Organic or Non-Organic?

[MarkHackwell]

I was looking over at someones plot earlier and they used slug pellets and were spraying there allotment with some chemical and it got me thinking what most people are and made me glad that im the other side of the allotments as im Organic Are you organic or non-organic?

[mothhawk]

Deffo organic. Why pay money to kill pests when dear old Mother Nature provides predators for free?

[veggiechicken]

As MH says ^^^^ - especially when some of the chemicals kill the good insects as well as the pests.

[thegreenjudy]

Organic!

Although I have lots of friends who think they are growing organic and then get the cheap compost from Home Bargains with all the rubbish chemicals in....
Quote: "Isn't all compost organic??"

Erm..nope...

[Veggielot]

I am mainly organic, I have been given growmore and a fertilizer for blueberries, apart from that organic. I did find what was described as organic slug pellets which worked quite well.

[solway cropper]

I'm probably about 99 percent organic but that still wouldn't satisfy the Soil Association.

I think most people who throw chemicals all over their plots are basically lazy, although I can understand the temptation to spray roundup if you've just taken on a badly neglected allotment and are desperate to get going.

[VirginVegGrower]

Organic. I wouldn't pour it down my throat so I'm not spraying with it either. Although my cheap beer for slugs is not organic. Does that count?

[rabbit]

ive got organic slug pellets and organic fruit tree spray for my apples, so maybe allotment guy was using similar? i dont use them yet. ive put nemaslug out

[Likac66]

I'm sorry but I used some slug pellets on my allotment the other week. Last year I was inundated with slugs at home and I just didn't want to see my new broad bean plants go the same way. I am considering nemotodes for the allotment but they are very expensive and don't know how effective they are. I thought maybe I would use bought nemotodes one time and then try to make my own having seen some instructions on how to do it.

I would like to be organic but I'm not going to see all my hard work go to waste.

[salome2001]

solway cropper, having been in *exactly* that situation (inheriting three sheds, a derelict chicken run, runaway comfrey, and 10 rods of six foot high nettles thick enough to hide several small African nations) I did start proceedings with a dosing of roundup, before digging every square foot of the plot to get the nettle roots out (54 huge garden sack bags full). I think it would be fair to say that if I hadn't killed the nettles first I'd probably still be only about half way through and totally demoralised. Some of those nettle root facehuggers were 3 foot long and as thick as my wrist.

Since then however I have tried to *grow* organically, with pony poo fertilizer, bug-resistant varieties and mesh instead of chemicals/ pesticides, and nemaslug.

I guess I'd say I weed with chemicals but grow organically

[redser]

Getting there, but plan to be 100 % once I have the plot completed. So I occasionally use slug pellets if I notice a problem spot. I'll use tomato food this year but have started a comfrey patch for the future. Worst of all ill be used the dreaded dithane on my roosters this year. Lost them all last year. But I'm trying some other varieties like red duke of York to see if I can get round planting a main crop, I don't like the sarpos I've tasted. So it sounds hypocritical but I hope to put into practise what's in my head over the next couple of years.

[chris]

I try to be as organic as possible, but use some things - such as bought tomato feed.. so weather or not I can be classed as "organic" is up for debate.

I don't use pesticides/herbicides though.

[Linzy]

Basically im very tight with money so organic is the only way plus i love picking cabbage white caterpillars of the plants to feed my chick chicks with.

[kathyd]

I think the idea of being completely organic is wonderful, but in reality I sometimes need a bit of help, especially when trying to get things going. I try to be responsible and use minimal purchased products, but I also refuse to struggle like I did last year and lose most of my crop to pests which laugh at my feeble attemtps to do things 'properly' - like the slugs which ignored my beer traps and invited the hornets to use them as a bar instead. And the ants which seem to be taking over my world...

I now use 'organic' slug pellets, and I'll happily squirt aphids with 'bio' washing up liquid if necessary. I'm afraid I'm seriously considering some ant killer for use in the polytunnel, because disturbing them doesn't seem to be a big enough hint. I'm going to experiment with making my own slug nematodes this year, but will keep the pellets on hand as well. I've got bottles of stinky garlic solution ready to disguise the way plants smell, and will pre-chit stuff and sprinkle mint leaves in places where the mice like to go. I won't spray pesticides though, or use non-bio fertilisers. I'm a great believer in physical barriers, so our veg patch is one big debris netting forest at the moment... ugly, but effective against cats, dogs and chickens as well as wild birds and (so far at least) the neighbour's goat when it escapes.

I've got a box of tomato fertiliser which I keep forgetting to use, and I've scattered 'organic' general fertiliser pellets on some of the beds and on newly-dug areas. I'm growing comfrey, but it's still a baby so has some way to go.

I think it's about being as responsible as you can within your own limits and constraints.

[sammy_roser]

I would love to be 100% organic but it's just not practical. I have only just started composting so still buy in MPC and I don't pay extra for the organic stuff if there is such a thing. I do use slug pellets and last year I did use a chemical spray on my plum tree as it was swarming in aphids. I also buy in my feed so that won't be organic.