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Is organic gardening viable?
Ivan McDonagh wrote in message . 67.67...
*** note the cross post *** Hi all I have just finished reading an online book "Chemicals, Humus, and The Soil" written by Donald P. Hopkins. This book is available through the agriculture library at http://www.soilandhealth.org. It seems to me that Mr Hopkins makes a very strong case in favour of using the fertilisers that are not permissible under the "rules" of organic gardening. Although Mr Hopkins has discussed this matter in the context of commercial farming it seems to me that as home growers we are also looking for best yield for least cost (direct and labour) and that the arguments he presents are mostly just as valid for home growers as for commercial. Mr Hopkins emphasises to a very great extent the need for large amounts of organic matter in the soil but is also convincing in his argument that the amounts of humus that are required to provide sufficient nutrients for the high density planting that both home and commercial growers favour is difficult for the home grower and expensive to the point of impossibility in the case of the commercial grower to obtain. The correct answer is "It depends". There are two aspects of non-organic gardening, pesticides and fertilizing. Here in Michigan many pests, present further south, are simply absent due to cold winters, and one can really go organic on that count. The only recurrent problem I have is with vine borers. So if I were willing to go without zucchini, and accept some ragged holes in my collards and kales, I could indeed be perfectly organic (I cover the zucchini and accept the holes, if you are keeping score). As far as organic matter it is true that, past 10 or 20%, there is a diminished advantage in adding more. When you do add more, you gain moderate amounts of fertilizer and the increased levels of humus increase the plant's overall health and therefore resistance to several stresses, including drought and pests. It is also possible that you gain in micronutrients content by using compost. I have to wonder how sweeping a statement one could make viability. Suppose I needed extra N and P in my yard (or in my commercial farm), I could do that with a a single box each of bone meal and bloodmeal, which are viable organic amendments for a farm as well. No need to drag a ton of leaves across the yard or bring twenty dumptrucks into the farm. I would also like to know if any kind of rock dust is organic or not, since it is mined after all. Besides the more restricted choice of veggies (and more limited productivity) for a farmer at a given location and time, there is the more strict rotation that organic agriculture forces you into, which, as a farmer, will diminish your ability to follow the market. There is the obvious improvement in water quality and the lesser evolution of major pests. If your goal is to have a garden with carefree, healthy veggies, that grow well in your locale, and without insisting on growing varieties which need chemicals, organic is certainly a viable way of gardening. When you are organic, in a sense, you are taking care of several problems (soil conditioning, fertilizing, reducing weeding and watering, improving plant health and vegetable nutrient content) with the single act of applying two inches of compost in the spring. It is very efficient for the home gardener. |
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