Groveland Twp.- Organic fruits and vegetables appear to be gaining in popularity as they find a larger niche in supermarkets. They are also being grown locally.
Gina Muzzarelli loves gardening and adheres to the organic way of doing it. The 49-year-old township resident grew up with gardening and never used fertilizers. To her, organic gardening means unadulterated.
‘It’s the way nature intended,? says Muzzarelli. ‘I use no fertilizer. I harvest my own seeds from what I grow for next year’s crop.?
Charlene Molnar, horticulture adviser with Michigan State University Extension in Oakland County, notes that there are many definitions to organic gardening, but for simple home gardeners, the traditional definition is growing without artificial fertilizer or pesticides.
‘A lot of people use the term organic when they are trying to convey safe and natural,? she said. ‘My favorite comparison is snake venom. Nothing is more natural, but it’s not safe. There are naturally occurring substances that qualify as organic, but they’re not safe. People want to not be ingesting pesticides or artificial fertilizers.
Muzzarelli feeds her family produce from three raised bed gardens in which she has planted four varieties of tomatoes, eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, two kinds of cucumbers, cabbage, sweet peas, onions, potatoes, five kinds of peppers, strawberries and broccoli. Additionally, she has planted herbs including oregano, garlic, chives, basil, parsley, rosemary and sage in pots and she has six apple trees she tends.
‘I love eating from my own garden,? she said. ‘It may be from the work involved, but it tastes better to me and my family.?
For Muzzarelli, maintaining an organic garden involves several strategies. She plants flowers such as zinnias, snapdragons and marigolds in among the vegetables to keep out rabbits and ants, and also because the flowers attract good bugs that eat the bad ones. She uses rain barrels for her water supply and if she runs out, she uses hard water, not softened water for the garden. Muzzarelli weeds by hand and uses organic aged pine bark for mulch to reduce weeds. She cuts her sons? hair herself and spreads clippings of it around the garden to keep wildlife away, although she has seen birds take clumps of it for their nests. Compost for Muzzarelli consists of eggshells, vegetable peels, dryer lint, and lots of coffee grounds. She subscribes to companion gardening, placing certain vegetables next to others that are compatible for growing in close proximity.
‘I think it does take more time, because I have to weed and look for bugs I don’t want and pick them off, but I enjoy my time out there,? Muzzarelli said. ‘I know what I’m putting on the table and that’s important to me.?
Molnar says the gardener’s expectations are paramount and homework is required with organic gardening.
‘You can’t grab the pesticides when bugs get on them, you have to pick them off or you know their lifecycle and use things that fit under the organic umbrella,? she said.
Also at the top of the list for organic gardeners is quality of soil, because that is where everything starts, and most of them are composters. Molnar estimates that 90 percent of organic gardening is prep work and 10 percent is the actual planting.
‘Before you start on something like this, go to your local bookstore, or look up information on the internet and familiarize yourself with the process,? she said. ‘It’s a lot more than just not using pesticides.?