Community, often raised bed, urban gardening has gotten quite popular here. Sustainability is going to be the real problem. These plots are tiny and have no room for effective rotation far less fallowing or cover-cropping, and solarization must be done in the growing season same as fallowing thus vastly eliminating production. (In a few exceptional locales such as South Florida, summer solarization and winter gardening could work.) Nematode and disease build-up is bound to soon become a real problem, perhaps especially since tomatoes are always going to be a favored crop. Even non-organic gardeners have few resources any more for combatting the soil-centered problems. Nemagone and Vapam, now banned, are what kept the very small dooryard gardens going on hot sands year after year. The large suburban or rural yard and garden of old could rotate. So how will we keep the interested persons successful in their ventures? Plant nutrition is the easy part; aboveground pests and diseases at least have available controls of various efficiency. How will we beat the soil pests and diseases? And I mean beyond faith-healing?

You're very lucky in the US to have such smart and informed farmers. Here in my country, honest they're a bunch of greedy close-minded people who think they know everything and who use chemicals so much that whatever they plant grows as if on steroids. Our rivers and seas are invaded by algae because of the N leaching and those algae stiffle everything which needs light and oxygen. Then those algae die and are washed on the shores and rot and gass off and our taxes pay to get rid of them because the gas is a health hazard (already killed horses and dogs walking on the shores). Not to mention the farms that raise hundreds of poor animals enclosed inside, fed with crap and antibiotics, and the heaps of manure polluting the water. And antibiotics not being efficient any longer because of this huge overuse. On top of that the poor quality products are subsidied hence we tax payers have to pay when buying the veggies or meat, and also to subsidy the farmers' losses, and also to take care of their pollution. And in case you're informed then you don't want to eat that tasteless crap so you have to pay even more for organic local products. I could go on and on, you're very lucky to have great farmers in the US, because here them and the fishermen are so stupid that they just ruin their own ressources and then they ask for government's money never thinking of the future. Well I've been avoiding this thread because I have so strong feelings about farmers but there you go I couldn't refrain from ranting ;-)

Is anyone receiving answer to that post ? I think Poinciana left that message on May 26, 2002 Maybe she's not checking back here anymore... anyone knows? Can't find her page on Gardenweb...

Thanks, I've been thrilled with the results I've gotten in the two years I've gone organic. No one will believe me though. BUT I have done my homework. I have been creating a bird habitat ever since we moved in 5 years ago. With all the birds, and the beneficial insects (thousands of lady bugs all over every where, even right now!) and tremendous night crawlers my soil and plants are healthier than ever. Even my Bermuda grass looks better - sure wish it was zoysia.