Poll

How organic are you (with regard to vegetables & fruit)

I obey all organic guidelines and never use artificials
I am pretty organic but sometimes use artificial fertilisers
I am pretty organic but often use artificial fertilisers and herbicides
I avoid using herbicides and pesticides unless I have to
I think organics is good in theory but not too practical
I think organics are nonsense and use whatever help I can get

Organic Gardener, Chemical Gardener or in between?

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Peggy Sue

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« Reply #90 on: July 25, 2008, 14:44 »
I've never used anything at home, but now we have an allotment its a bit tricky. We are the first plot through the gate so if someone spots we have some evil invader they are quick to point it out and the pressure is on not to be the one that spreads it though the allotments!

I have only used wildlife friendly slug pellets in moderation and once derris. Other than that the washing up liquid spray for the blackfly seems to work well enough :D

I think the majority lie in that sort of category where we are....until there's a rabbit killer in a bottle and then... :twisted:
Peggy Sue

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lincspoacher

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« Reply #91 on: July 26, 2008, 16:52 »
I found this interesting, because, if you knew the truth, you'd realise almost nothing is organic as claimed.

The rule is that as long as TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE you add nothing chemical or  unnatural to a process, then you can claim its organic.

It's quite possible that further down the chain, several processes earlier, something non- organic occurred, but as long as you dont know about it, then you're organic.

Take food. It might have been grown in an 'organic' way, but its possible that chemical processes were used making the fertiliser thats in the compost. So its hardly organic, but the seller of the food can claim 'organic' because he has no connection or knowledge of the fertiliser process.

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dugless

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« Reply #92 on: August 16, 2008, 23:51 »
Is is rather interesting the winning poll so far is a cop out .You are
organic or your not.

I prefer to be more honest,
I think organics is good in theory but not too practical
Time is more precious than Gold
Spend it Wisely

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peapod

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« Reply #93 on: August 22, 2008, 20:04 »
Quote from: "dugless"
Is is rather interesting the winning poll so far is a cop out .You are
organic or your not.

I prefer to be more honest,
I think organics is good in theory but not too practical


The title doesnt suggest organic or not, theres an inbetween option.  I dont think its a cop out unless you CALL yourself organic which I dont,its not that black and white for me like most things. However there are things I wont use, but I wouldnt blame or judge anyone else for using them.
I use slug pellets when I have to, but wouldnt use glyphosate for example, though I can understand why people do.

I aim to be as organic as I can and use my own compost and recycle as much as I possible, but as a skint student with a 5 member family, I have to weigh up the cost of my plot. I cant afford to lose my veg, ergo I use slug pellets.  I can find the time to dig out weeds however.

Paula
"I think the carrot infinitely more fascinating than the geranium. The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. There is, you'll agree, a certain je ne sais quoi oh so very special about a firm young carrot" Withnail and I

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Peggy Sue

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« Reply #94 on: August 26, 2008, 08:19 »
There is definitely a good reason in my mind to not do endless 'preventative' chemical use- as per farming. I love the thought of being totally organic, but the slugs are so rampant and I ahve tried every other wierd and wonderful method at the end of the day after planting and losing 4 packets of lettuce seed you ahve to do something or just stop planting!

I use organic slug pellets, but to be frank they are clearly only an opt out if you really really wanted complete freedom from chemicals this wouldn't count! Liekwise I use washing up liquid if the blackfly get too rampant, it can't really be organic but its a minimal impact on me and my food which is a vast improvement on commercial goods I believe.

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orfy

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« Reply #95 on: August 27, 2008, 10:10 »
I'm between 2 and 3 I think.
I won't use chemical unless I need to.
I once use black fly spray and I use tomato food and lime.
How does that count?

I'm afraid I follow my own criteria rater than someone else's rules so I don't know if that makes me organic or not.

I guess the word "Organic" is a legal term.

That I don't agree with.

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Peggy Sue

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« Reply #96 on: August 27, 2008, 10:47 »
Its a good point, we all have our own principles and things we want to achieve, Organic is really a marketing name in fact so it isn't at all relevent in terms of the commerical rules to us who just grow and eat. We would only want to be 'organic' to fulfill our beliefs- be it about better wildlife or healthier veg, we don't want to label and market wha we grow.

There are some rules int he commercial world that don't really fit helping health or wildlife - at one stage you could grow organic stuff using hydroponics, for example (that might ahve changed now?) which won't help us from a nutirent point of view, nor is it helping wildlife in anyway as it's completely isolated in greenhouses.

Maybe we need the question to be how much do we think chemicals affect health & wildlife or something along those lines??

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orfy

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« Reply #97 on: August 27, 2008, 11:09 »
I think a better term is natural rather than organic.

The way nature intended and in harmony with it rather than fighting it.
I don't think there is any harm in helping it and giving crops the best growing environment using natural means.

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Peggy Sue

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« Reply #98 on: August 27, 2008, 11:36 »
I like that! :)

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jamesmiddz

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« Reply #99 on: August 27, 2008, 13:28 »
For an effective weed killer, you could try Rhubarb leaves! Lay them over problem areas - They surpress light and poison any thing alive underneath...I've been told ;)

I am currently trying it out myself, so watch this space.
J Middleton

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PatR

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« Reply #100 on: September 05, 2008, 12:44 »
I sort of cheated... I voted the first one, because I agree with organics and dont use artificial fertiliser.. my fertiliser is organic Guano, but I would probably spray  insecticide if my crop was badly threatend as its what feeds us during the winter here , what we dont grow , we dont eat and I need the food.

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lincspoacher

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« Reply #101 on: September 19, 2008, 23:19 »
Quote from: "Judymac"


I do use soapy water for aphids, beer traps for slugs, hand picking for colorado beetle and caterpillars,


Judy



You DO know the Colorado beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is not established in the UK and is a notifiable quarantine pest, whose introduction is prohibited under the EC Single Market Protected zone arrangements for Plant Health?

If you identify just one single beetle you must  tell DEFRA by law.

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lincspoacher

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« Reply #102 on: September 19, 2008, 23:23 »
Quote from: "Peggy Sue"
Its a good point, we all have our own principles and things we want to achieve, Organic is really a marketing name in fact so it isn't at all relevent in terms of the commerical rules to us who just grow and eat.


'Organic' as  a label on plants is a farce. Its Organic if you are not aware of anything in the process YOU use that contravenes the rules. That means those before you in the production chain can do what they like, as long as YOU stick to the rules, its organic.


In fact, before the invention of Superphosphate in 1925 all farming was effectively organic. Its a marketing gimmick.

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Steve.P

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« Reply #103 on: September 23, 2008, 21:39 »
This is nearly the end of my second year of allotment growing, and so far have not used any chemicals at all. Not sure what the previous owner used, but the plot was abandoned for about three years. I try to hand pull most of the weeds. It had a good dose of horse manure over the winter, which seemed to work well, which brings me to a good point. If horses are fed on man made horse feed, and are given antibiotics, what does this mean for the veg grown in the soil that contains this manure?
Life is a heap of manure. Growing one minute, stinking the next.

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Peggy Sue

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« Reply #104 on: September 24, 2008, 08:39 »
I don't think antibiotics are your worry, horse owners will only give those if the horse is really un well- once in a blue moon, not like chickens that get them daily! You need worry more about what their grass is sprayed with in terms of herbicides and some worry about the wormers affecting worm colonies (although in my experience the worms love it)


 

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