Gardening. Yes, gardening. Yikes!
This blog takes yet another turn in the road. So glad I didn't decide to make it on one specific topic.
Just about everyone who is my friend on Facebook knows that I am not a fan of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and all the other -cides used in commercial farming. Why? Cide = Death. Sure, they kill their intended targets, but they also kill innocent, beneficial creatures such as worms (that can help break down minerals in the soil and make them available to the plants) and possibly humans.
I can almost hear most of you calling me crazy right now. How can pesticides and other -cides kill humans. By making us sick! Most pesticides work by affecting the nervous system via the use of organophosphates.
The effect of organophosphates was discovered in the 1930's during World War II. They were used in the creation of nerve gas, which was used in chemical warfare. When used in lethal dosages for humans, organophosphates cause extreme excitability, convulsions, paralysis and in most cases, death.
Ok, most of us are not going to be exposed to lethal levels of pesticides, at least not from the food we eat. Not all in one dose anyway. Bullet dodged?? Not really. Recent scientific research has shown that pesticides are not eliminated very efficiently by the human body. Because the body can't eliminate these toxins efficiently they do build up in the body in several places. Our incredibly intelligent bodies, in an attempt to protect themselves from the poisons, will do the only thing it can to protect itself . Store toxins in adipose (fat) tissue. Excess fat is linked to many diseases many of which can lead to early death. In fact obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. Since pesticides lead to us storing more fat they do lead to increased rates of human deaths as well. YIKES! Don't believe me, do some research. There are many studies showing that our bodies are loaded with toxins.
After all these years of talking about avoiding all these chemicals I am going to attempt the next step and that is to plant a garden and grow my own, free of chemicals. I have never grown a garden before so this is a learning experience for me. I am not worried though because I know some very knowledgeable gardeners and gardeners seem to love talking about what works and doesn't work. So grateful for that as I will no doubt be needing loads of advice.
To get started we bought a raised bed system from Home Depot and it was delivered on Wednesday.
Greenes Fence Tall Tiers Dovetail Raised Garden Bed
It is still in the box, but today is Friday and that means the start of the weekend. Yesterday I went out looking for some nice soil options for the garden and pricing some different options. Who knew there were so many to choose from. And boy is it expensive. Tomorrow I will check out one more option, recommended to me by my dental hygienist during my cleaning yesterday. This nursery makes it's own soil from organic material such as compost. Hoping the price is right, or at least comparable to other options I have seen as I really do love supporting local businesses. So that will be tomorrow, finding some soil and coming up with a solution for keeping the cats from eating our crops. They love herbs and lettuce greens.
And then of course there are the usual garden issues to worry about. Since we will not be using chemicals I am researching companion planting. I read that marigolds are great at keeping aphids away, that peppermint can deter ants and that basil can drive away flies and mosquitoes. Living in northern Maine, anything that can help keep mosquitoes away is a most welcome addition to any yard. Bonus that I love basil.
The method that I choose to use is called square foot gardening and I picked up a copy of "All New Square Foot Gardening", by Mel Bartholomew. And thankfully I have some Facebook friends familiar with the method of gardening. I am not too proud to ask for advice and even beg for help.
As this project progresses, I will take pictures and post about my successes and failures and hopefully about the food we grow and eat. If any of you have tips and advice for me I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave comments here on the blog or on my Facebook page IsaIsEnough.
It's an odd feeling to be so excited about something and so nervous about the same thing all at the same time. Wish us luck!
If you are interested in learning how Isagenix can help you help your body release toxins watch this video.
If you would like to discuss Isagenix further email us at mikenkelly.isagenix@gmail.com
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