Howard Garrett – How It All Started

Dirt Doctor Weekly Newsletter – How It All Started

The inscription in the front of this book — The Organic Manual — says it all. “For Logan.” The total organic change began in 1985 – with the birth of our daughter. At nine months, she started walking, picking up and tasting things. Why it doesn’t hit every parent, I don’t understand, but it hit me hard. It was at that point that I decided to look into organics. I wanted no more toxic chemicals around my little girl. I had no idea what an organic program was, so the learning process began.

As a landscape architect with a degree from Texas Tech, I had already begun to experiment with some organic principles in my work. Many of the ideas were centuries-old techniques. They had gotten lost during the chemical engineering boom of the mid – 20th century. The more I investigated, the more I realized that the organic approach worked – and worked better than the toxic approach. Logan became my announcer in the first grade. The job continued through high school.

1996

2002

Now you hear Logan’s voice introduce my local KSKY and nationally syndicated radio shows through the miracle of recordings. “If you want to avoid the toxic life, jump right in, the water’s fine.” She has been busy lately getting a college degree in global studies and Spanish, making great new friends and seeing much of the world. I’m very proud of what she has accomplished.

Celebrating in the Pacific at Santa Barbara

Visiting the tasting rooms of the wine country

I have had an interesting time trying to convert the world to organics, and I’m glad that my family has been part of the process. I know without question that it is the right thing to do, even though change is so hard. We aren’t there yet, but we are making progress. I thank Logan, my wife Judy and all of you for your support. Stay tuned and don’t forget to feed the birds. Cheers!