Do you believe there is no true organic farming in America being that every inch

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   Faith Reaperposted 11 years ago

   Do you believe there is no true organic farming in America being that every inch of soil has been...
   
   According to news reports, every inch of soil in America has been contaminated over the years, so there is no true organic farming.  I guess raised beds is the way to go?  Do you believe there is no true organic farming in America?  Thank you for answering.
   
   

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   suzettenaplesposted 11 years ago

   Faith:  Good question!  I haven't stopped to think about this but now that you have asked I guess I should ponder on this.  That is sad if all land in the U.S. is contaminated.  I know if you rotate crops that is suppose to reinvigorate the soil.  But, are there so many chemicals in the soil now that reinvigoration is not possible?  I don't know.  I am not sure I know what raised beds are - is it putting soil on top of soil?  Now, that you have raised the question, perhaps we don't have true organic farming here.  How sad!

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Suzette, I never really thought about it at all until I was listening to that news report and now I am pondering such and wanted to see what others may know about the issue. I am wondering, too, about any soil, whether it is truly organic or not?

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   The Examiner-1posted 11 years ago

   Did you investigate whether the pesticides will still be there after a certain amount of time and how long that it takes for something to occur? Maybe they breakdown after a length of time (different for each).
   Perhaps it depends on two things, how long ago the non-organic farm was there and how long the pesticides will be there.

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Kevin, No, I just happened to hear a report on this and I honestly never thought about it before until I heard such.  I wanted to see what others thought or knew on the topic. Certainly a topic to investigate further! Thank you for answering.

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   WiccanSageposted 11 years ago

   I don't know honestly... I tend to be skeptical of reports because it's so easy for them to be biased and twist facts, and I know a lot of organizations will use them purely as a means of scare tactics. I am thinking the situation is never as dire as they try to make it sound.

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi WiccanSage, Yes, can never truly trust anything really we hear but do our own research and make wise conclusions from such. I do not like the alarmists either, and do hope this is not the case! Thank you for answering.

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   Tina Julichposted 11 years ago

   I would need to see the report you are referring to in order to have enough information to evaluate their claims for an adequate answer. How are they saying (in the report) that the soil has been contaminated? By contaminates being delivered by rainfall? By some devious super-secret government program to spray something over every inch of the US? Without more information on the report there is no way to give a hard-and-fast answer.
   Having said that, I doubt that the report you are citing is accurate. I know for a fact that the soil on my land hasn't been touched by something not considered organic in the almost 30 years that I have lived here, and the people that owned it before me didn't even live here for many years before I bought it, so it has had nothing done to it to contaminate it for (probably) at least 50 years. Looking at the surrounding land I can see no evidence that there has been excessive (or even any) spraying or use of non-organic methods. There are some ‘big’ farms that are in the county that do spray, but they are miles away and nowhere near me or my garden.
   As to your question of using raised beds, you should use them if they are easy for you to make or install, and if that’s the way you want to garden. They have some advantages over gardening at ground level, but they would need to be filled with ‘organic’ soil, and you would need to consider where you are getting that soil. You can ‘grow your own’ soil by composting but that can take a lot of space and raw materials that would also need to be organic.
   My best advice is to ignore the report you read because it is probably misleading. Put in your own garden, even if it is in containers, raised beds, or in your regular garden beds. Control what YOU put on your garden and talk to your neighbors to make sure they are not overspraying any chemicals onto your garden (share some of your extra produce with them as an enticement to watch how and when they spray.) Join a garden group (preferably an Organic Gardening group) in your area and become the person with all the good advice on organic growing.
   Last but not least, consider that any report you read, from EITHER side of this argument will report whatever will bolster their claims and not always give the whole picture.
   Happy gardening!

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Tina, I appreciate your detailed answer here! I happened to hear such on a news report on the television while in another room. So glad to know your land is not contaminated! I feel much better after reading your great insight here on the issue!

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   sheilamyersposted 11 years ago

   I've always wondered the same thing. People who eat only truly organic foods would probably check out where the food was grown. I tend to think nothing can really be completely organic if it's grown outside. Even if the soil no longer contains pesticides and fertilizers (non-organic of these) there is still pollution floating around in the air that settles on everything. Does a little bit make it no longer organic or is "organic" based on a lesser amount than in other places? I'd say the only way to stop the plants from getting any amount of toxins on them would be to grow them inside with filtered air, water, and soil.

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Sheila, sorry for the delay in replying here. Our Internet is down for a couple of days until next week. On WiFi for the moment ...You have presented another aspect here as to the air.  A lot to ponder and research further for sure! Thank you!

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      Tina Julichposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      'Organic' as applied to goods you buy is defined by the laws of each state (or US). Even arsenic is organic, so it is best to have things grown in a way that uses the least amount of fertilizer or pesticide. Even organic pesticide can be bad for you.

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   Dave36posted 11 years ago

   If you grow using Organic Hydroponics you don't need soil, & a lot of fruit & veg is now produced that way as it grows quicker etc..That's the future of farming i reckon, as we evolve into technology..Pretty soon we won't need mother nature anymore, & everything will be made in a lab even us!lol.

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      Faith Reaperposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Dave, thank you for the scary reality there of the future! Yikes!!!  I have not heard of Organic Hydroponics. You should do a hub on it!

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      Tina Julichposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Dave, I have done quite a bit of research on hydroponics and would like to grow my own lettuce in my greenhouse organically. I couldn't find any source of organic hydroponic 'fertilizer'. Do you know where to get it? I would love to find out.
      Tina

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      Dave36posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      In the UK there's a Hydroponics store in most towns not sure about the USA, & they all do organic feeds..Or if you look on-line, you should be able to order some..Try the weed growers site, as hydroponics is the favored way to grow weed.

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