Re: What is organic gardening?

At 02:36 PM 2/1/1999 +1300, you wrote:
>Cyndi K wrote:
>> 
>> 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 Organic gardening as a term is outdated and leads to exactly these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.
>> 
>> I think what's important is what you're trying to achieve. Organic gardening
>> attempts to use no *artificially manufactured* chemicals in the garden.
>> Since the whole planet is chemicals, obviously it's impossible to use none
>> at all. But what does that matter? It's time to look at the "why" of organic
>> gardening - then it's easier to see if goals are being met.
>
>Cyndi
>
>I must heartily agree with you that the very narrow and nit-picking
>spray definition of "Organic" as not manufactured does no service to the
>true aims of the organic movement. As I see it, people who think in this
>way are still locked into the mindset which has been inculcated in the
>home gardener over this last century by the chemical companies with
>their emphasis on a spray for every problem plus a "preventative" spray
>programme as well, just to ensure that they can sell you the maximum
>quantity of their products and also no helpful organism ever gets a
>chance to do it job. I think the epitome of this approach is the man who
>came up to me after one of my talks and asked me "what should I be
>spraying with at present?" Rather taken aback, I asked him what problems
>his garden had and he obviously had no idea and moreover felt my enqury
>was irrelevant!
>
>MY idea of organic growing is based on the fully-alive and healthy soil,
>which in turn produces the truely healthy and varied plant life that is
>necessary to support a balanced ecosystem.

Moira & Cyndi:

I basically agree with you, but would point out that there are a few
synthetics that are essentially benign, like Roundup.  It breaks up into the
basic metabolites  glycine, formaldehyde, and phosphoric acid within 24
hours of exposure to sunlight and/or mold or most other microflora, which
uses it as a food source.  Any environmental problems with it might come
from the `inert ingredients' used to stabilize and disperse it.  If that
ingredient is diisopropanolamine, this should also break down fairly easily.
It comes as close to being a synthetic `organic pesticide' as I've ever seen.

Richard F. Dufresne
313 Spur Road
Greensboro, NC  27406
336-674-3105
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index