Topic: who is organic.

[londonfarming]

first time on this site.i would like to now first how many of you are : growing with out used of chemicals or tape water.
let it put it another way. who think would be able to get an soil assiossiation certificat. i pick this one  just to make it easier.

[Granny_Smith]

Hello londonfarming - welcome aboard A4A.

Have to confess to using Roundup to clear the lottie and running the tap for water when necessary.

[busy_lizzie]

Hi Londonfarming  and welcome to the Board.  I have had an allotment for three years now and a kitchen garden long before that and have never used any chemicals of any sort on my crops and don't use artificial fertilisers but do use our own compost and cow manure which is not organic.  Like we have said before on this site it is difficult to say you are totally organic because although I have two water butts we do use the water from the lottie taps too.  Our plot is also at the bottom of a sloping aisle of plots  so we probably get stuff draining into ours which I would prefer not to have, though can't avoid. 

We have cleared the usual sort of pernicious weeds from our plot, like couch grass, thistles, bindweed, marestails and bramble bushes by good old fashioned digging.  The marestails we just keep at bay by pulling out when we see it.  As you see it is a bit of a complicated answer but we just  do as much as we can to be green.  Hope we see you here again on a4aand hope that answer was helpful. :)  busy_lizzie

[Lazybones]

Yep - we are organic and most around us are too.  Do get water but this is through an underground natural water source.  Clearing still in progress by digging and weeding and the only things that go on compost are organic too.  ;D  Wasn't really a concious choice but came very naturally really - once I started growing I realised I didn't want to put anything chemical down as it was eventually going to make it's way into us.

[Mrs Ava]

Can't say I garden organically, but I try to be as natural as I can.  Don't use weedkillers or chemical sprays, more through ignorance of their long term effects.  However, am using bordeaux on my tomatos, otherwise the crop is a wipe out!  Also do use slugpellets, which I loathe doing, but after loosing my kohl rabi plants 4 times, it was a last resort.  I only use those in spring when plants are babies.  Tap water, well our site doesn't have piped water so stream water or rain water most of the time, altho I do try hard not to water at all.  However, our allotment neighbour kindly lets us use her hose on occassion to give our beds a good soaking and fill our waterbutts, if we didn't, this time of the year, nothing would germinate!

[Justy]

same as others really.  don't use sprays on anything at the lottie - tried some Roundup earlier in the year on uncultivated bit but not impressed with the results so probably won't bother again.  I do use tap water (didn't realise this was not considered organic) though. I must admit that with regard to ornamentals in the garden at home that I will use mould spray if necessary and I am rapidly reaching the get the slug pellets stage as fed up of seedlings disappearing overnight and useless organic methods of deterring them!

[Svea]

using as natural methods as poss, but i have used soap spray on aphids (HDRA approved).
i am trying companion planting as much as poss. i do use slug pellets, too.
watering mainly from a water butt, as rarely as poss, but have in the last two weeks resorted to water from tap as needed to drench the whole plot once or twice (huge abysses opening up in my clay :()

there you have it :)
svea

[philcooper]

..... am using bordeaux .....

EJ, the HDRA gives Bordeaux Qualified Aprroval - ie you can use if it is not part of your normal routine

LF,

Welcome aboard, I claim to be organic but I wouldn't see the use of tap water, when no other, is available as being non-organic

Phil

[redimp]

I'm organic but I use tap water at the moment because I am in my first year and do not have a shed or water butts yet.  However, I do not water much as I do believe that if plants have to search for water to a certain extent - it makes them stronger.  Even when I do get a shed/water butts though I will still resort to the tap when they are empty and the plants really need it.  Do not think this disqualifies me.

[Piglottie]

Try to be organic as possible - and after only having lottie for a month, this means weeding by hand  ::) marestail, dandelions etc!  Have covered a lot of plot with weed suppressant to hopefully clear some of the weeds.  We have onsite water from both taps and rainwater so we use both.

[ina]

Tap water on lettuce (don't trust the ditch water for that), slug pellets and manure. Soap water against aphids and milk water against mildew. Lots of sweat and elbow grease against weeds.

[terrace max]

3 years organic: 2005 vegan organic.

Welcome. It's very nice here unless you mention cats!

[Roy Bham UK]

 ;D Do you like Fishing? ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'm as organic as I can manage to be but I admit to using tapwater. Definitely no chemicals though.

[Icyberjunkie]

Again same as the rest - part of the enjoyment of the lottie is knowing that chemicals haven't been used (don't forget even organic farmers have access to some treatments!).  I do use derris dust (blooming flea beetles) and slug pellets early season after losing all my carrots.  Tap water generally used as the tap is right next to my plot with a hose fitting readily available.

[return of the mac]

London, may i suggest a poll?

I cant say im very organic as i use slug pellets and lots of black plastic. Organic is a nice idea but very hard to acheive with the factors that affect growing nowadays. As with everything theres a happy medium which i am trying to strike

[Doris_Pinks]

Was Organic for 7 years, then the  slug population increased on my plot 100 fold!! So for the first time ever I am using 1/2 chemical slug pellets when starting susceptible plants. :-[  :-[  :-[ it really go's against my principles, but we need to eat something off the plot this year!

[Mothy]

How about you London, are u organic?
Welcome to A4A  :)

Personally I use Derris, and have recently sprayed the very overgrown plot next door with roundup to beat it back!
No sprays on my own plot though.

[londonfarming]

How about you London, are u organic?
Welcome to A4A  :)

im,i cannot waste,or kill.

[redimp]

3 years organic: 2005 vegan organic.

A state I hope to be in one day!