Do organic seeds matter?

[planetologist]

As with all things ecological, you have to look at the whole system. It's NOT about the pesticide residues on the seeds. Poisoned seeds are grown with much more pesticides than poisoned vegetables. So if you buy seeds that are not organic, that both means that someone is poisoning the environment on your behalf, even if almost none of that poison reaches your garden, and you're helping this destructive way of living on our planet to keep it's momentum. Buying organic seeds, growing organically, saving seeds, swapping seeds are all ways of voting with our hands, hearts and heads.

[Elfeda]

I am in the believe of orgonic seeds means the old veriety and with the original/older taste. for example I like tomatos that does not taste sweet but bit of tangy and also not at all meaty. feel this is original taste of tropical tomato and search for it in only organic seed catalogue.

[Alison]

I am in the believe of orgonic seeds means the old veriety and with the original/older taste. for example I like tomatos that does not taste sweet but bit of tangy and also not at all meaty. feel this is original taste of tropical tomato and search for it in only organic seed catalogue.

Both old and new varieties can be organic or non organic

[Jay-ell]

The older varieties you're on about are heirloom varieties. I like heirloom varieties and olden time/obscure veg but there isn't a guarantee that just because they are heirloom they would have been grown organically, they could just as easily be grown using pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertiliser. Similarly just because something is an F1 hybrid doesn't mean that it wasn't grown organically.

An organic heirloom open pollinated variety isn't necessarily better than an F1 hybrid - it does depend on what you're comparing and what you decide is the perfect result beforehand.

[Potstubsdustbins]

A refreshingly sensible thread and there is nothing I can add, that has not already been said. I enjoyed reading every post thank you.

Lots of common dog on the vine.

[Jay-ell]

If we talk about an organic compound we're probably talking about the area between the shed, compost bins and sorcery. In chemistry it means any molecule containing carbon. Different peoples definition of organic will vary. If I used the chemistry definition and stuck to organic materials would that make all my plants organic?





Well no, it would make them dead as water doesn't have carbon so wouldn't be allowed.

[Elfeda]

oh me confused in between heirlooms and organic. organic veg are epensive as the formers have to cultivate the veg for only certain percent of available area and rest to put the crop that attracts the pests thus keeping pests away from the actual crop and avoid using pesticides. this way organic produce is is less compared to non-organic for same area which inturn makes those expensive.

[Bill HH]

I have little faith in organic veg,coming from a farming background I know a lot of farmers just use it to get better prices, they may grow a little organicaly to get the badge but buy in tons from anywhere else and hike up the price accordingly. Its the same with so called free range eggs. We are far too trusting. Most eggs are now labeled free range, so where are all these chickens roaming the fields? I never see them. Ok I am sceptical, but that has served me well over the years.

[Guest]

Its the same with so called free range eggs. We are far too trusting. Most eggs are now labeled free range, so where are all these chickens roaming the fields? I never see them.

Good point about chickens, it is strange the things you don't think about till someone points it out. Around oct/nov fields round here are full of geese and they probably classed as free range, however they don't really have space to roam as there are just so many in the space. The fields just look white.

[Bill HH]

Good point about chickens, it is strange the things you don't think about till someone points it out. Around oct/nov fields round here are full of geese and they probably classed as free range, however they don't really have space to roam as there are just so many in the space. The fields just look white.

In the 1960's we had 10,000 breeding hens on 30 acres, you could see them from 30 miles away. Now i travel from Torquay to Birmingham up the M5 and have yet to see a single chicken. Apparently Britain has 300 million laying hens, so where are they?

I personaly know farmers who keep a small flock outside, maybe a hundred, but have huge sheds round the back with 20,000 kept inside.

[Alison]

I have little faith in organic veg,coming from a farming background I know a lot of farmers just use it to get better prices, they may grow a little organicaly to get the badge but buy in tons from anywhere else and hike up the price accordingly. Its the same with so called free range eggs. We are far too trusting. Most eggs are now labeled free range, so where are all these chickens roaming the fields? I never see them. Ok I am sceptical, but that has served me well over the years.

You see quite a few round here, the place we get them from is difficult to drive to as you run the risk of running over escaping chooks

[Jay-ell]

The thing about free range is that it means that they aren't kept in cages. It applies to the thousands of chucks in a windowless barn and 6 inches of bird crap on the floor. In some places free range birds had even less individual space than battery birds.

Doesn't the term "Farm Yatd" refer to those raised outside?

Again it's down to differences in personal definitins.

[Bill HH]

The thing about free range is that it means that they aren't kept in cages. It applies to the thousands of chucks in a windowless barn and 6 inches of bird crap on the floor. In some places free range birds had even less individual space than battery birds.

Doesn't the term "Farm Yatd" refer to those raised outside?

Again it's down to differences in personal definitins.

I dont think you are right there jay-ell, the specification for free range in the uk is that the birds have constant daylight acces to the outside and it must have vegitation, each bird must have 4sq metre of space. Birds kept inside do not qualify for the free range label.

[heirloomsquash]

what seed terms mean:
Organic seed: seeds are grown under organic standards which mean all herbicides, pesticide, and fungicides are certified for organic use. organic seeds can be heritage/heirloom varieties, f1 hybrids or open pollinated but not gmo.

Heritage/Heirloom seed variety:seed variety usually pre-World War 2 that are open pollinated.

[Jay-ell]

I dont think you are right there jay-ell

Well that wouldn't be the first time would it