--- In [email protected], "suziezuzie" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Spoke with a professional gardener and he told me that if I didn't want > worms in my apple tree, I would have to spray because the larva is > inside the apples. I asked him what the organic growers use and he > said, "they use the same spray as the non organic growers use, but > less, instead of spraying 12 times a year, maybe around 6 times a > year. "REALLY", I asked? "Yea", he said, "because there is no other way > to get rid of the worms". "WOW", I said, "You mean this whole organic > thing is a scam"? I asked. And he said, "yea, pretty much". "I bet > hardly anyone knows this, that they think organic means NO sprays at > all", I said, and he said, "Yea, that's right. Is he right? > > Marcos Von Trumpeter > Its true. I know an organic apple grower, and she has to spray occaisionally, and this IS ALLOWED under the Organic Standards, because there is no other known way to get rid of these apple worms. Actually, she "fumigates" same pesticide, I imagine.
Also, I grew tomatos and some vegs this year in a small new garden, new place. VERY rocky soil. I took out many > 12x12 rocks in the small plot area. Though I then goosed it up with some organic "fertilizing" /soil enhnacement materials. Through the growing season, the tomatoes were lagging some. No time for compost this year. Thus I used some sparse (a tablesoon here, a table spoon there)commercial fertilizers, NO PESCTICIDES, and the growth sky-rocketed. I GET why large scale commercial farming heavy use of fertilizer screws up the soil and water supply. But my sparse use of a few tablespoons did not get into the water supply. Due to highly targeted application, i am confident > 99% was sucked up by the plants. So where is the "crime" being a little bit not organic -- if you get much healthier plants. (Though ideally, i would like to use ONLY lots of compost from a large, year round pile.) I am wondering about Organic Veg in FF (and elsewhere). The Organic "network" Alex has referred to -- lots of home gardens as I envisioned it. Are all contributors certified organic? (a seven year process, as i understand, and involving lots of on going paperwork.) And if not certified, do the local home gardeners use chemical fertilizers at times? Beyond compost, and manures, etc. Also, the Organic standards allow manures, and i think bone and blood meal. Nothing more appetizing than throw dead cow blood and bone materia, and pig shit on your "pristine" orgainic veggies. Does FF have a veggie oriented organic "practice" and exchange in place? To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
