[Fwd: Re: What is organic gardening?]

I set this up to go to Cyndi only - but intended it for the List.....

Tony
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand

-- BEGIN included message

  • To: c*@hollinet.com
  • Subject: Re: What is organic gardening?
  • From: T* &* M* R* <t*@xtra.co.nz>
  • Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 13:48:02 +1300
  • References: <002a01be4d30$3e2f2a80$2a0869cf@cyndik.hollinet.com>
> I was reading the notes about dormant oil spraying and the debate about
> whether they are organic or not. I have read these remedies many times in
> sources that tout organic gardening. But here's an epiphany I've had
> recently. Organic gardening as a term is outdated and leads to exactly these
> kinds of irrelevant debates.

Right on, Cyndi! It was in many ways an unfortunate choice, to decide to
call what we do "Organic" gardening. Perhaps Holistic gardening would
have been better, but it's all water under the bridge by now - we are
stuck with the name.

The problem arises because "organic" was first used by the chemists, to
distinguish between "organic" and "inorganic" chemicals. "'Away back" it
was thought that organic materials (chemicals, what will you) could ONLY
be manufactured as part of some living process. This might have fitted
in with our philosophy in this matter. But - couple hundred years ago -
chemists started to discover how to manufacture "organic" chemicals for
themselves. Thus the meaning of the word had to be refined, and it now
refers to materials (chemicals, compounds) that are based largely on the
atom Carbon, and especially on the ability of carbon to bond itself into
long chains and rings, with various other atoms "hanging off the sides".

Thus, nowadays, many of the "chemicals" that we refuse to use in our
"organic" gardening operations are in fact "organic chemicals", while
other materials that we accept as being "suitable to use in organic
gardening" are in technical terms "inorganic chemicals".

.....It's all very confusing for those with a mainly non-scientific
educaton, specifically those who have not studied some chemistry. I hope
I have dispelled a little of the fog, rather than introduced more?

Tony
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan <theryans@xtra.co.nz>
Wainuiomata, New Zealand

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