By committing the time and effort required, you will find the rewards to be well worth it. The benefits of eating fresh, chemical free, live foods, rich in vitamins and minerals are obvious. Some other benefits you may not have considered are the health benefits of exercising, being in the sun and fresh air, being able to go outside and pick what you want for your meal, interacting with other family members in the garden, stress/anxiety release, recycling organic materials ... you get the idea!

Now here's a thought.... think about what agricultural chemicals that are so concentrated that they kill insects, weeds and any other perceived threat are doing to our environment. Then image the damage that they might do to our own bodies. Do you really want to expose yourself and your family to those possibilities?

Yes, it takes time.... yes, it takes effort, just like all the other great things in life do. But having a gorgeous organic garden overflowing with flavour-some, healthy produce doesn't feel like a chore to me. Sure some jobs can be tedious or a little hard on the back, but once you have some systems in place your gardening life will be much easier.

One of the yummiest benefits of eating organic food is flavour. If you're not sure, do a taste-test. Oranges will show the difference. Maybe you've had the pleasure of biting into a crunchy, organic apple? How did it compare to the commercially grown apples? Then there's tomatoes. Just try for yourself and you will taste the very obvious difference.

Less Impact On The Environment
Each time you buy a product that has been produced organically you are helping to reducing the global warming affect that monoculture farms create, partly by reducing the amount of energy used to produce agro-chemicals. Organic gardening / farming techniques do not employ chemicals which kill beneficial insects and endanger birds or small mammals - so you are helping preserve biodiversity.

Animal Welfare
If you choose to eat meat and are not growing your own, then carefully consider buying organically grown meat. Not only must organic certified farmers not use chemicals, but the animals must live natural and contented lives. It is a requirement that calves be allowed to suckle from their mothers, chickens must free-range and sows are to give birth to their piglets naturally in sties with plenty of room.

You'll also be helping small-scale farmers. Most organic farms are small, independently owned and operated family farms of less than 100 acres. Organic farming is still mainly based upon labor-intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures, crop covers and other simple techniques. In organic production livestock cannot be fed plastic pellets for roughage, or formulas containing urea or manure. They cannot be given antibiotics or growth hormones. For an animal to be raised for organic beef, its mother must have been fed organic feed for at least the last third of gestation. When you purchases organic meat, there is a guarantee of traceability of the animal - from birth to marketing of the resulting meat- because farmers and handlers must keep extensive records as part of their farm and handling plans in order to be certified organic.