The good news is that some local farmers do the work for you and, for a small fee, you can have fresh vegetables for your table, and flowers for your house. Buying locally grown vegetables is also a good way to reduce your intake of harmful pesticides and herbicides since many of these local farms use organic methods. In growing food organically, says Bill Hill of Warrups Farm in Redding, he's trying to raise people's awareness as to the source of their food. And varieties are grown for their shipping capacity as opposed to their taste. And, says John, Holbrook Farm has been clean of pesticides and herbicides for at least the last 30 years that he and his wife Lynn have owned the land.
Weeds have a place in the ecological mix as long as they are controlled.
Nurturing the soil is also important to organic farming says Bill Hill. Warrups has been certified organic since 1991. Bill and his wife Laura, have been farming at Warrups Farm for the last 15 years. In the summer they invite people to pick their own vegetables and herbs including sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, salad greens, beets, dill, basil and cilantro. And in late Winter and early Spring they sell maple syrup gathered from their own trees.