Growing the Dirty Dozen

I recently heard about Container Gardening for Health: The 12 Most Important Fruits and Vegetables for Your Organic Garden, a book that covers the most important crops to grow organically based on the “Dirty Dozen” list. This is a list created by The Environmental Working Group that tells consumers which fruits and veggies are best and least important to buy organic. The EPA just updated the list in spring of 2009, so this book which came out also in the spring contains the most current Dirty Dozen info.

I like the idea, because not only are the Dirty Dozen list items more pesticide ridden, but if you buy them in stores in the organic form, it’ll cost you. Some organics are far more expensive than others, and so growing them yourself is one great way around both pesticides and all that money you’d spend at the store.

Basics:

Container Gardening for Health offers complete guide to growing the twelve fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residues according to USDA testing. The list items include, Peaches, Apples, Sweet Bell Peppers, Celery, Nectarines, Strawberries,Cherries, Lettuce, Grapes (imported), Pears, Spinach, and Potatoes. There is info on how to grow these and organic gardening methods. This is one gardening book I’m adding to my must read list, so hopefully I’ll get a review up later (if I can find it at my local library).

Have you read this book? What did you think – a good read or no?