should seeds be organic to call your veg organic or not?

[Berti]

I am interested to hear, what your opinions are on organic veg.
As I am planning my allotment I have to decide to go for bio-dynamic (our largest organic supplier) or just "plain" seeds.
On the latter I have all kinds of old fashioned options, even breeds that have been re-introduced again that used to be in old gardens.

I am wondering, does the seed need to be organic too, or is it enough for you to just sow "plain" seeds and grow these eco friendly with no fertiliser/ spraying etc.
For me, organic is no fertiliser/ chemical spraying, not depending on if the seeds were organic.
I am very interested to hear YOUR opinions.

cheers
berti

[The Riff-Raff Element]

I'd tend to agree with you: for me the importance is in the rearing of the plant, rather than origin of the seed. That said, I save what seed I can (which by my definition would be organic anyway) and I buy organic seed potatoes where I can. I'm not sure that I can offer any logic for that last bit beyond it sort of feeling right.

[Green Aura]

For me, too, most seeds would be OK, but some are treated with chemicals.

I can't remember which chemical it was, but I was given a packet of white beetroot seeds which were treated.

We did grow them but it made me uncomfortable.

[MuddyWitch]

I'm in the "grow 'em organically, despite their origins" camp too. T'is what you do to your plants that trully matters.

I was given some lovely tomato plants a couple of years ago that had been raised in peat. I thanked the donor, grew them on organically & slipped the "don't distroy peatland habitat, use coir (sp?)" chat in over tea & biccies. He would have just composted them, mine had all damped off & we love toms.

Methinks too much navel-gazing can get in the way of enjoying life.

MW

[LBR]

I agree that it is how the plant is taken care of that's important. Also, that the seeds are not genetically modified. Non-hybrid seeds are my first choice. They're called heirloom seeds here.

[Enormous Sage]

I have both organic and "non organic" seeds that I use on my patch and it doesn't seem to make a huge difference to the end results (the local wild bunnies will dig up and eat either type, they're not fussy )

I'd have thought your finished product (i.e. harvest) is likely to have picked up more pollutants from the atmosphere than it would have from the orginal seed, no matter how it was treated.

[Odsox]

was given some lovely tomato plants a couple of years ago that had been raised in peat. I thanked the donor, grew them on organically & slipped the "don't distroy peatland habitat, use coir (sp?)" chat in over tea & biccies. He would have just composted them, mine had all damped off & we love toms.

It's literally impossible to get non peat potting compost here, which I suppose is not that surprising.
BUT, the obvious non-peat potting compost that I've seen in pot plants that I've bought looks like rubbish ... really, just like floor sweepings.
It could of course be that the commercial pot plant growers use very cheap crap, but if that's representative of alternative mediums then I think I won't search too hard for the other sort.
Maybe that's why your toms damped off where your neighbours didn't ?

[MuddyWitch]

Watcha Odsox,

Not sure our home made compost was the problem, but it could have been, more likely it was over watering, I'm a bit prone to do that

I do agree that some substitute compost are cr4p, so I try to make my own.

We do have a couple of bags of B & Q stuff left from our bulk buy of 2006, & that is ok, so long as I seive it for seeds, because it has biggish bits in. It is great for pot-on & soil enhancing purposes though.

MW

[JulieSherris]

Yeah, Tony's right - non-peat compost is quite rare in ireland!

I've been told by the people on the farm next door that when I make my raised beds, to fill them with thirds of topsoil, manure (provided by their cows) and peat soil from our bogs.
We have to dig a trench around 3 sides of both bogs to drain them ready for cutting in the summer & the guys next door said they'll help & then bring down the soil for us too - bonus!

Back to topic, though... I'm in agreement - the seed isn't terribly important, although if you can get heirloom seeds, all the better & you get to save true seed as well - it's the growing that counts. And don't forget to extensively use companion planting - much better than chemicals any day

Julie.