Early seeding: Planting for health

Well, it’s already February, but happy wet and wild New Year.

Paul Madeira and Julie Jo Ayers Williams plant flats with onion seeds Wednesday in a greenhouse on their farm. Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

What a stretch! But all good things must come to an end, and it is apparent that the rainy weather has come. Now, what we wait for is enough of a break in the weather to get out in the dirt and work the soil. A week without rain is usually all we need.

As we wait for the soil to dry up, we wanted to mention the growing resurgence in small-scale farming, home gardening and eating more vegetables and its connection with our health.

By now, you’ve probably heard that many of these chronic diseases that plague our society are increasingly connected with what we are eating. Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, autoimmune diseases and others are linked to diets lacking adequate nutrients, but high in grains, saturated fats, sugars, salt and processed foods.

This is a horrible challenge that our society is faced with and one that needs to be fought on multiple levels. The single biggest challenge we see is the cost and availability of whole and nutrient-dense foods.

Frozen pizzas and fast food are far cheaper than fruits and vegetables and take less energy to prepare.  However, these “convenient” foods are not supplying us with the nourishment we need to thrive.

Planting now can stave off the high cost of organic vegetables later. Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

So, what does this have to do with the soil drying, you might ask?  Well, it takes us back to the “access” issue of wholesome foods.

We are at an incredibly exciting time in the season for avoiding the high cost of organic fruits and vegetables at the retail level. You see, now is basically the very beginning of our planting season.  There is no way to get behind now, because it’s early.

We always start our onions, celery, tomatoes and peppers on Feb. 1 by sowing seeds into flats in the greenhouse.

If we are lucky enough to get that break in the weather we mentioned, we go ahead and sow carrots and beets outside and use a “floating row cover” to protect from wind, rain and frost. 

Do yourselves and your loved ones a favor, and make an effort to eat more wholesome and less processed foods this year. Plant a garden; it is the best way to gain access to delicious foods that otherwise carry a high price tag.

Who knows, you just might find out it’s a lot of fun!

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