The Ongoing Organic Garden Experiment

Paul and I are both Northerners (originally), pro-organic, and half Italian on our mothers' side. Our grandparents had robust plentiful gardens all summer, every summer without fail. They grew all kinds of varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplant (to name a few) from our family gardens. So when we moved to the southern coast of North Carolina, we thought, "Awesome! Long growing season! There will be lots of fresh organic produce." Paul was ready to take up the gardening tradition.

Start of Our Cucumber Crop

What a battle. We soon found out that there's a reason the South grows tobacco, cotton and corn -- growing conditions are harsh! First off, the soil is acidic due to our proximity to the ocean. This meant that we had to treat the soil with a lime treatment to make it more basic (remember the good ole pH scale from 7th grade?) before we could hope to grow anything. (we found this out in our four attempt at gardening - this year!)

Then there are the bugs; foreign and monstrous ones like the tobacco horn worm. It looks like the Caterpillar in Alice and Wonderland, is just as stoned, has the munchies and will devour tomato plants over night! The whole thing! Some boring moth thingy (like my scientific precision?) kills your squash with its larva. So. Very. Gross.

An additional struggle has been diseases in the soil itself, which is impossible to detect until your crops fail or become sickly. A few times in the past we had our soil fresh and pure, then brought disease in without even knowing it! What used to be a family tradition has now turned into a battle thanks to the diseased land.

Row of Heirloom Tomatoes

Despite these struggles, we always get one good crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and sometimes Japanese eggplant. We can't get the Italian variety to grow at all, and Paul has to be diligent about inspecting the tomato plants for the caterpillars. 

Because Paul is the biggest procrastinator I have ever met (except when it comes to working out!), the garden wasn't planted as early as I would have liked this year. We started with certified organic seed that we got at http://www.etsy.com/shop/cubits to avoid disease like blight. Paul has also done his research to find which varieties of plants work best in this area.

We've replanted what has worked for us in the past, and added herbs and fruit to the mix now, too. Our three-year-old fig sapling from a friend's yard, is healthy, needs no help at all. It has 200 figs on it and is growing daily! 

Our Beautiful Fig Tree

Growing Figs!

The raspberry bush has been root bound in a pot for 2 years. This year Paul gave it it's own space and it has tripled in size in 2 months. It's even given us a few berries! We expect a full crop next year. Many fruit plants take a few years before they bare fruit. Our spearmint is taking over and delicious. Great for mojitos! All organic, all free —once you get started. 

Raspberries 5/22

Raspberries 6/12

I am also doing an indoor experiment. We have a back sun room with tons of sun and no harmful bugs. It's like a hot house back there in the summer. So we have indoor tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. We'll see how it goes.

The garden has always been Paul's baby, but I am interested as long as he gets it all set up. I've got my rain boots and gardening gloves, so I'm all set. Some of those bugs make creep me out, though! Not Paul. The garden is still the first place Paul likes to go after work. He must check on his babies!

Zucchini

Bell Peppers

Many people keep saying what's the big deal about organic— simply it's chemical free. Our bodies don't like chemicals and even though you may feel fine they are still doing damage. Many diseases are on the rise because of it even if the FDA says they are ok. Do you really want to hear in 20 years, "oops, that chemical is really harmful."

If you are not interested in gardening or don't have the space for it, look for local farmers markets — then look for the organic stands. There are also co-ops through which you can join and receive boxes of in-season organic veggies weekly. If your in the right area they even deliver directly to your house but you can't beat the health benefits or the price so a drive is a small price to pay. Your health is worth it!

Stay tuned for garden updates. Things that work and things that don't! Let us know about your garden or co-ops. We'd also love to hear about your gardens, tips and tricks! We plan on trying a homemade bug repellent on our plants this weekend. I'll let you know how it goes!