I got seeds, they're multiplyin...

It turns out that not only is organic gardening good for you, it's good for the whole planet. While surfing at work today, I found an interesting article about the environmental impact of organic gardening (http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/SPNEWS0505/104080099). Not only are non-organic fertilizers bad because of the chemicals in them that seep into the groundwater and cause algae blooms and other sorts of ugly problems, the production of inorganic fertilizers is fairly energy intensive. According to Mr. Homeyer's article, each 50 pound bag of 10-10-10 fertilizer produced uses about 1.5 gallons of gas. That doesn't sound like a lot, but a considerable amount of petroleum is being used to make the fertilizer for several million gardeners across the country (and around the world too, I guess). So, make your own compost (see here for tips http://www.compostguide.com/), buy cow poop, and stick it to THE MAN!

Enough ranting for now. I took the plunge and bought seeds for the garden and a little plastic greenhouse today. We will be growing Datil peppers, Moon & Star Watermelons, Ruby swiss chard, Sumter cucmbers, and some kidney beans my fiance's son sprouted at school. I'm especially excited about the Datil peppers. I love hot peppers and the Datil is a unique variety. The seeds generally aren't available commercially and are very closely guarded by the Datil growers in St. Augustine. For some more background on the Datil, check out the Pure Florida blog ( http://pureflorida.blogspot.com/2005/08/datil-peppers.html).

I bought organic, heirloom seeds for my organic garden because that just sounded right. After further contemplation, I starting wondering, what makes seeds organic? After all, organic produce is raised without pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but seeds? Seeds are what are left over after you eat the produce. That's what I thought, but apparently, seeds are a huge industry by themselves.

It turns out that organic seeds are not genetically modified or chemically treated like regular seeds(!!). Often genetically engineered seed is not adequately tested before being released. Genetically modified seeds also decrease ecological diversity. Organic seeds are also bred to be more adaptable to their environment. Heirloom seeds are seed varieties have been passed along for sometimes hundreds of years. By using heirloom seeds, I'm preserving a part of the past, and maybe eating the same type of tomato or cucumber that my great, great grandparents ate. Heirloom seeds preserve genetic and cultural diversity as well. Seed Savers Exchange has been a pioneer in the heirloom seed movement, and you can find out more about them and their mission at http://www.seedsavers.org/Aboutus.asp .

The next challenge is to decide what type of garden to plant, container, raised bed, or a plot.