{"id":3209,"date":"2015-01-06T16:34:23","date_gmt":"2015-01-06T16:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/?p=3209"},"modified":"2021-01-07T16:36:20","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T21:36:20","slug":"organic-seeds-better","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2015\/01\/organic-seeds-better.html","title":{"rendered":"Are Organic Seeds Better"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"are<\/a>The seed catalog onslaught has begun in my home, and with it, the pitches to buy organic seeds. At the local nursery and garden centers, the racks of organic vegetable and flower seeds now outnumber racks of conventional seed packages. I tend to grow most of my plants using organic gardening methods, mostly because chemicals creep me out. That\u2019s my non-scientific way of saying that I don\u2019t like pouring chemicals onto my crops because I\u2019m never quite sure of the long-term effects on the soil, insects or plants, not to mention my own health. While I will mix a little conventional fertilizer into the soil if plants need it, or spray a bit of Neem oil spray on my roses, I don\u2019t use chemical pesticides the way my dad did in our tiny suburban garden in New York. No, it\u2019s mostly organic around here, although not strictly organic.<\/p>\n

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So why, then, am I dismayed by the abundance of organic seeds at the garden center? It\u2019s because I\u2019m not sure they\u2019re worth it.<\/p>\n

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All About\u00a0Organic Seeds<\/h1>\n

First, let\u2019s explore what organic garden seeds actually are compared to what many people think they are.<\/p>\n

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Organic seeds are seeds harvested from parent plants that were grown using organic gardening methods. In order to be promoted and labeled as organic seeds, the Cooperative Extension <\/a>office states that they must follow protocols established in 2002 for organic seed production. In the United States<\/a>, the Agricultural Marketing Service, part of the USDA, regulates use of the term organic.<\/p>\n

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When you see a seed package labeled organic, you can be generally assured that:<\/p>\n