The Dirty Dozen

I'm getting a little gardening bored. It's still too early to be planting my winter vegetables and my vegetable patch is cleaned, composted, mulched and waiting. My few gardens are fertilised, trimmed and waiting for cooler weather to start planting out more. My lawns are fertilised, soil wetted and weed killed - just waiting on rain to green them up. 

So what does one do when garden bored - they start dreaming big. I think I have about 40 seed packets of the things I'd like to grow this winter. 

So I may have gotten a little over excited. So how do I narrow it down? 

Lucky for me I came across an interesting article on the extremely high amounts of pesticide residue on frozen berries. The interesting thing was most of the residue of pesticides banned in Australia. This happens because most frozen berry companies get their berries from a variety of overseas sources. 

The old mind clogs started turning over and after a bit more research I discovered the 'Dirty Dozen' and the 'Clean Fifteen'.

These are two lists released by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) each year.

 The Dirty Dozen, a list of the fruits and vegetables likely to contain the highest amounts of pesticide residue. The Clean 15 is a list of fruits and vegetables least likely to contain pesticides.

The EWG take into account how people typically wash and prepare produce - for example, apples were washed and bananas peeled before testing.

The “Dirty Dozen” for 2013 were (number one being the most highest in pesticide residue)

1. Apples

2. Strawberries

3. Grapes

4. Celery

5. Peaches

6. Spinach

7. Sweet bell peppers

8. Nectarines

9. Cucumbers

10. Potatoes

11. Cherry tomatoes

12. Hot peppers

The EWG also added kale/collard greens and summer squash as a plus last year as they may contain organophosphate insecticides, which EWG characterizes as "highly toxic" and of special concern. 

Did you know that all of these you can grow at home in pots or gardens?

Armed with this information planning my winter vegetable patch has become a little easier.  Apart from cucumbers all of the 'Dirty Dozen' can be grown at home this winter.  Cucumbers prefer warmer weather. 

I honestly don't know why cherry tomatoes are on the list. I have no idea why anyone would need to spray these. If anyone has ever grown cherry tomatoes you would know how easy these plants are and how unsusceptible they are to disease and insects. 

I have also potted a raspberry, a fig and a dwarf peach just for fun too. 

I know you are all wondering what the 'Clean fifteen' are. So here it is

1. Asparagus

2. Avocados

3. Cabbage

4. Cantaloupe

5. Sweet corn

6. Eggplant

7. Grapefruit

8. Kiwi

9. Mangoes

10. Mushrooms

11. Onions

12. Papayas

13. Pineapples

14. Sweet peas (frozen) 

15. Sweet potatoes

Don't get gardening bored, plan big and include the 'Dirty Dozen' in your backyard.