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  • From: "Pete Mattli" <pmattli AT cfl.rr.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>, <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Why Organic Seed
  • Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2005 22:23:06 -0400

To Rivka, at Roads End,
I hate to take the wind outta yer sails, but where I come from
we don't have no roads.
Seriously though, many thanks for posting your explanation
on:  "there are organic seeds and there are organic seeds,
depending on who produced them." (A rough quote at best.)
 
I gave up growing from seeds just this year. Simply could not
get them one whole month past the transplanting stage. I was using
three kinds of seed: them that never germinated, them that
died of post-germination fungus, and them that did so poorly as
adult plants (due to fungus) that I did them a  favor and
walked them out to the curb.
 
I love growing tomatoes, especially those grown from seed,
but you see what I've been up against. Tell me where I can
buy organically produced  seeds that stand a chance against
the myriad fungus types that seem to dog my every step, and
I'll immediately reactivate my
membership in the
I Love Tomatoes Fan Club
of which I was a charter member.
 
Pete from Willow Crick, NY
[ 2 miles from Jacksonville,
which is 6 miles from Trumansburg,
and from there you head due west
to get to HorseHeads, NY ]
P.S.: Again, thanks for sharing your experience, knowledge,
and good fortune. You've earned my respect and
gratitude.
x - x - x - x - x - x - This is how we sign our name in Willow Crick - x - x - x - x - x - x - x
 
Rivka wrote:
----- Original Message -----
From: "road's end farm" <organic101 AT linkny.com>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 07, 2005 7:41 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Why Organic Seed

>
> On Aug 5, 2005, at 8:09 PM, Allan Balliett wrote:
>
>> Marty - Once you have used organic seed produced by an organic
>> seedsman (from a small seed supplier), you won't ask this question
>> again. It's vitality speaks for itself.
>>
>
> Organically-grown seed produced by people who know and care what they
> are doing is indeed excellent seed. I've had very good luck with it.
>
> However, please don't judge organic seed by the results you may get
> from some of what's currently on the market. The USDA is requiring
> organic seed for all certified growers unless the variety is
> unavailable as organic seed; which would have made sense if organic
> seed production had been more common when they did this. As it is, this
> has brought some people into the organic seed market who either have no
> commitment to and understanding of organics, or don't understand seed
> production, or both. I have had, since that regulation went into
> effect, seed that didn't germinate; seed that germinated poorly; seed
> that germinated but that produced poorly; and (three times) seed that
> was not the variety it was sold as (having apparently crossed with
> something else in or near the producer's fields). Buying from a
> reliable seed company doesn't necessarily protect you, though it helps;
> the problem is with the producer and it may take the seed company a
> while to realize the problems and get things straightened out.
>
> I expect this will cease to be a problem eventually, as people learn
> what they're doing and the ones who don't care get weeded out by the
> refusal of growers to keep buying bad seed. But right now the situation
> is iffy. Try to buy from a seed producer who has some experience with
> organic seed production.
>
> The other reason for buying organic seed is of course that cumulative
> damage done to the ecosystem anywhere along the line is likely to come
> back and clobber us eventually; so reducing this damage at any point in
> the system is a good idea.
>
> -- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
> Fresh-market organic produce, small scale
>
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