Do organic seeds matter?

[Jay-ell]

I'm wondering if buying seeds that are marked as organic matter to other grapes and if there are any advantages or disadvantages to using organic seeds?

I started to think about this because I've been flicking through a catalogue where two thirds of the seeds were marked organic and one third marked non-organic.

This surprised me because the catalogue is "The Organic Gardening Catalogue"

[MarkHackwell]

It's a preference more than anything I think. If you want to grow true organic produce then you need to use no pesticides, use organic seed and have not used any pesticides for a number of years (remember 7 from somewhere). I am an organic gardener to an extent as I don't use pesticides at all but I wouldn't spend the extra on organic seed as the way I see it is if I grow the veg I know what I have added to it, and it's only the seed after all. I think you will find with organic seed as well they must use some organic fungicide (someone correct me if I'm wrong)

[Thelma Sanders]

IMO it doesn't matter about the seeds being 'organic' it's how you grow them and what you grow them in - that makes the difference to the crops you eat.

Each to their own though

[Bohobumble]

It's a preference more than anything I think. If you want to grow true organic produce then you need to use no pesticides, use organic seed and have not used any pesticides for a number of years (remember 7 from somewhere). I am an organic gardener to an extent as I don't use pesticides at all but I wouldn't spend the extra on organic seed as the way I see it is if I grow the veg I know what I have added to it, and it's only the seed after all. I think you will find with organic seed as well they must use some organic fungicide (someone correct me if I'm wrong)

Organic seed also has no genetic modification

[solway cropper]

Neither has any other seed that is sold to gardeners.

[Jay-ell]

Although I may follow some methods/principles that are organic, I'm no where near an organic gardener - I don't have THAT good a back to dig out the bind weed. I'll be planting up a comfrey patch this year so next year I shouldn't be using tomato feed (although I do have a stash of organic Tom feed in the garage)


I don't have a preference either way and buy seed seed that I like to grow (or at least try to grow). AsThelma said, to me it's how you grow them that matters.

[Bohobumble]

Neither has any other seed that is sold to gardeners.

Good to know!

[Guest]

Organic isn't a term that sits well with me. Yes to be classed as organic you have to be certified and loads of other rules and regs to boot, however on a commercial scale they still more often than not use pesticides, herbicides and other things. It is that hose are classed as organic as well.
I think a better term for me would be ethical. So one smidge of soap in garlic spray for a couple of uses is better than organic crops sprayed weekly with organic pesticide. (to me anyway)
So it really doesn't fuss me in regards to seed.

[Kristen]

I'm wondering if buying seeds that are marked as organic matter to other grapes and if there are any advantages or disadvantages to using organic seeds?

Excellent question, and one I've had in the back of my mind for some time. I just can't see how it would make a difference - it implies that the seed will have taken up pesticides etc (I can believe that) but that that will effect the outcome of the resultant plant - and that's the bit I'm struggling with.

I grow Cannas from seed, because any virus (which Cannas are sadly prone to) in the parent plant is not transmitted via the seed, so I get clean stock. Offspring born to animals stressed with hormones etc. can be malformed, but I think? that has to do with the time they spent in gestation in the parent, rather than damage to the "seed & egg" caused by the chemicals?

Would be interested in any links folk may have to learned science that suggests that there is a risk.

to be classed as organic you have to be certified and loads of other rules and regs to boot ...

... it bugs me that anyone can put the word "Organic" on their packaging , "certified by the Soil Association" is what is actually needed for anything to be what the common man thinks of as Organic. Several years ago a mate of mine bought bags of manure from garden centre labelled "Organic" and imported Aminopyralid with it which killed everything in his veg patch for a couple of years

[Snadger]

If plants have been grown for a number of years organically and seed collected each year, the plants you get from these seeds will be best suited to organic growing conditions I would think?

To be honest even though I try to grow organically, I am not anal about it. If there was something I wanted to grow and the organic seed was twice the cost or more of inorganic seed I'd probably go for the inorganic seed.

[Lisasbolt]

Everything I do in the plot is "organic". But when it comes to seeds I just get what I want, if organic is there at the same price, I would get that.
I bought 10 broccoli plug plants a couple of days ago and I pretty much know that they won't be organic. I get funny looks if I even try to ask

[Alison]

I prefer to use seeds from ethical sources ie self saved or companies such as Real Seeds who are working hard to keep old varieties alive. Also I like to support the smaller companies as I don't like the monopolies of supply which we are sadly moving towards.

[Penellype]

Any residual pesticides on seeds that you buy will be very very small compared with spraying a whole crop with something. The amount of it that you would end up eating would be vanishingly small. The argument is therefore an ethical one, as in do you approve of buying seed which may have been sprayed with something nasty, thus killing wildlife.

Personally I would not go in search of organic seed, but I do understand that there is an issue here. However you can get carried away with such issues. For example would you buy plants grown in polystyrene containers, which are difficult to recycle and toxic if burned, not to mention the process by which they are made. Would you boycott plants in plastic pots because of the reliance on oil for their manufacture and the difficulty of recycling? If you start to look into green issues in depth you can frighten yourself out of doing anything, buying anything, using anything and eating anything. The point at which you choose to place yourself on the scale will vary from person to person. To me there are more important issues than the possibility of a small amount of pesticide on seeds, but otherwise I won't allow pesticides into my garden at all.

[Snadger]

Both F1 hybrid seed and open pollinated seed can still be organic or inorganic depending on how they've been grown, so its wrong to buy open pollinated seed thinking its an organic alternative.

[Highlander]

If you have a problem with "organic seed" how do you feel about using F1 seeds?
I personally don't have a problem with organic / non organic but I don't use F1 as I like to save seed from plants that grow well on my plot. I use organic methods to grow so I know that I have not contaminated my plants before I eat them.