The Great Plant Food Challenge: chemical MiracleGro versus organic Better World Plant Food

August 13th: More ready for harvest.

This weekend, I’d hoped to have my chef friends to prep something with my first real harvest.

Alas, they weren’t available. so I did my own cooking. My harvest included the following from both the Miracle Gro and Better World beds:

• Basil

• Eggplant

• Tomatoes

• Jalepeno peppers

Miracle Gro eggplant.

Miracle Gro pepper.

Better World eggplant.

Better World pepper.

Better World tomatoes.

Better World raspberries begin to ripen!

Miracle Gro tomatoes.

A handful of Better World peas.

Test Bed Two: Miracle Gro tomatoes.

Test Bed Two: Better World tomatoes.

Figs not ripe yet.

And so to dinner...

I diced up the tomatoes and served them raw, sprinkled with aged cheddar and chopped basil.

The difference in the taste of the tomatoes was very subtle. My dinner guest (a self-confessed food snob) and I agreed the Better World tomatoes were slightly sweeter, with a tart edge. As for the basil, there was no question that the Better World basil was a powerhouse of fuller flavour, with a peppery taste that added a boost to the tomatoes. The Miracle Gro basil, while good, was bland and papery in comparison.

The main course was a Thai-style, basil & eggplant on rice.

Much more subtle. We confess to not being able to perceive much difference. It may be that the cooking (partly fried, partly steamed) neutralized any noticeable differences. Still, the idea that the organically-grown eggplant and basil was free of artificial chemicals rested easier on my mind, as well as on my tongue.

August 10th: getting ripe. A harvest.

It’s been raining for 3 days, so I haven’t even looked at the garden. So today....
At last! Something looks like it’s ready!

But first....

Surprise! Miracle Gro strawberry gives me one new bloom.

Meanwhile, Better World strawberries already fruiting, for the third time!

Ready for harvest:

Tomatoes on Better World are so ripe they’re splitting their skins.

Better World.

MiracleGro tomatoes showing ripening, at last!

Better World peas on right.

Test Bed Two.

10 tomatoes on left (Miracle Gro), 12 on right (Better World).

Miracle Gro.

Better World.

Miracle Gro.

Better World.

The harvest! My first 4 tomatoes on Better World.

And yes, they taste great!

August 7th: The cage-match continues.

As I stated earlier, while I was on vacation my garden was cared for with daily waterings only. No food has been added since July 19th. Here’s the project upon my return:

Is that something ripe I see?!!

I was told the blooms feel off the MiracleGro rose almost immediately. The bloom on Better World lasted an extra day or two. Both plants look healthy here.

The Better World bed:

Better World test bed. I transplanted the basil from the small container before I left.

Here you see it flowering.

Strawberries on Better World making a third (!) fruiting!

Eggplant on Better World. If you recall, my first eggplants on Better World were devoured by some critter in Early July. Yet the Miracle Gro eggplants were left alone. So here you see the Better World plants catching up to the Miracle Gro.