[drythropple]

Can anyone tell me, do I need to be registered with the Soil Association to market my produce as "organically grown", how is this area policed?
How do you set a price for your produce? Its all a bit vague. :oops:  :?

[John]

If you're going to market as a business then you should get proper advice - trading standards will give you help I think. Take a look at the SA site as well.
If you are selling a bit of excess to people you know, just tell them how you grew it without yummy pesticides and artificial fertilisers.

[Eristic]

No! I don't think its at all vague. If you intend to sell produce as Organic then you have to nail your colours to the wall, register with the relevant organisations, get your plot/field tested and certified and comply with the rules. Easier said than done will all the red tape, but if you fail to comply yet still market produce implying that it is organic then you will be liable under the Trades acts.

For people such as myself, growing for my own consumption, all I need do is comply with my own rules.

[Heather_S]

"home grown" and listing what sort of practices you use would be legal, though. Most people should know by now that "local" is preferable to "organic" anyway. So much organic produce is flown in from around the world which makes it less earthfriendly.

[John]

We were visiting our pal in the Limousin and noticed small, hand written notices about a pottager (veg garden?) - anyway, what this family had done was to turn a very large garden / small field into a market garden. You could buy from the 'shop' - a small shed at the gate or walk around a pick your own.
The 'target' market was 10 km - and the quality looked very good.  I doubt they were making a full living (too small) but they were making a nice add on.

[milkman]

Hi drythropple - if you are gardening on an allotment, before you start getting too commercial I suggest you check the terms of your rental agreement - it may contain a clause to the effect that selling produce is not permitted?

[spud]

Slightly of topic....A friend was visiting me and brought me some organic potatoes from a supermarket beginning with 'T' , The potatoes were terrible, absolutely terrible, they had no flavour and IMHO they would harm the organic movement.

Today we had for lunch, potatoes, cabbage, onion, bacon, sausage, all home grown or made at home and the flavours...well it was just heaven on earth.

Best Regards,  

[John]

The magic 'Organic' label doesn't mean that much, IMHO.
If the potato is old and has spent 12 months in a cold store, it isn't going to taste as well as home grown. Different varieties will effect flavour as well.
Growing our own we can control input - I don't mind inorganic fertiliser but I do mind systemic insecticide. I think a spray with Dithane may well be safer than the traditional and organically approved copper sulphate based blight spray.

[Oliver]

Hi drythropple - if you are gardening on an allotment, before you start getting too commercial I suggest you check the terms of your rental agreement - it may contain a clause to the effect that selling produce is not permitted?

Very sound advice. They are not even allowed to sell their produce to 'friends'.
However, if you rent over a certain amount of space (over 4 pole) then you can enter into an agricultural sort of agreement with the Council (if of course there are plots avaialble and the Council is prepared to do this), pay a much higher rent and get registered and checked out as Eristic says.  (There was a bit on the box recently about some chap selling 'organic' tomatoes at several farmer's markets round the country. When asked to produce his cetificate he was unable to. Apparently a very large percentage of people selling 'organic' produce (especially meat) are not registered. So, as John suggests, can bring the whole 'organic' thing into disrepute.

She for one, does not buy 'organic', but local, or grows her own.
(Copper sulphate is organic as is arsenic - another word that has been hijacked like 'affordable' housing ... she is a supporter of the Plain English Society - call it what it is, then everyone knows)