"Michael P Gabriel" wrote in message
...
Hi, Greetings from the colonies!
I have been religiously following the guidelines for organic
gardening; I don't use Miracle-Gro, and I use ONLY items marked 100 %
organic. I use diatomaceous earth for bug and grub control. I
sometimes use fish emulsion for fetilizer, and my own compost from
kitchen waste, (except for meat and fat and bones).

Here's the rub..I use steer manure for fertiliser and I use straw for
mulch, to keep mud down, to cover newly seeded rows for protection, to
maintain moisture, to protect from cold or excessive heat, etc. And I
gain from the rotting hay mixing with the soil.

BUT, I question whether my using steer manure and straw for mulch.
Would there be a great danger there of my garden not being 100%
organic? If so, would I be better off using organic soil conditioner
instead of steer manure, and something else for mulch?

Am I being too scrupulous worrying about steer manure and straw?

Yes IMHO

I doubt I could buy organic steer manure or straw. It's dried, but
occasionally I cn still smell the cow urine in some of it.

So what? everybody I know would regard this as organic. I use loads of
manure, both cattle and horse.

Anyway, if you're "only"99% organic, that's better than most, no?

Steve
http://mysite.freeserve.com/steveandmaggiesplot