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market-farming - Re: More bad luck starting plants

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Subject: Market Farming

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  • From: "Liz Pike" <liz AT marketfarming.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: More bad luck starting plants
  • Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 08:58:11 -0400


>My understanding is that bleach is not allowed in organic ventures -
whether they be vegetable growing, or food processing.

It most certainly is allowed by my state certifying agency. It's what we
call an "AR" substance--allowed, but restricted. It can be used as a
disinfectant & for cleaning irrigation systems, but only within the maximum
residual limit allowed under the Safe Drinking Water Act--4mg/L.

When I worked in the restaurant industry, we were also restricted as to
which brand of bleach the health department allowed us to use. No store
brands or generics--we had to use Clorox brand only because it is the most
pure, consistent, stable bleach out there.

But this being the case, I never used it to sterilize my flats...in fact, I
never even washed my flats. The sun did it all. After transplanting, I
sunned them, shook the dirt out, and stacked for next year. I re-aired &
re-sunned them the following season before use, and have never had a problem
with damping off or spotty germination. And it isn't that I'm against using
bleach, it is simply more efficient.

Liz Pike who just broke ground yesterday!!!!
Laughing Brook Farm
Westfield NC
http://marketfarming.net/laughingbrook/








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