How to Make Sure the Food from Your Garden is Safe to Eat

How to Make Sure the Food from Your Garden is Safe to Eat


Gardening does wonders for your well-being and offers various health benefits. It provides nutritious vegetables and fruits to put on your dinner table. The experience of working in dirt boosts your mood while potentially lowering your risk for dementia. Food safety starts with every step in the process, from pre-planting to placing meals on the table.

    The Multiple Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is available in various potencies. The three percent solution is the most common and found in many stores. It goes up to a 35% solution. Food grade 35% hydrogen peroxide is safe to use in gardens. Gardeners usually dilute the solution when using it with plants to make it safer.

A water molecule consists of three atoms, two hydrogens (H) atoms, and one oxygen (O) atom. These same atoms show up in hydrogen peroxide with the exception of an additional oxygen atom. The extra oxygen (H2O2) gives the solution its beneficial properties.

Gardeners use hydrogen peroxide in various ways, such as pre-treating seeds, treating root rot, pest control, infection prevention on damaged trees, and a foliar spray to kill fungus. This solution also can boost plant growth. It promotes healthy root growth because of the extra oxygen molecule.

Plant roots need oxygen to pull in water and get nutrients up to their leaves. Oxygen helps the roots absorb nutrients from the soil, which means faster, stronger, and healthier growth. Hydrogen peroxide also has the seal of approval from the United States EPA.

    Find the Right Location

Food safety starts with the right location for your garden. It is essential to know what has been in the planting space. Was this space exposed to a lot of chemicals? If the planting space is near a busy road, you may have to worry about runoff from roads and driveways. It also could have been an area where people walk their dogs.

You should consider these things when choosing a garden location. Gardeners must establish a routine and keep their planting spaces neat. They should also keep their tools and hands clean.

    Avoid Soil Amendments

Good soil is the foundation of a successful garden. Gardeners have to add things to make the soil nutrient-rich. A soil amendment is an add-in to the soil to improve water retention and absorption. Examples of soil amendments include bones, eggshells, meat, and manure.

You want to avoid adding any animal components to your garden. These items may contain food-borne pathogens, which you can pass on to your produce. Better options are compost made from plant trimmings and grass clippings.

    Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands is simple advice, but it prevents the spread of infectious diseases. Gardeners must prevent cross-contamination from dirty tools and table surfaces when gathering crops from the field. You should wash your hands before going into the garden. It also promotes food safety to wash your hands when harvesting. You want to use clean hands throughout the gardening process. Other instances where you should wash your hand are after handling garbage or plant debris, when handling compost, after using the bathroom, and after touching an animal.

    Proper Storage of Produce

Gardeners should wash their produce before storage and store them in clean containers. You should remove the dirt before taking your fruit into the kitchen to maintain food safety. The dirt may contain bacteria or pathogenic microorganisms. You can transport these pathogens to your kitchen.

When washing produce, you should pay attention to the water. The temperature of the water can affect the safety of your crop. If the water is a lot colder than the fruit and vegetables, it can draw out pathogens. The rinse water should not be more than 10 degrees F colder than your produce.

You also must store produce at different temperatures. It helps to cool fresh-picked vegetables and fruits as soon as possible. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers require cool and moist storage. However, these conditions are hard to maintain within a home. Proper storage protects your produce from rodents, birds, and domestic animals.

If you are growing your food, then you are getting fresh produce without pesticides. Many food illness outbreaks occur from fresh produce in the United States. However, simple practices reduce the risks of produce contamination and prevent food poisoning in the garden and kitchen.

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