This week in my garden I got to harvest a few of my vegetables! I picked some zinnias for the second week in a row and I also picked a green bell pepper, one of my hot peppers, all of my lettuce plants, and some of my beans. Luckily for me there were not a ton of weeds to pull and my beds didn't need much reshaping. I sprayed BT and Neem (aphids are attacking my okra plants!) on various plants and fertilized as necessary.
This week our discussion topic was organic/sustainable agriculture. I personally eat whatever is cheapest/most convenient, and as a consequence I rarely buy organic. Stores such as WARDS or the farmer's market are inconveniently located across town, so I am not able to shop at those locations for my produce. I instead shop at the Publix, located a short, 2-minute drive from my apartment. If the price of organic produce is too high (my rule for buying organic is it must be no more than twice as much as non-organic produce), then I will not purchase it. I am more concerned with buying locally rather than buying organic, so I do visit the farmer's market on occasion. When I buy locally I can usually notice a fresher taste when compared to outsourced fruits or vegetables. Contrastingly, I do not think that organic produce tastes better than non-organic produce.
To me, sustainable agriculture includes agricultural practices that benefit or otherwise do not cause harm to the environment. A good example of sustainable agriculture, in my opinion, is the use of biological pest control, rather than spraying harmful chemical pesticides on crops to kill pests. Although these chemicals may not affect the crop's toxicity, making it safe for human consumption, these pesticides may be detrimental to the environment. This EDIS article states that UF is developing an Integrated Pest Management program for strawberry production. Some common garden pests, including Thrips, Aphids, and Spider Mites, are to be biologically controlled using Minute pirate bugs, Aphidius wasps, and Persimillis, respectively. These natural predators do not harm the environment, like chemical pesticides might.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs180
No comments:
Post a Comment