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Organic gardening cultivates healthy soil, plants and environment

Posted on: Thursday, 6 November 2003, 06:00 CST

You wanted to know

Sydney Davis, 10, of Mundelein wanted to know:

Is organic food healthier than food grown using fertilizer?

If you have a question you'd like Kids Ink to answer, write Kids Ink, care of the Daily Herald, 50 Lakeview Parkway, Suite 104, Vernon Hills, IL 60061 or send an e-mail to lake@@dailyherald.com. Along with the question, include your name, age, phone number, hometown, grade and school.

For more information

To learn more about plants, the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire suggests the following.

- "Linnea's Windowsill Garden" by Christina Bjork

- "Natural Foods and Products" by Gary Chandler

- "Plant a Garden in Your Sneaker" by Diane L. Burns

- "Everything You Need to Know About Organic Foods" by Elisha Dunn-Georgiou

- "Tiny Green Thumbs" by C.Z. Guest

On the Web

- Web Site: My First Garden-- www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden/ index.html

"Is organic food healthier than food grown using fertilizer?" asked Sydney Davis, 10, a fourth-grader at Mundelein's Diamond Lake School.

What is organic fertilizer? Plant food from living matter, like composted plants or manure, is organic fertilizer. Inorganic, the opposite of organic, is fertilizer made from minerals.

Typically, combinations of the minerals phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium are commercially packaged as fertilizer. Both organic and inorganic fertilizers are available at any store that sells garden plants. Generally, plants need fertilizer to grow larger or more consistent fruit.

"People have different points of view about this subject," said Kirstin Akre, volunteer coordinator at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago.

The park features an indoor garden called the Conservatory and an outdoor demonstration garden the size of a city block. In the spring, staff and volunteer gardeners plant perennials, herbs and vegetables at the site and have made room for a special "idea" garden.

"Organic thinking includes the whole garden system, creating a healthy soil with microorganisms," Akre said.

Some organic nutrients that improve soil are seaweed, fish emulsion and composted manure.

Akre explained, "Organic gardening starts with healthy soil. Healthy plants are more resistant to blight and disease. They absorb organic nutrients over time."

Inorganic fertilizers can benefit a plant because the fertilizer is absorbed quickly, she added. However, too much inorganic fertilizer can burn or kill the plant.

"Another disadvantage of inorganic fertilizer is that excess fertilizer not used by the plant can run off into the waterways. It feeds weeds in local ponds and streams," Akre said.

Too many weeds can choke out the sun that penetrates the water system, thereby killing plant and animal life that thrives underwater.

The weeds also can hoard the nutrients in the water source.

Akre said consumers should be aware of the difference between the terms organic and locally grown.

"It's difficult to certify a product as organic. Locally grown might be a term used." The two terms do not mean the same thing.

Garfield Park Conservatory offers a variety of programs for children and adults. Children ages 4 and up are invited to a free activity hour every Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Conservatory's Children's Garden Discovery Area. Programs include hands-on crafts and might also offer storytellers, musicians and other entertainers.

A chocolate fest will be held on Feb. 8 and "Pollinators Galore" on Feb. 15.

Check out the Garfield Park Conservatory Web site at www.garfield- conservatory.org for more details. The Conservatory is at 300 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago.

Call (312) 746-5100 for more information.

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