. id you ever wonder â€" what is in your food? / Listed in parentheses are the number of pesâ€" icide applications that the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food gcommends before these common egetables appear on your grocery elves: Asparagus (6), Beans (6), roccoli Cauliflower (10), ne 29, 1994 Being far away from existing rees will help increase the sun ivailable and also avoid long tree pots which suck up most of the vater and soil nutrients. Remember, at most trees have an underground Foot structure equal to the above ound branch structure. Silt is the sensible family car h between sand and clay. Most oils contain all three, but the best oam is approximately 5% clay, 5% silt, 35% sand, and 15% h ganic matter. * No matter what your soil type, adding organic matter will improve t. It will thicken sandy soil so it etains moisture and nutrients betâ€" er, and it will thin out clay soils so they can hold moisture and nutriâ€" nts in the first place. Unless your favorite toy is a frontâ€"end loader, it robably isn‘t possible to add too uch organic matter to your garden soil, and it should be an annual rouâ€" :ine in the fall before planting cover crops or in the spring after the soil as dried and at least two weeks fore planting. Seeds can be ordered from any umber of seed companies, but some treat their seeds with toxic chemicals in the hope of preventing isease or pest damage. We have always planted untreated seeds, and never had any problems with either, so I think these chemicals are ‘unnecessary. We order all our seeds from two Ontario familyâ€"owned William Dam in undas for vegetables and flowers, and Bishop Seeds in Belleville for cover crops such as clover, rye, and oats. Both provide free catalogues. BUILDING THE GARDEN Stake out the corners of the beds you will need to satisfy your vegâ€" table palates. Make the beds four eet wide with paths between them wo feet wide. You will plant each ed completely full, using the (between plant spacing" recomâ€" endations on the seed packages as guide. Ignore the "between row acing," you won‘t have any rows your beds, only between beds. our planting soil will remain light nd fluffy because it is never alked on. Use existing structures uch as garages or fences for climbâ€" ng vegetables such as peas, cucumâ€" rs, squash, pole beans, and indeâ€" erminate tomatoes. . Just like us, plants require food, resh air, water, and sunshine, but he most important gardening is ne before any seeds are in the round. Site selection and soil »reparauon will make the difference etween a bountiful miniâ€"Eden and : weedâ€"infested patch of hardpan vhich everyone avoids. : If possible, choose a site that is heltered from the wind and drains vell. That low spot in the backyard nay be great for tall weeds, but lon‘t plan on growing anything but ardy rice if it is wet most of the ummer. SOIL TYPES Soil type will determine how nuch work it will take to produce oamy soil, a vegetable‘s best Ttiend. Soil basically comes in three nodels â€" sand, clay, and silt. Sand 1as large grains with lots of space ‘or air and water drainage in etween, fast to warm, fast to dry, ind fast to lose nutrients; sand is the ports car of the soil world. Clay arrots (10), Lettuce (13), Onion ), Pepper (6), Potato (9), Squash ), Tomato (12). Instead of feeding your family is chemical soup, consider growâ€" ig your own food. It isn‘t that ard... drop a seed in the ground id it wants to grow. The additional enefits include fresh air, exercise, nd stress reduction (whack those eeds!) as small flakes which stick togethâ€" r, driving out air and moisture. fough, stubborn, and slow, clay is a If you decide to kill sod and till t under, spread tarps or lay bales of traw (which are conveniently just is long as your beds are wide) on he garden areas, wait a few weeks, hen till under the dead sod. Straw s especially good because you can ise it over again as mulch, spread it between the beds for a niceâ€"looking weatherproof weedâ€"killing path or ill it under along with the dead sod o add organic matter. Also, till in ellâ€"rotted manure (avoid fresh anure and discourage family embers or pets from squatting in the garden), or leaves to stack your arden pantry. Once you have prepared your ite and planted, congratulate yourâ€" elf. You have taken the first steps oward pseserving the. health of void chemicals, grow your food your family and becoming less dependent on others for your food supply. Buy yourself a straw hat and pair of overalls so you can look the part while leaning on your shovel and chewing a bit of straw. When I first began gardening again after a 21â€"year absence, I was handâ€"sowing fall rye in a gentle rain in my brandâ€"new garden plot. The smell of the seed reminded me of London + Sarn‘a + Kitchener + Ottawa Kids who can read, write spell feel good about themselves! Oxford teaches kids to Read, Write Spell by PHONICS. List of programs * Math * Study Skills * Time Management * lime Management * Homework Support ; OR OA N WVR L/ S OXFORD ‘ 3425 Harvester Rd., Burlington * Preschool, Elementary Secondary School programs °P1 priced stuff are for you! Spend $25 6 OIFT â€" 4. . IOPPING SPREE! Every week and collect all three! ** And you could Eaton‘s store will be drawing a winne GGO0ODS SATISEFACIORY OR MONEY REFLUN DE D Single purchases only my childhood, and flooded my heart with so many wonderful memories that I inhaled deeply to gather every Steven MOORE a ballot =â€" there‘s no purchase necessary! Free balloons, . JUNE 29 â€"JULY 17 |f it was your 125th birthd of our 125TH BIRTHDAY BONUS GIFTS! Shop every and party fcvours""ém weekends, too. Neat, huh? THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Limit one per customer, while supplies last bit of fragrance. My neighbors never commented on the standing in the rain sniffing from a paper bag, but such are the many memories of gardening. You have a lot to look forward to. Me Steven â€" Moore is an Environmental Consultant with a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies. Do You Read or more* and on July 20th. Come in and fill out tAll rules and regulations on back of ballot on all regular priced merchandise Lakeside Shopping Village 5353 Lakeshore Rd. Burlington the stitching por Lakeshore Rd.