By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Before you turn over the first spade of dirt for your new veggie garden, you’ll want to take stock of your equipment. Spades, shovels, picks — these things tend to accumulate in garages and storage closets, and you’ve probably got some already. If you’ve done any flower gardening or have potted plants, you also likely have a watering can that can be used in the veggie patch.
But when it comes to hoses and watering equipment, there are some special considerations when growing food.
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Study finds rising nitrates in ground water
September 25th, 2008 · No Comments
By John DeFore
Nitrates, substances which when consumed by humans can be toxic, especially for infants (whose blood can be made less able to carry enough oxygen), are commonly used in fertilizers. While efforts have been made in recent years to reduce fertilizer use, it’s hard to know — since it takes time for substances to migrate from topsoil into aquifers — how quickly changes to agricultural practices affect water supplies.
Now a study published in the Journal of Environmental Quality finds that nitrate levels in ground water are on the rise in many parts of the U.S., leading researchers to call for increased monitoring.
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Tags: · Drinking Water, fertilizers, Nitrates
