Spring is well underway in much of the Northern Hemisphere, and many of us are finally able to enjoy time gardening once again. This time of year, there are more farmer’s markets opening up, making it easier to buy freshly-picked food and flowers and chat with local farmers. Aside from the sense of community that visiting or participating in farmer’s markets can help to create, buying food directly from farmers has other benefits, including enabling us to eat seasonally. When you eat fruits and vegetables that are in season, there is less of a need for the farmers that grow those crops to use pesticides on them. Locally produced and distributed fruits and vegetables are growing at a time when they would normally grow, and consequently, farmers don’t have to over-protect them.