Early spring, I was in a commercial greenhouse with my gardening mentor. She showed me spinach leaves the tips of that were yellowish. It was the sign of nutrient deficiency.
When I visited her next week, she said the spinach leaves’ color had been improved after she started watering more often as the day got longer. The water helped air and nutrients circulation in the soil, which made more nutrients available for the roots of the plants.
A pretty big light bulb lit up in my head. Ah ha! Water is not just to ease the thirst of the plant but also transport necessary oxygen and nutrients. It must also affect on the life of all micro orgasms in the soil. No wonder why water is so important to all of us, life forms.
I learned at elementary school that plants need 3 elements to grow – soil, water and sun. The greenhouse is warm and moist. The soil is rich. With 10 hours or so sun light, I had thought things would grow. Yes, they grow to a degree, but it is not as simple as I thought. In a non heated, passive greenhouse like hers, it is impossible to realize exactly the same ecosystem as the outdoor when it were 10 degree warmer. Winter is winter. Plants and many insects go dormant. Water, air and carbon circulate more slowly. Less energy flows. That is the natural cycle. And every little thing affects one another. How delicate the nature’s balance is!
This little incidence (and my big realization) made me think what really natural food is. If it is unprocessed, is it natural? Is organic equal to natural? Is the organic spinach grown in a greenhouse in winter, which doesn’t survive in the nature in Nova Scotia, natural or not?
I am not a huge natural whatever worshiper, but I admit I have been attracted by the image of ‘natural’ which often I created myself without realizing. From now on, I am a little bit more skeptical about what it looks natural. I can say some are more natural than others, but the bottom line is there are much less natural things than we think.
Don’t get me wrong. Natural or not doesn’t mean right or wrong. I certainly appreciate the technology that makes it possible to have fresh vegetables through the non growing season.
This realization made me more grateful for the rare opportunity to have true natural food as well as producers’ efforts to supply our food consistently.