On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 01:53:37 -0400, Noydb
wrote:

I'm 100% organic, 100% of the time. Some others are, too. We try to conceal
our superiority but sometimes it just shines through. :-)


I'm also organic, maybe not 100% - only because the new USDA
standards are ridiculous! Otherwise, I am 100% organic.

For example, I bought seed-starting mix at the local
farm-and-feed sto and it had a little bit of commercial
plant food mixed in it (I couldn't find any other kind at
the time).

According to the new USDA standards, that would make the
plants grown from seeds in this seed mix 'not organic',
although they have been treated 100% organically in every
other respect, including that the soil in which they grow in
the garden has never had non-organic anything (at least not
since we've lived here and it wasn't a garden before then).

The plants' food has all been organic (since the seedling
mix), they've never been sprayed with anything, no
fungicides, insecticides, weed-killer etc. But I would not
be able to call them 'organic' according to the USDA
standards presently in effect.

I subsequently quit using the seed mix as such (too costly)
and am using a version of Pro-Mix now for seed starting: it
doesn't have that little bit of plant food, so it would not
disqualify my plants as 'organic'.

But I really think that's absolutely ridiculous!


There is a faq for the list but I no longer recall where to find it. Let
ordinary civility govern and just have some fun.


This is the best advice. I too prefer well-snipped, bottom
posts and indeed they are the Usenet standard and always
have been. But I'm not fanatical about it....

Pat