Organic gardener Margie Hare is passionate about growing food using organic and permaculture principles. She has set up kitchen gardens, balcony or potted herb gardens for clients and has been involved in larger projects such as establishing food gardens for hobby farms, restaurants and cafes.
Permaculture Garden at Jaspers Retreat Centre from BodyMindLife Yoga on Vimeo.
Things to plan for your organic garden
- Compost heap
- Worm farm
- Bins for making liquid manure
- Mulch
- Features
- Bee attractions
- Water for insect and animal habitat
- Hanging gardens
- Planting potatoes
Top 10 reasons to buy organic
- Protects future generations – “We have not inherited the earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children,” – Lester Brown
- Prevents soil erosion – The soil conservation service estimates that more than three billion tons of topsoil are eroded from croplands each year.
- Protects water quality – Water makes up two-thirds of our body mass. Contaminated ground water pollutes our primary source of drinking water. (Many of these pollutants cause cancer.)
- Saves energy -Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry consuming 12 % of the country’s total energy bill.
- Keeps chemicals off your plate and out of your body – Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms and can also harm humans.
- Protect farm workers -The National Cancer Institute found that farmers exposed to herbicides had six times more risk of contracting cancer than non-farmers.
- Helps small farmers – Organic farming is one of the few survival tactics left for family farmers.
- Supports a true economy – The hidden costs of inorganic farming include the amount spent on pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean up, and combating environmental damage.
- Promotes biodiversity – Despite the tenfold increase in the use of pesticides due to monoculture (single crops), crop losses due to insects have doubled, partly because insects have become genetically resistant to certain pesticides.
- Tastes better – That’s one good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes. It simply tastes better!
“Fresh organic fruit, vegetables and herbs
straight from the garden are your best food source
for essential nutrients and vital life force.”
Margie Hare, organic gardening guru
Purchase your Low Budget Organic Gardening Ebook by Margie Hare here.