Living, healthy dirt at the heart of organic gardening
On this Independence Day weekend, people like Christine Laske rank as patriots in some circles.
The Arlington Heights resident helps preserve the planet while saving money and enjoying fresh air and exercise with her young sons.
Christine Laske is an organic gardener.
Organic gardening is growing in popularity, according to many sources. Seventy percent of gardeners surveyed by the Garden Writers Association Foundation said they are concerned about the environmental impact when they purchase garden products.
Front and center in this movement is gardeners' desire for their families to eat healthful food. Another motivation is protecting youngsters and pets from dangers lawn and garden chemicals might pose.
Laske, who gardens on her large home site with a few friends, insists that organic methods are less expensive as well as safer. Her cost savings come mainly from growing plants from seed and enriching her soil by composting throwaway items, including grass clippings, newspapers and shredded credit card offers.
Other advocates for organic gardening include Mike Nowak, host of a Sunday afternoon gardening show on WCPT 820 AM, and leaders of the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
Soil is the heart of organic gardening, said Nowak, and people are beginning to realize it's a living organism with microbes, bacteria, fungi and nematodes as well as the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium found in traditional fertilizers.
"We don't understand everything that goes on in the soil," he said. "Leave it a mystery and let Mother Nature use compost - decaying plants."
At the Morton Arboretum the children's garden and the lawns are leading the organic charge.
"In areas like that we try to be as organic as possible," said Donna Smith, horticulture supervisor. "All the kids play around on the lawn, so we don't want to be using chemicals of any kind."
Food security is a huge issue, said Nowak, especially after scares in recent years over contamination in products both here and abroad.
"People tend to be a lot more careful about chemicals when growing fruit and vegetables than with their lawns and roses," said Nowak. "They want to know what they are eating."
And the arboretum's Smith says composting is a great way to get started. As a bonus, you won't have to buy fertilizer.
"I think we are organic gardeners to be better stewards of the earth and not apply a lot of chemicals because it's healthier for people and the environment," she said.
But fans of working with Mother Nature realize organic gardening does not produce the quick, dramatic results sometimes found with chemicals.
"Organic gardening is about being patient," says Diane Bolash, who lives in Arlington Heights and is a member of both the Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights garden clubs.