homegrown fruit and vegetables does not automatically equal natural, healthy food. We are sold so many things for our home gardens that are actually toxic or full of nasty chemicals.
What we put into our soils will be drawn up through the plants and into the food they produce. Some plants will accumulate and retain more chemical and trace elements than others. Root vegetables and leafy greens are more at risk than those that form from flowers such as fruit, broccoli, eggplant, melons etc. Root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes have constant and direct contact with any contaminants in the soil or water. Fruit bearing plants will often be able to process and reduce any contaminants before it reaches the reproductive flowers and fruit.
Choosing to grow in toxic free soil and not using chemicals or pesticides on your plants will mean your food will be less at risk for harmful contamination. Growing food naturally and sustainably is a big learning journey and below are some ways to avoid harmful contaminants in your food. Actionable steps to grow food naturally and avoid any nasties at the shops.
1. Choose Organic Soil
The soil you grow your food in is absolute key! Not all soils are made the same. Spend a little time doing some research to determine if the soil you are purchasing is organic and free from any nasties. Ask questions, read labels and it may cost a little extra but it will be worth it! Do the same with composts and animal manure. Animal manure is great for your gardens but it is important to know what you are buying! Animals that are eating food with chemicals and sprays or are on medications may transfer contaminates through to their manure. Once you have your base soil sorted, composting and building soil at home is a great way to top up your garden beds with your own organic soil.
2. Select your Seeds and Seedlings Wisely
Seeds can be coated in chemicals! This was something I did not realise when I started this journey. “Roundup Ready seed” was not a term I had heard before but now I can’t un-hear it. Many seeds created by large manufacturers are coated in pesticides so you can spray for weeds and bugs without killing the seed. If you have ever bought seeds that are bright pink or other unnatural looking colours with speckles, this is most likely why. It’s hard to find information on what chemicals or pesticides these coatings contain and I would just avoid them all together. These seeds are also often grown in contaminated soils with chemical fertilisers and pesticides to mass produce large, productive plants to save seeds from.
The best seeds to purchase are heirloom varieties from local distributors. Choosing seeds that have been grown organically in your local area will have a higher success rate. These plants will be adapted to your local climate rather than those imported and grown in a completely different climate. You can find local seed suppliers at your nearest nurseries and plant stores. Take a look online as well to find local organic seed companies. It all starts with a single seed.
Seedlings will be exactly the same. Choose local, organic seedlings and ask questions. Seedlings for mass production will often be grown from pesticide coated or genetically modified seeds, fed with synthetic fertilizers to boost their growth and provide the public with a product that will have a “high success rate”. But of course that does not equate to natural healthy food. A little bit of research and you will find lots of healthy seedlings to purchase. Farmers markets can also be a great place to find locally grown seedlings and you will be able to find out directly from the grower what has gone into their production.
3. Use Natural Pest Management
When you first start growing food you will get slugs and snails eating your new precious veggies and will want to instantly fix the situation. Traditionally, gardeners are taught and marketed to pour on huge amounts of snail bait to combat the hungry predators. This is poison, not only will it kill the slugs and snails but is also deadly to cats and dogs. Now, if it can kill dogs, having it covering the soil and getting watered in and absorbed into the soil that your vegetable will feed on, especially those root vegetables, cannot be good for us.
Growing food naturally and sustainably can often mean we need to relearn old ways and not be afraid to fail. Ditch the need to constantly control the situation and start working with nature to find a balance. A balanced ecosystem where everything works together will not only be healthier for you but also less work in the long run.
Read my natural pest management solutions here
4. Use Natural Fertilisers
There are lots of ways we can use what we have to add healthy vitamins and nutrients into our soil. These will help replenish what the plants have extracted from the soil and give your new plants a boost they need to thrive. Natural fertiliser ideas such as:
- Weed Tea – are your weeds thriving? They will be full of vitamin and minerals that can be fermented into a fertiliser for your gardens.
- Composting – Composting is a great way to return plant matter and nutrients back into the soil.
- Worm Farms and Worm Tea – worms are powerhouses in the garden! Harness their energy by starting a worm farm and turn your recycling and scraps into nutrient rich fertilisers.
- Banana Skins or Banana Tea Fertiliser – Chop and sprinkle banana skins in your soil or add to water to make a potassium rich natural fertiliser. This is great for fruiting trees as it promotes fruit production.
- Coffee Grounds – Coffee grounds are high in potassium and nitrogen which are both great for the garden. By themselves, they can be quite acidic, so its best to add them into your compost or mix through soil and spread it out.
- Mulching – mulching not only helps retain moisture in your soils but also add nutrients as it breaks down. Each time you add fresh mulch on top you are adding new layers of soil. So it is again important to choose natural and organic mulch.
- Chop and drop – this is a technique I use often with my gardens. It can look a little messy but adds nutrients back into the soil. When you trim your trees roughly chop up the branches and place them on the surface of your gardens as mulch. This works best with fruit trees or low maintenance gardens. Fruit trees will benefit from the fungal activity of the branches as they break down.
5. Grow away from Roadsides and Contaminates
Cars and high traffic areas will give off a lot of atmospheric pollution. It is best to avoid growing in these places. There are a few ways you can reduce the risk of your gardens being contaminated such as:
- Plant trees or hedges to create a barrier and diffuse some of the dust and fumes.
- Choose to grow fruit trees rather than leafy greens to avoid directly consuming the contaminates.
- Be sure to wash the fruit well before use.
6. Buy Local and Organic
If you are supplementing your food supply with bought produce, choose to purchase local and organically grown for a reduced risk of contamination. Knowing where your food has come from and being able to talk to the grower will give you peace of mind in what you are consuming. There is so much unknown in what goes into fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. Many vegetables will be grown in contaminated soils, constantly sprayed with harmful pesticides and chemical fertilisers. These accumulate and transfer into the food we eat. Many of these contaminants will be used from the beginning seed and then many times during the growth, harvest and transportation of the produce. All to increase production and shelf life.
It is hard to know what exactly you are eating when you purchase commercially grown produce. The best way to reduce harmful toxins is to buy your fruit and veggies from local organic growers and eat fresh!
7. Wash your Fruit and Vegetables
Washing your fruit and vegetables can help remove some of the toxins but not all of them. To wash your fruit and veggies – place them in the kitchen sink with 3 parts water and 1 part white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Give them a good rub to remove any wax or sprays, then dry them and put them away.
8. Don’t get Caught out with “Natural” “Organic” Marketing
Most companies have invested thousands into their marketing and advertising to attract more customers. Using natural green and brown colours, patterns and textures, plants and insect imagery as wells as “sustainable” language. These strategies can trick us into thinking these products are good for us and the environment. Certified organic products are best and will have the accreditations on the labels. Next time you are shopping for gardening or food products take a second to read and evaluate what you are buying. Don’t get tricked with natural and sustainable looking imagery and advertising.
Growing naturally without harmful pesticides and fertilisers is not only better for you but will also make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of local pollinators and insects. Pollinators are small and very at risk from contaminated gardens. Pollinators help our gardens thrive and produce more food so it is important that we care for them too.
Overall, the best way to eliminate toxic contaminants from our home and gardens is to slow down, read, ask questions and make informed decisions. Growing naturally and sustainably is something that will take work and many failures. Not having instant chemical fixes to problems but to learn to embrace failures and learn from any mistakes.
Sometimes failure is the best way to learn and move forward.
Happy gardening!
Holly
If you have any questions please leave me a comment below.
