With the smell of Spring in the Air....

I thought that I would share this post with you that Rich Dansereau wrote on one of his outside blogs. I thought it would be an appropriate article with the smell of Spring in the air. I know that I am getting ready to plant my garden and I am excited. I can already taste the fresh tomatoes that I will be using to make my homemade chili, or the zucchini that will make the fresh zucchini bread. The list is endless and can go on and on. I hope you enjoy his article like I did.

As always, I have closed off the comments. If you want to comment about the article, then visit his page. I have linked the article here.

Via Rich Dansereau - Rich Talks Real Estate:

Much of the east coast woke up to a blanket of snow this morning; the same storm that moved quickly across the south and Midwest as well. Happily Knoxville received only a light dusting of snow while areas to the south, north, east and west of us saw quite a bit more snow. Even though we were spared the brunt of the storm, we still got the bone chilling cold. And I am not a fan of cold.

I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring which will hopefully arrive in mid to late March. I am an avid gardener and cannot wait until I can get my hands back in the rich soil. As I am very health conscious I don't use any chemicals, plant food, or anything that is unhealthy on my garden. I appreciate my vegetables free from potentially harmful chemicals. Aphids and similar pests are controlled with lady bugs who can't resist a feast of what I consider nuisances. In place of fertilizers, I amend my soil in the fall with leaves, the winter with ash from my fireplace, and in the spring and summer with compost from my small compost bin. I also plant different vegetables in different areas of the garden each year so as not to stress and strip the soil of nutrients. This type of organic gardening takes a bit of time and effort and it is not the easiest thing to skip the use of traditional chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

If you want to try your hand at organic gardening there are organic gardening products that can be helpful in easing your transition from traditional products. Just looking in your garden shed or wherever you store your garden supplies you will probably see a plethora of chemicals. If you take a moment to consider that what you put on your plants and in your soil is absorbed through the foliage and the roots. It is safe to assume that some of those chemicals make there way into the vegetables that you eat. As spring approaches and you get ready to plant your garden I would definitely encourage you to reconsider the use of potentially harmful fertilizers and pesticides.