Topic: Organic is it Posible ?

[Kingfisher]

Hi I am looking at everything that goes into the garden and allotment, and I think it is very hard to call myself organic when there is so many chemicles in the food that we  put in compost / chiken feed , and everything else that we use, I am realy interested on what people think about this, or any idea's that are out there.

[GodfreyRob]

I'd say the organic idea is something that you can aim for but never actually get there :(

I have realised that there is so much pollution around that I cannot control that I will just do my best to limit it wherever possible.

We live under an airport flight path and so our gardens must get a fine spray of god knows what chemicals everytime a plane takes off or lands. No one I know gives a damm about such pollution so I won't beat myself up about something I cannot change.

I get the occaisonal load of horse manure delivered from a local stable - I am sure the horses are sometimes treated with anti-biotics, etc but again its going to be nearly impossible to source 'pure' horse nuts from anywhere local to me.

I use commercially produced compost for starting off my plants - but its peat-free and according to the producers the added nutrients are from 'organic' sources. We have 30 chickens and at first used organic feed - but then the people who we sell the eggs to did not want to pay anymore when the prices went up - so we had to switch to standard feed. I did not want to subsidise their organic eggs!

[vegmandan]

I don't think we should get a hang up about the word "Organic"

There are several "Organic" chemicals like Bordeaux Mixture which are highly toxic and have only been added to the "Organic " list as there are no other feasible chemicals for controlling things like blight,so had it not been classesd as Organic then there wouldn't be any organic spuds available on the market.

So the tag "Organic" doesn't always mean safe.

Also there are other chemicals which are not organic but are perfectly safe to use and in fact safer than some organic ones,it's just that as they are not naturally occuring they aren't "Organic".

My approach although I could be classed as organic is to be safe,i.e my bette noir, Bordeaux Mixture,I wouldn't ever use even though it is classed as "Organic" ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

The 'organic' label often strikes me as plain arbitrary. You can't label honey 'organic' if it's produced within six miles of crops treated with chemicals. But you can treat the bees with chemicals, and keep the label.

[kt.]

the tag "Organic" doesn't always mean safe.

I think the word "Organic" is used too freely - more so to artificially increase food prices.  Hence the reason I do not buy organic.   (Plus I can get twice as much from the supermarket for the same price ;D)

[Tinkie_Bear]

I call my stuff free range as it does what the heck it wants, if pressed I will say organicish as I don't intentionally use chemicals (but do resort to slug pellets when I have a tantrum!!)

Helen x

[Kingfisher]

It is such a sad sad world when you can not call your home grown food organic, when you do not use chemicles at all , I feel so strong about this, I get realy on my high horse, sorry

[Tyke]

I agree with a lot of what has been said above. The label organic has always seemed false to me, even though i try to go along with some of it. Natural does not mean good for you all the time. Hospitals aren't natural. Putting black plastic over beds, or adding bone or blood as a fertiliser does not seem natural. Why a chemical extracted from chrysanthemums to kill bugs off can be called organic i don't know.

I suppose that when most of us think of organic, we mean without the use of toxic man-made chemicals that suppress natural processes such as weeds or bugs. When we think of organic fruit and veg we picture traditional methods in harmony with the landscape. I like to think that  growing things organically would be something that is sutainable and doesn't affect nearby nature too much. We all have our own personal idea of what is natural.

There have been a lot of studies of how our image of a food affects our enjoyment. Dye something blue and it becomes less appetising and we taste it differently. Make sorbet look like snot and it makes us feel sick. I think that same occurs with organic food - sure more natural methods can sometimes enhance the flavours of some foods, but i think a lot is in the mind.

[Tyke]

It is such a sad sad world when you can not call your home grown food organic, when you do not use chemicles at all , I feel so strong about this, I get realy on my high horse, sorry

I know what you mean by not using chemicals, but everything is made of chemicals. I  reckon we all feel instinctively turned off by the idea of artificial chemicals

[Kingfisher]

Yes I think we have all been brain washed in to thinking chemicles are good but what long term problems are we going to have, what will be passed to our children

I think that when they put stuff in our food to make us eat more of it, well thats just so bad.

we are tricked by all these E numbers / chemicles and most of us do not understand them anyway no one questions them and just buy them, If we all stood together and did not buy these product they would have to take all the crap out of it ,

[vegmandan]

I'm certainly not worried about the chemicals I use on my garden.

Let's face it the old timers who I know who are in their nineties have sprayed everything on their crops with no Ill effects over the years.

But they have never eaten a bloody Pot Noodle,frozen pizza or similar processed food in their lives.

So I know what I'm going to do.

Spray the bugs and don't eat processed food.

[Kingfisher]

I'm certainly not worried about the chemicals I use on my garden.

Let's face it the old timers who I know who are in their nineties have sprayed everything on their crops with no Ill effects over the years.

But they have never eaten a bloody Pot Noodle,frozen pizza or similar processed food in their lives.

So I know what I'm going to do.

Spray the bugs and don't eat processed food.

I do agree with you about the processed food, I do wonder if we are suffering now for the chemicles that have been put on veg and stuff over the past god knows how many years, now no one nows what the long term affects they have on us.

I just think that anything that is not a natural product of the earth can not be good for us or the our planet.

[Barnowl]

It's the antibiotics in animal food - especially pig food - that really worries me.

[Kingfisher]

It's the antibiotics in animal food - especially pig food - that really worries me.

Yes I also agree with you thereBarnowl, it seems that we are eating them in our food and the doctors give them out for any minor ailment, we must be loaded with them.

but what realy gets me most is putting stuff in our food that makes us want to eat more of it like Pringles, that why they say that when you pop you can't stop, no wonder we have a population with weight problems.

[GodfreyRob]

but what realy gets me most is putting stuff in our food that makes us want to eat more of it like Pringles, that why they say that when you pop you can't stop, no wonder we have a population with weight problems.

Did somebody mention Doritos!  Thats my other vice ;D

[Kingfisher]

no wonder our kids are all going cranky

[Kea]

I think organic is an ideal that can't be achieved. You also have to realise if there was nothing but truly organic food produced you are condemning most of the worlds population to death.
Personally when I see bread labelled 'organic' I don't buy it or if i have by mistake I throw it away! I prefer the fungicide treated crops because i have a sensitivity to Ergot which is potentially fatal. Not that non-organic grain is safe it is just more likely to be safer for me.

I don't think animals should have been given/should be given antibiotics particulary as they often are as a prophalactic. Not only because it reduces the efficacy of antibiotics because the bacteria develop resistance but also because all these chemicals and drugs are ending up in our water supply and we are drinking them. Unfortunately it's not just the drugs given to animals it's the ones given to humans as well all we can do is reduce not eliminate.
 

[tonybloke]

My allotment is run organically!! (I have a National Award in Organic Horticulture and Food Production). ;)(where's the smug smiley?)

[flossy]

  Hi Tonybloke,


Organic as I can be,  do you you have a website ?

Will always take advice on anything organic, I'm not ott but believe we all play a part in life  --  though I have recently posted that I send my slugs down the the loo to the happy sewage farm  ---   is
that organic ??

In faith ,

FLOSSY

[cleo]

I sell the odd plant/veg from here. It`s not organic-I can neither afford nor wish a soil association symbol.

But nothing is sprayed with anything apart from soft soap-and I grow it.

What pees me off is to see a stall at a so called `Farmer`s Market` where they charge ludicrous prices for `organic` veg when it`s not grown by them-just imported