So much has been made of gardening with pesticides, which for most people is the only way to control insects in their gardens.
But for years an idea, actually created here in California, has transformed how we grow our fruits and vegetables and how we protect them from nasty bugs.
Hydroponics has been around for a while, but for whatever reason has never really become mainstream. The idea is simple enough... instead of planting in the ground - you simply get rid of the dirt and grow everything exclusively in water.
Now instead of insecticides, growers actually use bugs to fight off other bugs from eating the plants. This means you can grow organic without using any pesticides at all. Experts say fruits and vegetables grown the hydroponics way taste just as good and even contain more nutrients than plants grown directly in the good old earth.
And here is something else... since anyone can set up a hydroponics garden with very little work and investment - more and more Farmers Markets are selling those products - cutting down on transportation costs for certain plant types that in the past were not native to an area.
So no nasty insects, no pesticides and simple growing techniques mean that many are choosing an alternative and easy way to help protect the environment.
