Thursday, May 03, 2007

As it turns out global warming isn't so great for gardening

Could it be that Ohio will not always be characterized by its state tree: the buckeye, the tree that gives Ohio its nickname as the “buckeye state.” Could it also be that within the next few summers poisonous plants such as poison ivy will move more northward, along with plants like kudzu and ragweed. If temperatures continue to rise, then yes it’s true. It is also true that poisonous plants such as poison ivy become more intense, more concentrated with their toxic poison as the weather warms. Sounds like warmer weather won’t be all good for farmers and gardeners… isn’t that who it is supposed to at least be good for?

What I’m realizing is this situation is starting to look a lot like what would happen if it was discovered that smoking really didn’t help to diminish the chances of getting Alzheimer’s: the smoker would be completely raped of their “why I smoke” defense… So what about global warming… isn’t the warmer weather that it will bring supposed to be a plus side (for those that don’t live too near the coasts)… well now organizations such as The National Wildlife Federation are releasing information that alludes to the opposite idea: it’s bad for farming and gardening. Even Martha Stewart is advocating earth friendly tactics such as, not to use gas powered lawn mowers, use organic fertilizers, etc.

In the New York Times it was reported that the demand for organic fertilizer had doubled in the past couple years. This is the buyer’s way of saying that it is important and they are willing to pay that higher price. If this trend lasts for long enough a strong market will open up and another will start to fade out. The buyer has to show the seller what they want, and then once the market has been developed perhaps the prices will go down a bit. The New York Times also reported that ¾ of the US population gardens, and from this $34 billion a year is spent. That is a pretty big market and it sounds like they have the ability to invoke change!

1 comment:

Matt Kundmueller said...

As it is always nice to use organic fertilizers, some small businesses such as landscapers would be negatively affected if only organic fertilizers were to be used. The cost difference between a man-made fertilizer and organic fertilizers are vast