The Dirty Dozen

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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? How do I decide what to plant in my vegetable patch each season or what fruit trees to grow? 

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 found on the frozen berries were pesticides that are 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.

EWG, a nonprofit organization that cites its mission as being to help “people live healthier lives in a healthier environment,” started compiling a list of fruits and vegetables that contain the highest amounts of pesticides in the mid-1990s.

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.

While the EWG’s list is based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Data Program, I still find it a great help in determining what to plant and over the years I have used the Dirty Dozen as a guide to what to plant each year. Over the years the list hasn't change much. So I do try to keep track of previous years as it's not like the big farms suddenly stop using pesticides its more like something just contains more pesticides than previous years. One vegetable that continuously goes on and off the list is potatoes. So I always try to grow my own potatoes. Most of vegetables and fruits mentioned can be grown in Ipswich in our vegetable gardens and orchards.

2021 saw the EWG release a special report on citrus fruits, which aren't represented in the Dirty Dozen, but have caught the attention of the organization for trending upward in trace amounts of pesticide recorded.

EWG'S DIRTY DOZEN FOR 2021

(number one being the most highest in pesticide residue)

  1. Strawberries

  2. Spinach

  3. Kale / Collard and Mustard Greens

  4. Nectarines

  5. Apples

  6. Grapes

  7. Cherries

  8. Peaches

  9. Pears

  10. Bell and Hot Peppers

  11. Celery

  12. Tomatoes

EWG'S CLEAN FIFTEEN FOR 2021

  1. Avocados

  2. Sweet corn

  3. Pineapple

  4. Onions

  5. Papaya

  6. Sweet peas (frozen)

  7. Eggplant

  8. Asparagus

  9. Broccoli

  10. Cabbage

  11. Kiwi

  12. Cauliflower

  13. Mushrooms

  14. Honeydew melon

  15. Cantaloupes

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