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Re: Chemicals (was Re: potatoes)

>At 07:45 PM 3/11/98 -0600, meistrel@nwark.com (Kathleen Meistrell) wrote:
>>        Organically grown in my book means no chemicals used.
>
>This is straying off the square foot theme a bit, but it is relevant to
>gardening in general.  It would be well to define what you mean by
>"chemical" so we know exactly what you're talking about.  After all, organic
>gardeners and farmers use a chemical called "dihydrogen monoxide" all the
>time.  _Rodale's Encyclopedia_ defines "chemical controls" as "methods that
>involve substances that kill pests."  This wording obviously includes
>pesticides such as pyrethrins and rotenone that organic growers use even
>when they say they "don't use chemicals."
>
>The fact that the USDA's proposed definition of "organic" has prompted so
>much debate, or even that the USDA has to define "organic" in the first
>place is a sign that we cannot take our words for granted.
>
>@->-`-,----------------------------------------------+
>|  Cousin Ricky      USDA zone 11, Virgin Islands    |
>|  rcallwo@uvi.edu   formerly zone 6, Massachusetts  |
>+----------------------------------------------------+
-----------------------------------------------------------
I think what Cousin Ricky is saying is that there are synthetic chemicals
and botanical chemicals.  Just because a botanical like pyrethrin is
"organic", doesn't mean it isn't toxic.  In fact, pyrethrins are some of the
more toxic chemicals you can use in a garden.
Doreen Howard

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