Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Why Organic Seed

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost AT gilanet.com>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Why Organic Seed
  • Date: Sun, 07 Aug 2005 21:32:50 -0600


I have no trouble germinating any kind of tomato seeds. I use my own
moisture-retentive, wel-drained organic mix and I have fairly low humidity
and uneven temperatures. If yours suffer damping off or just no
germination at all, then the reason may lie in temperatures or soil mix.
Assuming you don't keep it too wet or too dry, and the seeds didn't get wet
before planting. Some presoak seeds in Chamomile tea.

How do you determine transplants die of fungus and not other conditions?
Healthy soil doesn't usually produce plants vulnerable to pests and
disease. Frankly, no shortcut chemicals can substitute for the protection
you get from building healthy soil.

paul tradingpost AT gilanet.com

please check our new list (") OWL-OldWaysLiving
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OWL-OldWaysLiving/

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

On 8/7/2005 at 10:23 PM Pete Mattli wrote:

>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
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Market-farming mailing list
>> Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
>> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>>
>> Get the list FAQ at: http://www.marketfarming.net/mflistfaq.htm
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Market-farming mailing list
>Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
>http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
>
>Get the list FAQ at: http://www.marketfarming.net/mflistfaq.htm







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page