Natural and Organic Food

Sorry to have to write about this after such a long layoff without writing anything, but this site has recently been hacked by some bastard and a load of malware inserted into a lot of the files.

This cost me a lot of time cleaning it all out, so you’ll have to bear with me while I get this show back on the road at some stage.

At present my writing commitments are too tight to allow me much time at writing any of my blogs at the moment, but whenever I get a break I’ll get back in here and add some more informative organic articles to this place and maybe even spruce it up a little.

Terry Didcott
Organic Sanity

I know I’ve not posted in here for a while too many other projects getting started and nothing getting finished so some things had to be put to one side for a while. Unfortunately, this blog was one of them. I’ll get back into the swing of things in the new year as the pressure comes off a little so expect more organic news, information and trivia and some more build in this site as a whole.

But for now, I’d like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

…and let’s hope for a greener future!

Terry Didcott
Natural and Organic Food

Here’s a continuation of my mini FAQ on the benefits and concerns and all things to do with compost.

7. Can I put leaves on a compost heap?

Of course, as long as you mix them up with other plant matter to form a good mixture of different types of organic debris. Leaves on their own will rot down but takea long time. Alternatively, if you wanted to produce leaf mould, which is a type of compost that can be used in many different situations, the easist way is gather all the leaves you sweep up and place them all together in a large black plastic bag and tie it shut. poke some holes in the sides with a garden fork and then leave the bag in a corner of the garden for a full year. In that time it should have rotted down nicely into a good pile of humous-rich leaf mould.

8. Should I dig compost into the soil or leave it on top?

You can and should do both, especially if your soil is in poor condition and in need of some TLC. Digging compost into the soil a few weeks before planting starts is a great way of enriching and feeding the soil. The amount you dig in really depends on how much compost you have and the general condition of the soil. A rule of thumb is that the poorer the soil the more compost you should dig in. Once you have planted out your crops, mulch them with a layer of compost. This will help the soil retain moisture and protect the plants from the worst infestations of pests and diseases as it naturally strengthens plants boosting their own natural defences against these.

9. Can I use compost for pot plants?

Yes, absolutely! You should mix compost with equal amounts of sterile soil and sharp sand to make a great potting mixture. To sterilise soil, place some on a baking tray about an inch or two thick but no more and place it in a hot oven for twenty minutes or so to kill weed seeds and soil-bound diseases. Make sure the cook of the house doesn’t find out though!

That’s it for this part of the mini FAQ. I’ll post more at a later date, or if anyone has any questions not covered, leave me a comment and I’ll respond and even put your question with my answer in the next part of the mini-FAQ.

Terry Didcott
Natural and Organic Food

Here are some rather shocking facts about pesticides that Natural and Organic Food blog has unearthed:

UK Government tests have suggested that one in every four items of food that you buy contains traces of pesticides. No less than one hundred and fifty of the most commonly used pesticides are potentially cancer causing. Some pesticides cannot be washed off with water, as has been previously believed.

Around 31,000 tonnes of chemicals are used annually by farmers in the UK to kill weeds, insects and other pests that attack crops. In 2004, around 40% of the fruit, vegetable and bread samples tested in the UK contained measurable amounts of pesticides.

There is very little control over the way these potentially dangerous chemicals are used and in what quantities or combinations in the non-organic farming sector.

The Food Standards Agency now recognises that the vast majority of people do not want pesticides in their food.

Modern pesticides have a devastating effect on the environment. Added to that are the very real uncertainties about the actual effectiveness of official safety regulation of pesticides. Yet unbelievably their use is allowed to continue unabated despite the fact that some of the enormous risks to human health are virtually unknown.

By way of a comparison with modern, intensive farming methods, where a cocktail of pesticides are used on arable land and the crops that we commonly eat, organic farmers with the Soil Association are allowed to use (and then only as a last resort) a mere four of the 350 pesticides that are in use. Although two of these chemicals are strictly controlled, the Soil Association wants to take this further and are actually phasing out one of these completely.

All the more reason for everybody to stand up and say a resounding “NO MORE” to non-organic produce and force governments and the farming industry into changing the way they operate completely, before it’s too late.

Terry Didcott
Natural and Organic Food