The world of organics has become very muddied in recent years, and it seems every item you buy nowadays has some kind of tag touting how ecologically sound it is. Well, we all know that not everything is organic, so let’s see if we can clear up at least some of it.
Let’s start with certifications.
There are several different certifying bodies, but only two matter as far as we are concerned (pretty much because we trust what they say)
- USDA certified – This certification is used mainly for plant material which has been produced using verifiable organic practices, and is administered under the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). Growers who wish to receive this certification must adhere to strict standards regarding the use of pesticides and fertilizers to be approved.
The supplier for our organic line of herbs and vegetables has managed to achieve this certification, and we also carry several seeds which carry this certification.
This year has also seen the introduction of pesticides which have been certified under the same program, and we expect to see more of this in the months and years to come. - OMRI Listed – The Organic Materials Review Institute conducts independent tests of products which are going to be used for organic growing. These are the products that growers would use to ensure they stay USDA certified!
Some examples of- Multi Bloom fertilizer from Country Select
- Sluggo from Monterey
- Organicide from Organic Laboratories
So if I don’t see either of these certifying bodies on the product does that mean they’re not organic?
Well no, not necessarily. It just means you may want to check the ingredients carefully. Unfortunately many companies have jumped on the organic bandwagon and are being a little unscrupulous about their product markings. There are many more, however, who have a genuine organic product but have chosen not to list it with either of the bodies we mentioned above.
Generally speaking, if a product contains naturally derived ingredients it can be considered organic. A good example of this would be a potting mix that uses poultry manure as it’s fertilizer rather than a synthetic fertilizer. There are also products which contain naturally occurring elements, such as rock phosphate, and these too could be considered organic.
Animal by-products are also, for the most part, considered organic (eg. blood meal and bone meal), though some would argue that they really shouldn’t be considered in such a light.
Of course the best bit of news out of all of the hype surrounding organic products is that increased competition has spurred manufacturers on to produce more effective products. These days there is an organic alternative for just about everything, and if that’s the direction you want to take it’s a much easier task to accomplish than it used to be.
Hopefully that’s cleared things up at least a little, but if you now have more questions than you do answers, ask away and we’ll try to address them.