So why would one want to indulge in organic gardening?

1. The best, and most important incentive to garden organically, is the health issue. Organically produced veggies will not be passing along chemical residues that can accumulate within your body. We aren't sure of the future effects of many chemicals, but why chance it when there's an natural alternative?

2. Organic produce grown in organic soil seem to have a higher percentage of vitamins and nutrients. Reports have shown that there is elevated vitamin C in leafy greens, potatoes, and oranges that are raised organically.

3. Gardening organically means you work with the entire cycle. You sow the seeds, pick the vegetables or flowers, gather the seeds, compost the remains, and begin over again. You're providing the soil with nutrients as well as feeding people, birds, and insects, which gives you a more intimate and fulfilling relationship with the world around you, and humanity as a whole.

4. It is easy to grow your produce to full ripeness for ample flavor. You can find dozens of seed catalogs with organic seeds that produce wonderful tasting vegetables. You don't need a tomato grown to have a tough skin for transport across the country. You need a tomato that tastes good!

5. Gardening organically can require less effort in the long run. If your soil is organic and healthy, it will generate strong plants that are more resistant to disease and pests. Healthier plants will grow larger and cast shade on their roots which means less watering. Good quality soil can also retain water better and that also means less watering. More vigorous plants can also help to stifle out the weeds so that you do not have to waste your valuable time weeding.

6. Organic and sustainable farming brings about less damage to the natural world. Poisons are often washed into our waterways, causing death to the native fish and wildlife, and polluting their habitat.

We can recycle waste through the utilization of our own compost from food and garden scraps and other refuse like straw and leaves. Reusing these things prevents them from being burned or else added to a landfill where they don't have a chance to decompose and add helpful nutrients back into the soil.

Also, organic farming practices help avoid the loss of topsoil through erosion. The Soil Conservation Service says that an estimated 30 - 32 billion tons of soil erodes from United States farmlands each year.

7. Gardening organically can even save you money! One will not need to pay money for costly chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic gardening. Numerous organic recipes for the control of pests and disease come straight from the kitchen cabinet. And at times other helpful plants can be grown in the role of companions to the main crop. One example of this is the marigold, which helps to ward off aphids from vegetables.

8. Your cooking accomplishments can become extra imaginative and fun! For example, some flowers are edible when you cultivate them organically. Add a distinctive touch to your salad presentation with nasturtiums or even brightly colored pansies. Your completed dish will look like it came from a gourmet restaurant! (To find more great cooking ideas, just drop by our website at: http://www.newholisticliving.com/cookingfromscratch.html.)

Gardening without using chemicals can provide you with hardier plants and save you wasted time. More vigorous plants can mean tastier and healthier vegetables that thrive even with a reduced amount of water and also have fewer pest problems. So give organic gardening a try for tastier vegetables and feel good about helping yourself and the earth.