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Organic standards

11 years ago

Does an "organic" garden have to use only "organic" compost? I make my own, and include kitchen scraps from foods that are not all "organic". Is my garden then "organic"?

Thanks

Comments (8)

  • 11 years ago

    No standards are available for home gardens. You can be as strict, or not, as you prefer.


  • 11 years ago

    I sell some of my produce at a little stand by my driveway. I wondered if I can call it "organic", which it is, unless the kitchen scraps mean it's not...

  • 11 years ago

    All compost is organic. Compost that contains kitchen scraps, even from sources that did not grow them organically, would still be organic.

    As long as your sales do not exceed something like $5,000.00 per year you can label what y9ou sell as organic without being certified. Just be ready to answer questions with something more than "I don't use chemicals" because every organic grower does.

    kimmq is kimmsr

  • 11 years ago

    Thanks kimmq.

  • 11 years ago

    If cows must be fed an all-organic diet (no GMOs, grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides) so their produce can be called "organic" ... why should it be any different for a compost heap?

    If digesting something in a microbe-filled pile can make it "organic" for growing, why doesn't digesting something in a microbe-filled rumen make it "organic" for dairy?

  • 11 years ago

    Compost may not be organic per OMRI.

    *******Compost that
    contains the following is prohibited: sewage sludge, synthetically fortified
    compost starter, glossy paper, and materials containing colored ink. Compost is
    prohibited if it contributes to the contamination of crops, soil, or water by
    plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or residues of prohibited
    substances. See also MICROBIAL PRODUCTS listings for information on compost
    starters, SEWAGE SLUDGE, and MUSHROOM COMPOST. See Glossary for definition of
    "compost."*****

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    "As long as your sales do not exceed something like $5,000.00 per year
    you can label what y9ou sell as organic without being certified."

    There is no dollar amount involved. Regardless of the size of your sales operation, you cannot technically call your produce "organic" unless it (and your growing property) has received government certification. There is an interim level - "Certified Naturally Grown" - that denotes food that was grown using the same standards as
    those for organic but not on a farm officially certified by the USDA's
    National Organic Program. Some farmers have criticized the cost and
    process required to participate in the USDA's program, so this label
    represents an alternative, non-governmental certification system,
    wherein fellow farmers act as inspectors, with the nonprofit
    organization Certified Naturally Grown
    acting as the administrator. The "Certified Naturally Grown" seal
    indicates an official review process held to the same standards as USDA
    Organic.

    Or - and this far and away the simplest method - just label your sale produce as "naturally grown using organic methods".

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