Our Own Private Produce Section (Or, We Try Our Hand(s) at Organic Gardening)

Having determined that we wanted to feed Violet organic food as much as possible, we were presented with the question of the best place to obtain it. We're fortunate in that we have several options where we live, including the local Co-op and the Saturday Farmer's Market, as well as the standard grocery store. But, we thought, why not grow as much of it ourselves as we can, and just shop to fill in the gaps? Maybe because with an infant and trying to get a new business off the ground, we didn't need to take on one more project. But we did it anyway.

The garden was something of an impulse this year, so at the end of March when we began working on it, we were scrambling. To start things off, we pulled up the sod in the strip in front of and on the east side of the garage, and tilled the ground there. Eric built 4 garden boxes to fit the space: two 2 x 8 boxes, one 4 x 12, and a 3 x 3 x 3 x 8 trapezoid to fill the half circle already curbed in front. We also purchased and assembled a fifth box that came with a frame to support a greenhouse cover or shade cover.

We filled each of the beds with composted soil we had delivered, and Eric rigged up an intricate irrigation system of drip hoses that allows us to water each bed individually. Although April in Boise is too cold to plant most crops, the greenhouse bed gave us the opportunity to get a few things going. We planted some salad basics there (spinach, lettuce, mixed greens, and carrots) as well as cilantro, and tomato and pepper seeds we planned to move once they were started.

That done, we moved on the the section of the yard along the back fence, which happened to be occupied by a beautiful (cough, cough) water feature that never served any purpose other than to cultivate a rich bed of algae each summer. Tearing that out was quite a task - I even got to swing a sledgehammer for the first time. Once we cleared the space, Eric built another 5 beds: four 2 x 12 beds and one 1 x 5 for herbs.

Planting took place throughout this process, as some crops (like spinach, lettuce and other greens) could withstand colder temperatures. Even Violet participated, and everything was in by mid-May: peas, beans, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, spinach, lettuce, arugula, mixed greens, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers (hot and sweet, and lots of them), yellow squash, zucchini, scallop squash, cucumber, butternut squash, sweetmeat squash, black futsu squash, Melonette Jaspee De Vendee squash, corn, raspberries, blackberries, marionberries and tayberries.

It looked like things were really taking off, particularly in the greenhouse bed, until we saw upon closer inspection last weekend that much of what was thriving was weeds. They were rampant in two of the beds, but the others appear to have been spared any significant infestation. We logged some hours last weekend weeding, and are hoping we have things under control now. Pests aren't a huge problem yet, but we're actively researching organic methods of pest control to prepare ourselves for what's probably coming. (Ladybugs are one option I think sounds like fun!) It does take more effort to grow food organically, but the benefits make it absolutely worth it.

As of this past weekend, the peas, potatoes and onions are thriving, carrots and celery appear to be progressing, and corn and squash are starting to pop up. Tomatoes have been transplanted, and the bare spots in the two weed-ravaged beds replanted with quicker-growing greens. About a week ago, we were able to cut our first homegrown salads! As for the rest of the crops, we'll have to wait a while. And weed . . .

On Eating Organic

While we started thinking about what kind of food we wanted Violet to eat early on, intending for her to be exclusively breastfed for at least six months bought us some time to study up on nutrition before we had to make any decisions about what to put on her plate. (Multiple health care organizations, such as the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the American Academy of Pediatricians and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommend delaying introduction of solid food, including cereal, until at least six months.)

I found myself fascinated as I explored for the first time the vast expanse of information available on diet/nutrition. I plowed through several books on the subject: The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan; Eat to Live, by Joel Fuhrman; From Here to Longevity, by Mitra Ray; and The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell; and of course continued my research online through various websites and forums. It will remain an ongoing process, I'm sure, but we have reached at least one initial conclusion: organic is important. And for Violet, it's very important.

We all know that most of the produce we buy has been doused with pesticide. The movement toward organic food (produced without pesticides, fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge, bioengineering, or irradiation) has been growing, but many people still aren't sure whether eating organic is really necessary, or just another marketing gimmick. Commercial growers and pesticide manufacturers imply that consumption of pesticide residue in produce is "safe" because "there is no conclusive evidence of harm to humans." However, as explained by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the lack of evidence regarding harmful effects long-term, low dose exposure to pesticide is not a result of studies proving pesticides safe - it simply hasn't been studied at all.

Government regulations on pesticide use are instead based on testing of high doses of pesticides in adult animals. But even if those regulations provide sufficient protection to adults (and I wouldn't count on it - remember, government regulations permitted the use of DDT once, too) they do not address the unique effects of pesticide consumption in infants and children. A study conducted by the National Research Council, Pesticides In the Diets of Infants and Children, confirmed that the toxicity of pesticides is different in infants and children than in adults, and found that "little work ha[d] been done . . . to "investigate the effects of pesticide exposure on neurotoxic, immunotoxic, or endocrine responses in infants and children."

There is no dispute that the infants and children are the most vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides. Children's developing organ systems, including the brain, nervous system, and endocrine system, can be damaged by exposure to toxins in amounts that would be tolerated by an adult. While we may not know exactly how harmful the pesticides used in growing our food might be, pesticides are toxic by nature - it doesn't seem like much of a stretch to conclude that their effects, however mild, can't be good for a growing little body.

An organic diet has been proven to decrease - immediately and dramatically - overall pesticide exposure in children. One study showed this to be particularly true for organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, a group of pesticides known to cause neurologic effects in humans, the residue of which has been detected in many fruits and vegetables. We may not be able to prevent Violet from being exposed to pesticides and other chemicals, but we can make every effort to limit that exposure where we can - and her dinner seemed like a good place to start.

Admittedly, organic produce - all organic foods - are more expensive than their conventional counterparts. But what's more important than providing our baby girl with the best, and safest, food we can find? In addition to being free from pesticides, organic produce has been shown to have higher nutritional content. There are better places in the budget to cut back than her health.

So far, Violet's menu of solid foods has been limited to fruits and veggies. We hope to keep her eating whole foods as much as possible, for as long as possible. (Within reason of course. We're not expecting her to go off to college never having experienced such culinary delights as the McDonald's french fry, or Ben and Jerry's. We're not cruel!)

The jury's still out on the extent to which meat, dairy and other animal products will be a part of her diet, but where they do show up we'll absolutely insist on organic. Organic meat, dairy, and eggs are even more important than organic produce, for a whole host of reasons, not the least of which is the added dangers associated with the antibiotics, hormones, and other drugs found in non-organic animal products. But that's another post for another day.

The Other Side of Mother's Day

It's even better over here. Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow mamas!