Like driving a tractor through a McDonald's?
I'm glad to see cities are beginning to allow small plots of land to be used for community gardens, though I doubt that will be sufficient to sway people to any degree. I think it will take a more systemic disruption, like $6.00+ a gallon gas.
Are you a man or a mouse Doo? Do you have convictions or are you a vacillating dilettante? You have the opportunity to defend your beliefs and you say,"Why bother"? Truly, any knowledge you pretend to have is just a thin veneer. Admitting this, why do you continuously disapprove other posters attempts at establishing best garden practices? Why can't you just say,"I read that . . .", or,"A well known expert said . . .", instead of rashly saying that someone "doesn't know their elbow from a hole in the ground, and this is the way it goes"?
You gave Dr. Joe as an authority to support your contentions that agrochemicals were indispensable in the growing of crops. Apparently, Dr. Joe feels that they are indispensable as well. Dr. Joe bases his opinion on the need to grow food for a bourgeoning human population. The only response that I can see, is that at some point the population, if it continues to grow, will surpass the carry capacity of the planet. If the population (re:con$umer$) can be controlled , then we are left with agricultural practices.
As best as I can make out, agrochemicals are like mouth washes or deodorants. They are there to make money for their producers. After WWII, munition makers were loath to stop operations, and started producing chemical fertilizers, which would allow the same crop to be grown on the same land, perhaps two or three times a year, without the need for cover crops, or the amendment of the land with manure. Crop subsidies encourage farmers to grow particular crops as commodities, instead of for local consumption. These monocultures in turn support particular weeds and insects, which in turn gave rise to herbicides and pesticides from the makers of the chemical fertilizers. True, weeds and insects have always plagued farmers and gardeners but in the past cultural practices and Integrated Pest Management were able to deal with them. Now, we still have pests but we also have chemicals on our food and in the environment which concern doctors and environmentalists.
Now of course we have chemical fertilizer$ --> herbicide$ and pe$ticide$
--> GMO$, and there appears to be very little need for any of it.
Factory farming (chemferts, monocultures) kill topsoil, encourage insects, poison the waters, affects human and environmental health, and reduce biodiversity.
The cost of organic farming would be seasonal produce and more preserved food. The benefits would be fresher food in season, less reliance on petroleum, cleaner water (and oceans), and rebuilding of the topsoil.
If you have questions or observations about this view, try not to invest so much of your ego into a position that may not be tenable.
Slow cooking and a really good sauce is the secret ;O)
"The governors of West Virginia always call me an environmental extremist. You¹ve got to be an extremist in order to achieve things. You¹ve got to be ready to make enemies in order to accomplish something. And it¹s absolutely necessary that the people here today continue to demonstrate against this highly destructive practice."
- REP. KEN HECHLER (94 years old)
"The only congressman who marched with Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama, was this hillbilly from West Virginia . ."
................ While looking about for the national numbers found
Bill a chicken in every pot to a garden nearby. Wistfully.
If gas ever got that expensive, I'd hook my dog up to the garden cart for transport :-)
Oh my, such a humourous lot "you people" be...you old left coast lefties.....
Poor old Charlie, out toiling away here in the bible belt, misses the vote again......
Ok, I'll Pay, if I get The Say.....
Charlie, workin' his poor arthritic fingers to the bone in order provide for you old socialist scoundrels...
Jose Bove, a true working class hero.
You forgot how organic produce just plain tastes better :-) Storebought strawberries in the past couple years just don't taste that sweet to me. But the homegrown ones this year are just delicious. And when you get local organic produce, they tend to store longer as well. A gallon size ziploc bag of salad mix from the manager of the farmer's market here lasted 3 weeks in our fridge before it even started to get wilty...
Victoria, zone 5a, who doesn't get why someone has issues with an edible gardening newsgroup having posters preferring organic methods. Who'd want to eat chemicals anyway? They don't taste like chicken...
I thought Billy was on the right coast. But then again I can be confused.
Bill who listens to the far left of the radio dial 88.5
He is on the right coast, isn't he?
LOL......it's all a matter of perspective, neh?
Ooooh.....Moya! Today!!
Charlie, trying to make sense of a bunch of plants and pots and trying to make them make sense to everything else.....hard work, I need a cold beer....or thirteen!
Ack, firebrands on the left? How can this be?
It was just an oversight.
I translate fresher as better tasting, honest.
Amen Brother!
Folks like Jose, Lech, so many others, demonstrate the true meaning of hero, a much overused, to the point of becoming trite, word.
Charlie
On Sat, 30 May 2009 16:01:27 -0700, Billy spuked forth:
Barkeep!! Full House.....my tab!
Prosit Charlie
On Sun, 31 May 2009 12:32:43 -0700, Billy spuked forth:
Farout! Steve was right in granting her membership. I too say we keep her! ;-)
Hooboy.....head handed to ya' on a platter.....I'm lovin' it old man, lovin' it!!!!
Charlie, coolin' down from turning the pile
I'm sorry Charlie, you are not covered for that.
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