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The 12 Fruits And Vegetables Most Likely To Contain Pesticides
We like to think that all the groceries we take home from the market or buy online are perfectly safe. While that's often true, the bacteria and other harmful toxins that lurk on fruits, vegetables, meats and dairy products can cause a number of short- and long-term health complications.
Fruits and vegetables are billed as some of the healthiest foods, but they're also most prone to containing pesticides, which are used to protect them from invasive animals and disease during cultivation. In fact, nearly three-quarters of all non-organic produce has detectable levels of pesticides by the time it reaches your supermarket shelves or grocery delivery order, according to a 2023 study by food safety nonprofit Environmental Working Group.
But some are worse than others. To help suss out which fruits and veggies are most likely to have potentially harmful pesticides, the Environmental Working Group analyzed 46,569 samples of 46 fruits and vegetables tested by the FDA and USDA to compile the annual Dirty Dozen, a list of the produce most likely to be contaminated with pesticides.
The list is made up largely of fruits and vegetables without a protective skin such as berries, greens, apples and stone fruit.
The 2023 Dirty DozenThe Dirty Dozen is a good indicator meant to alert consumers to the fruits and vegetables most in need of thorough washing. Even a quick rinse with water or a spritz produce wash helps.
You can also sidestep much of the potential risk by buying certified organic fruits and vegetables that are free from the use of farming pesticides. Knowing which foods are more likely to contain pesticides might help you decide where to spend that bit of extra money on organic. And as I learned in an analysis of organic and nonorganic prices, they really aren't as expensive as you might think.
More takeaways from the Dirty Dozen studyConversely, the EWG found these 15 fruits and vegetables Ieast likely to contain pesticides.
Foods with a naturally occurring protective skin are far less likely to contain potentially harmful pesticides. Westend 61/Getty ImagesThe 2023 Clean 15EWG's methodology involves six measures of pesticide contamination. The analysis focuses on which fruits and vegetables are most likely to contain one or more pesticides but does not measure how much of any one pesticide is on a given piece of produce. You can read more on the EWG's Dirty Dozen in the published study here.
Agapanthus Damaged In Summer's Brutal Heat Can Be Trimmed Now
The leaves of my agapanthus plants are burned from the drought. Is now the time to cut them back, and, if so, how far? — Henry
Agapanthus leaves always show stress in late summer as the leaf ends turn yellow and brown. The main issue is heat, not drought. Agapanthuses are quite drought-tolerant. Indeed, if you water them too generously, you can cause root rot. While they are not happy with our typical summer temperatures in the 90s, they recover and come back beautifully in the spring — blooming for us around May ever year.
This past summer, however, was not typical. Neither we nor our agapanthuses have ever experienced so many days over 100 degrees. This unusual heat really affected the agapanthuses, and they look far worse this year than usual.
Feel free to trim back the unattractive foliage now. Try to retain as much green tissue as you can — the lower parts of the leaves may still be green. I'm very hopeful they will recover as they usually do, but I've seen some planting that look really bad. Time will tell.
I have a few crape myrtle trees and love them dearly. My only problem is that there are all of these little branches that grow at the bottom of the tree, at the ground level. I cut them back, but they continue to grow. Is there anything that I can put on the fresh cuts that would stop all of this growth at the bottom of the tree? — Jenna Palmer
It seems that crape myrtles are trees with aspirations to be big shrubs. Leave a crape myrtle tree alone, and eventually most will send up lots of shoots from the base and turn into something looking more like an overgrown shrub than a tree. To maintain a pleasing tree shape, we regularly remove these shoots — called suckers — from the base of the trunk.
Remove suckers regularly as soon as they appear. They are easier to deal with and cause less damage to the tree when they are removed early. Prune them all the way back to their point of origin at the trunk or a root. Make a flush cut. Do not leave a stub or several suckers will appear for each one you cut off.
To prevent suckers from growing back so fast, treat the freshly cut spots with a product such as Monterey Sucker Stopper or Bonide Sucker Punch (some nurseries may carry these, or you can order online). With proper management over time, you can keep suckers under control. Older trees tend to produce fewer suckers and don't require so much attention.
I have a problem with bahiagrass in my centipede lawn. It has gotten significantly worse during the hot, dry weather this summer. I'm wondering if there is a weed killer I can spray on my lawn that will kill the bahiagrass without hurting my centipede grass. — Don Murray
Bahiagrass is an excellent pasture grass grown for hay, but it has no place whatsoever in a home lawn. I noticed that the heat and drought this summer did not affect bahiagrass as badly as it did our lawn grasses. As a result, it was able to spread in lawns where the lawn grass was stressed and not growing as it normally would.
One of the most irritating things about bahiagrass in a lawn is its rapid production of flower stalks. Within a few days after mowing, the bahiagrass flower stalks pop up and make the lawn look untidy. These flower stalks are the best way to identify bahiagrass. At the top of the stalk, it splits and the flower heads form a distinctive V shape.
Fortunately, the herbicide metsulfuron (MSM Turf) is labeled to control bahiagrass in lawns. It is labeled for use on centipede, St. Augustine, Bermuda and zoysia.
GARDEN TIPS
GOING TROPICAL: If you intend to add tropical plants to your landscape, plant them as soon as possible. This includes popular plants like tropical hibiscus, tibouchina, bird of paradise, philodendron, ixora, firebush and others. Tropical plants that are well established are more likely to survive harsh winter weather, such as freezes.
READY TO SHED: As we move into the fall, do not be concerned about the declining health of deciduous tree (those that drop their leaves in winter) and shrub foliage. You will begin to see leaf spots, scorched edges, yellow leaves and other symptoms. These trees and shrubs are getting ready to shed their leaves, and the spots and blemishes are just part of the process.
COMBAT DRYNESS: The weather is dry now. Be sure to check lawns, shrubs, flowerbeds and vegetable gardens and water deeply and thoroughly as needed.
ON THE DOTTED LINE: Azalea lace bugs feed from the underside of the leaves causing small, white dots on the upper side of the leaves and dark brown spots on the back. If you see these symptoms, spray two or three times under the leaves with permethrin, bifenthrin or a light horticultural oil following directions on the label. After treatment, the white dots will persist but not get worse.
Garden columnist Dan Gill answers readers' questions each week. To send a question, email Gill at dgill@agcenter.Lsu.Edu.
Get Your Yard Ready For The First Hard Frost
I am waiting for that really big — meaning cold and hard — frost to hit. In fact, aren't we all? It is not time yet, but close enough to start hauling our warmer jackets out. Night temperatures are in the 30s.
This being the case, it appears to me that hoses are not going to be needed anymore this year. If I am wrong and you need to water something, you can use a watering can.
Disconnect your water systems, remove any timers and on/off valves. Drain them so they won't crack when frozen.
It is also a good idea to uncoil your hoses and let them drain as well. Newer, modern hoses probably won't crack when water expands during the freezing process. But why risk it? Of course, lawn sprinklers and the errant watering tool should also be put away.
Then there is the tool shed. It is always best to clean yours now so things are ready to go next spring. Besides, you want to be able to get to that shovel or long pole this winter if you need to.
If you have one of those metal tool sheds, consider getting a few two-by-fours to shore up the roof from the inside to give it more support. I can assure you it is going to snow, and we will probably gets lots of it. If we do, you will thank yourself for this.
Next, it is time to clean up the vegetable gardens and boxes. Yes, Brussels sprouts get sweeter if they have been exposed to frost, but yours have had enough of cool nights to harvest before the moose decide they really aren't that bad. Potatoes should be fine. Get those carrots and beets, too!
Speaking of moose, which I wasn't, if you want to spray or paint trees and bushes with Plantskydd, now is the time. It is messy stuff to apply when temps remain below freezing. When you use it, it appears to moose that you have an active wolf in your yard and, in theory, they stay away.
That hard frost, when it comes, is the one that makes it more difficult to mark the driveway and paths so you know what to shovel when it snows. There is a fine line between staking now and waiting as there are still leaves to mow up and the stakes get in the way.
Personally, it was a terrible year for our raspberries. The meager-producing plants we had this year should be cut out. The remaining ones will — hopefully — produce next year and can be trimmed to four feet so they are ready to go next spring.
OK, have you planted those spring flowering bulbs I told you to buy? They most surely are easier to plant when the ground is not frozen. Similarly, we are real close to garlic planting — in theory, a week or so before the first frost. Hard neck types are best for our winters.
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Listen to the "Teaming with Microbes" podcast with Jeff Lowenfels and Jonathan White
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Finally, have you been seeing wood frogs in your yard? They eat insects and slugs. As a result of an interview with Dr. John Larson, wood frog expert at UAF on the Teaming With Microbes podcast — Friday, Sept. 15 edition where ever you get podcasts — you might consider setting up a "frog pond" near your garden.
The idea is some frogs will winter over in the area and use the "pond" to breed next spring. You can try a large plastic container, perhaps a small kiddie wading pool. Fill it all the way and put a few large logs or cut two-by-fours to absorb the pressure of ice forming so it won't crack. Add a few branches to hold eggs and that is it.
Of course if you come across frogs between now and the frost, toss them in so they know the pond is in your garden area.
When the frost hits, the frogs dig into the duff deep enough to keep a steady temperature and set up an internal antifreeze system. They hibernate all winter. Fascinating creatures — and a podcast interview worth listening too.
Get to it. Nights are getting longer. It is cold. A hard frost is a coming.
Jeff's Alaska Garden Calendar:
BOOtanical Gardens: Halloween is back this year. Sept. 15-Oct. 22, the garden celebrates Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This family friendly fall display is $8 per person. Members and children 6 and under are free, which is just one more reason to join.
Houseplants: Keep an eye out for spider mites.
Spring flowering bulbs: Plant as many as you can afford!
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