Are you an organic grower?

[planetologist]

I see no-one has voted that they are not organic

Actually, I'm rather disappointed that only 1/4 are totally organic. We permaculturists say that you can't be mostly organic. Ecosystems work because every predator has its prey and if you start messing with that with poisons then you're not going to get an ecosystem at all, so you'll need more interventions which create more disturbances. Instead of that, fitting yourself into the system, by accepting feedback from the garden on what and how it wants to grow will feed you with less and less work as you go along.

[planetologist]

What factors influence your choices?

Though the above might have suggested a general approach, let me try to answer a bit more specifically:
Do I like to eat it?
What's the yield per effort?
Does it add to the biodiversity and in particular to the attractiveness of my garden to predators?

[JustPotteringAbout]

Define organic.
No, the garden as a whole is not organic. Some beds are not organic. Some beds might be organic. Others aren't even weeded. I'm not a farmer, so I don't have a certification scheme to adhere to to sell my crops to guilty Grauniad readers*. I therefore do my best to reduce the environmental impact of my garden

Plants grow from the ground for free in their natural habitat without chemical or mineral intervention by people. I'd like to keep it that way and not throw good money at a free natural process. Admittedly I've spent £13.75 ths year on end of line items;seeds, saucers, gravel trays, but everything else is from the local carpet shop walk-in skip, the trash at the back of the Chinese take away, other peoples' recycling bins, or sustainably collected from renewable sources on the advice of the regional NH and woodland trust.

However, this is my first season and I started the seedlings off in shop-bought compost because the compost from last year's compost bins wasn't ready. I dread to think how many kg.km it has been transported and the hydrocarbons burned to transport it.
(kg.km = mass x distance)

In fact, on the subject of transport it is shocking to see the number of motor cars at the garden centres and - with so many people claiming they garden organically- outside allotments.
I quite often see people with massive trolleys full of organic produce at the shops then see them packing the bags into the trunk of a motor car. That hardly offests destructive habits like driving.

I've only been in an open-to-the-public garden centre once. The ones here are located for the benefit of hydrocarbon burners, and are generally difficult and downright hazardous to access by pedestrians, bicyclists and mass transit users.
They had many products labelled as organic.
What is the point of buying stuff like that if it has travelled many hundreds of kilometres to get to the garden centre and then burn even more hydrocarbons to take home to one's garden or even to an allotment? The out-of-town fill-your-trunk-up culture is a part of a general trend towards bulk conspicuous consumption though, assisted by local authority mismanagement of town zoning and not restricted to garden centres.

The zoology in the garden is far too interesting study material to kill, particularly the nocturnal species .
Not so keen on handling the slugs but they are good detrivores for the composters.

The weeds in the veg garden are identified then ; left for pollinators; eaten; drowned; dried and composted or burned.

I tried neighbour's weedkiller for the first time last week in the front flower garden to see if it would kill the bindweed. The label, being marketed towards gardeners, was a bit short on biochemistry description, so I dug out the rest this morning instead.

[marchogaeth]

Define organic.
No, the garden as a whole is not organic. Some beds are not organic. Some beds might be organic. Others aren't even weeded. I'm not a farmer, so I don't have a certification scheme to adhere to to sell my crops to guilty Grauniad readers*. I therefore do my best to reduce the environmental impact of my garden.

My complaint has always been that so called certification schemes still allow too much use of chemical/medecine and actually in a way that could cause resistance and still leave animals unwell. Also they can recommend housing systems that are unhealthy IMO.

You used to be able to get a grant to "go organic" it was £395. How much did it cost to register as organic? £395. For which you got one visit a year. On our small holding they would have had to fly in by helicopter to spend that much on us! It's money making con for the most part and the organic premium is a joke for most farmers - they/we don't see it - again IMO.

I'm not voting. As others have said, define organic. What's environmesh made from? - not organic. Do you use a vehicle? - not organic. Do you worm you cats/dogs? Do they cr@p on your graden? - not organic. Are you using elecricity to access this forum?

I know I often say in threads that I am organic but that's by my definition really. No chemicals for food production (human or animal) but I do use tractor/petrol driven tools. I do use products from man made materials. I will treat my animals with drugs if natural remedies have left them still too ill to recover or in pain.

What we put in our mouths is better than we can buy as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry should be on the rant thread!

Mods feel free to delete - organo-fascisim does my head in.

[JustPotteringAbout]

What factors influence your choices?
1 Plants are free
2 Soil is free
3 CO₂ is free (and overabundant)
4 Water is free (the precipitaceous sort)
5 Free is one of my favourite prices
6 Stuff and tat from garden centres isn't free
7 A gentleman would never drive.
8 Garden Centres are in odd inaccessible places
9 Garden centres have massive car parks
10 Some weeds are just edible surprise plants that keep on giving
11 I like animals
12 What's the point in buying stuff and tat and not being resourceful, inventive, ingenious etc
13 Composters are convenient to get rid of biomass waste from the kitchen / garden.
14 My very own ecosystem

[veggiechicken]

I agree with you Marchogaeth Whenever I see the word "organic" being used to market a product, it triggers alarm bells - because I just don't trust the way the word is bandied about. It means different things to different people. I have confidence in the food that I grow but not in anything that I buy.
I'd also like to say that its very easy to fall off the 100% organic ladder just by sowing any of the seeds that are given away with the GYO magazine !!!

[KevinM67]

I'd also like to say that its very easy to fall off the 100% organic ladder just by sowing any of the seeds that are given away with the GYO magazine !!!

What ever do you mean !!!

[Verinda]

That's a good question mothhawk.

I am organic. Reasons for this, well my mum was also totally organic so I am following in her footsteps. Also I am particularly fond of butterflies, bees and all insects so I make every effort to ensure my garden is insect friendly. Plus I don't want to put any kind of chemicals on my flowers vegetables or soil. And finally it just makes me feel good to be an organic gardener

[StephenH]

But they cost more than twice as much.

True, but twice sod-all is still sod-all.

[StephenH]

I'd also like to say that its very easy to fall off the 100% organic ladder just by sowing any of the seeds that are given away with the GYO magazine !!!

I take it you mean that the seeds have not been organically produced, in which case, I'm not quite 100% organic myself. However, if everything I do is organic, I reckon that's near enough!

[marchogaeth]

I take it you mean that the seeds have not been organically produced, in which case, I'm not quite 100% organic myself. However, if everything I do is organic, I reckon that's near enough!

I seem to remeber Bob Flowerdew (Who he? - ed) saying something to the effect that if you think you're organic then you probably are. It's almost going to worth getting the magazine to see what they make of this lot!

[maytreefrannie]

Mostly Organic : that's how I answered, because OH mostly does the garden and he does use minimal amounts of 'other stuff' of the slug killer / fertiliser etc. varieties. In fairness, he grows delicious vegetables and I agree with the grape who said what we grow is better than what we can buy - I'd say it's better than anything we can buy.

Everything I do is done without using that part of the garden. I understand the objection to the Mostly Organic answer, but we do what we can with what we have.

I tried to give this answer with quotes but it didn't work for me.
I

[out in the cold]

We try to be Organic where possible, however much of what goes into the compost heap comes from bought veg during the winter, which may not be.

Also, we have had horse dung from a friend who is a non organic farmer, although he uses some organic sprays etc, but nit everything on his land is...

Bought compost is sometimes not, but that is a decision made to reduce the peat content being used, as our local supplier has non organic stuff with a far lower peat content than the organic brand has (20% vs 45%)

[kentishgal]

I try my best to be organic and find that most things can be managed without using chemicals. I tend to do alot by hand and also swear by nematodes! However there will often be something that proves to be your gardening kryptonite!! Mine this year was sawflies, I couldnt bear to see my fruit bushes skeletonised again so I did use a spray.

[MrsCordial]

I agree with Paulieb completely - I could have written that post. For me part of the point of growing me own is because I know nothing nasty has gone on them. There's a lot of learning. I've done more growing this year than for quite a while and am learning fast!