“Organic gardeners prize a healthy, interwoven ecosystem. They enrich the soil with compost and other organic matter instead of synthetic fertilizers. They control weeds the old-fashioned way - with mulch and elbow grease - and consider most insects good guys, not "pests" to be nuked.”
Peter Grier of the Monitor’s Washington Bureau speculates that one of the goals of the much-publicized White House kitchen garden is to save the first family money on its grocery bills. If so, they’re part of a growing trend. The ranks of those growing their own veggies have increased by 20 to 30 percent over the past two years.