Organic Gardening - A Speech for Teachers

Organic gardening has increasingly become anthose benefits for your family. Let me give you
important part of the curriculum in schools aroundjust three of organic gardening's benefits.
the world. Teachers at every grade level find1. Taste: Organic gardening has been proven to
themselves teaching it to students, andproduce tastier fruits and vegetables. A Hong
sometimes being called on to give a speech to aKong study measured Brix levels, the percentage
group of parents. As a career educator andof sugar in plant juices, using produce from
principal, I know the difficulty of opening up timeorganic gardening and from non-organic gardening.
for speech preparation, and offer this organicThe results showed that organic gardening
gardening speech for your use. Feel free to edit itproduced produce that was 2 to 4 times as
to fit your needs.sweet as that produced by non-organic gardening.
Organic Gardening SpeechSweeter fruits and vegetables are tastier, and
How selfish are you? On a scale of 1 to 10, 10easier to eat, whether you are a young person or
being the highest, how selfish would you ratean adult. Organic gardening helps us eat better by
yourself? If you are the least bit selfish, youproviding tastier fruits and vegetables.
might be interested in organic gardening.2. Nutrition: Organic gardening has also been found
An organic gardening speech might seem moreto provide nutritionally superior produce. Virginia
appropriate coming from a Home EconomicsWorthington, of Johns Hopkins University in
teacher, but I am just selfish enough that I loveBaltimore, compared the composition of
organic gardening. I want to share that love withvegetables grown simultaneously under different
you and with your children.farming conditions. Her work included 41 studies
Imaginewith 1,240 comparisons of 35 vitamins and
I want you to come with me, in imagination, to aminerals. Worthington found that organic gardening
time and place before the Industrial Revolution.produced vegetables and fruits that were higher in
The year is 1707. It is late summer. We findmost minerals and vitamins than those from
ourselves walking the streets of a small town.non-organic gardening. Not only that, organic
Houses are spaced well apart for privacy. Landgardening produce was lower in potentially harmful
stretches out behind each house. As we look, wenitrates, which result from nitrogen fertilizers. Dr.
notice that much of that land is taken up byWorthington concluded that produce from organic
gardens. Here and there, we see both adults andgardening is nutritionally superior. You and your
children actively engaged in gardening. The plantsfamily will enjoy better health with fruits and
are beautiful.vegetables from organic gardening. (Effect of
You call to one of the adults and ask what theyAgricultural Methods on Nutritional Quality: A
use to make the garden so lush. A broad smileComparison of Organic with Conventional Crops,
breaks, and through the smile come the words,Virginia Worthington MS, ScD, CNS, Johns Hopkins
"Feed the soil, and the soil will feed the plants."University, Baltimore, 1998, Alternative Therapies,
You shake your head. Poor people. Too bad theyVolume 4, 1998, pages 58-69)
don't know about that miracle combination of3. Exercise: Finally, organic gardening offers you
chemicals you saw advertised on TV last week.and your children regular daily exercise in the
That's the easy way to grow spectacular plants!outdoors. Organic gardening helps you build
Dinnermuscles, especially important core muscles.
The organic gardener invites us to join them forOrganic gardening gets you into the sunlight
the evening meal, and we accept. At dinner, wewhere you can absorb essential vitamin D. Organic
join in the prayer of thanks, and then watch ingardening is a great stress management tool.
amazement as the children, one after another,Organic gardening gives you an outlet for
begin eating fresh vegetables.creativity. It provides satisfaction as you see your
You yourself are not that fond of vegetables, butwork produce useful fruits, herbs, and vegetables.
you politely take a small serving of each. You biteWe could talk about the aesthetic pleasures of
into a leaf of steamed cabbage, and your eyesorganic gardening - how beautiful that garden
open wide in amazement. It is sweet - twice asmight become. We could talk about how you can
sweet as the cabbage you buy at your localsave money with organic gardening - growing
market! You watch a small child fill his mouth withyour produce instead of purchasing.
dark green kale, and shudder. There's a smallFinally, we could talk about how important it is for
spoonful of the nasty vegetable on your ownour children to learn about organic gardening, to
plate, and you pick at it, putting a single small leafembrace it as the way to better health, and to
in your mouth. Amazing! It, too, is twice as sweetpractice it with school, home, and community
as any kale you ever ate. The same seems truegardens.
of every vegetable on the table. You decide thatAn organic gardening speech could go on for
if your supermarket vegetables were this good,hours, but I'm going to stop here, hoping that I
you would eat a lot more of them.have whetted your appetite enough that you will
Our imaginary trip ends at that dinner table, andseek out more information on organic gardening.
we return to the present.Helpful Tip for Speech-givers
Organic Gardening's BenefitsA few large bowls of beautiful organic produce
Organic gardening has many benefits. If you arecan be set on the platform or around the room
completely selfish, you will want those benefitsto help visual learners picture organic gardening.
for yourself. If you are unselfish, you will want