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Re: Organic replacements

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Andy Arkusinski wrote:
> Am I missing something here?  I agree that vermiculite, being heated rock,
> is not organic.

The agricultural definition of "organic" is not the same as the chemical
definition.  Chemically, it means hydrocarbons and their derivatives. 
This definition is useless to a farmer or a gardener, because DDT is
chemically organic, but water isn't!  Clearly, we need a definition that
doesn't depend on the composition of the material.  Agriculturally, we
can define it as working in harmony with the ecosystem.

>  But isn't peat moss a naturally occurring plant that is
> dug up out of the ground?  I assume that when Colin writes "organic", he
> means "organically grown", that is, without the addition of artificial
> fertilizers or pesticides.

Some people may be concerned about the sustainablility of peat moss. 
(Of course, vermiculite is not renewable either.)  The term "organic"
seems to mean different things to different people.  That's one reason
why we need government agencies to legally define the term and certify
the growers.

This is also why we need to be vigilant about certain chemical
companies' attempts to lobby the government to include their products on
the organically acceptable list.  One company, we'll call it "M," has
been particularly nasty about this.  Glyphosate (C3H8NO5P, aka
"Round-Up") may be organic to a biochemist, but to a gardener?  I don't
think so.  I'm not telling people not to use Round-Up, but i do believe
people have a right to know what they're dealing with.  "M" doesn't
think we need to know.
-- 
@->-`-,----------------------------------------------+
|  Cousin Ricky      USDA zone 11, Virgin Islands    |
|  rcallwo@uvi.edu   formerly zone 6, Massachusetts  |
+----------------------------------------------------+


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