I'm so excited to have Jeff Gillman guest posting here at ITGO today! To give you a little background about Jeff's post, he asked me what I'd like him to write about. My first thought was "Anything you want! Like I'm gonna tell Jeff Gillman what to write..." but then I read an interview with him from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in which the interviewer asks if there has been any backlash from the organic gardening community, and Jeff states that he doesn't want to be labeled "anti-organic" (for some reason, the interview is only available for paid subscribers now, otherwise I'd link to it.) Anyway, I asked Jeff if he wanted to expand on that line of thought, and he agreed. Okay, enough from me. Here's Jeff!




To put it simply I don't fall in line with the beliefs of hard-core organic enthusiasts. There is an organic dogma and a group of people out there -- and I'm not going to name any names -- who would have us believe that we're bad people if we feed our children produce that isn't organic, if we use any sort of a synthetic pesticide, or if we use any fertilizer that isn't "organic". I think that these people have gone way too far and I believe that science does not currently support the notion that all things organic are necessarily good...or even better than conventional. I am a strong proponent of not using chemicals at all, particularly in the garden (and here it's only appropriate for me to admit that I do use chemicals, though only rarely, in my garden and around my house -- most of the chemicals that I use are synthetic). After all, pesticides are poisons and so it isn't a good idea to expose
ourselves to them. In a commercial farm or orchard situation I believe that a minimum of chemicals should be used, but in this type of situation it is difficult to avoid using chemicals completely. And the thing is, once you decide to use chemicals the evidence that organic pesticides are necessarily safer than synthetics is weak, sometimes to the point of non-existence and is, in some cases, based largely on the fact that there's a lack of information about organic pesticides. People will claim that organics have a shorter residual...but the truth is that when you look at the studies that are out there (and there aren't many because organic pesticides are, for some reason, exempt from residual testing) residuals of organic pesticides can be found on fruits and veggies, same as synthetics. Also, some of the organic pesticides that are used, such as those containing copper, can have residual effects that include making the soil toxic to future plants if they're over applied because the copper can build up in the soil. Additionally, organic pesticides often need to be applied more often than synthetics which may cause problems. In other words, once pesticides enter the picture the terms organic and synthetic cease to have that much meaning, at least in terms of human and environmental health. We should be basing our decisions about pesticides on how effective and safe for us and the environment they are, not whether they are organic or synthetic. To say that we shouldn't use pesticides at all in our gardens and awns....that's something that we should strive for (though it may be a bit idealistic). To say that organic pesticides are usually
a better choice than synthetics....I can live with that. To say organic pesticides are always a better choice than synthetics....that's just wrong.

So does my calling attention to the problems of organics make me anti-organic? To some people it might. Does my calling attention to the fact that in some cases using a synthetic pesticide or fertilizer might be better for the environment or human health than using an organic one make me anti-organic? Once again, to some people it might. To me it doesn't. I welcome the role of critic and don't mind that label at all, but I think that the label anti-organic is overboard, and, to be honest, I fear it because it implies that I'm pro-synthetic. I'm not. Rather I'm pro-do the right thing for us and the environment which rarely includes applying a pesticide at all, especially in a garden setting. I'm pro-keep your plants healthy by using compost, watering properly, and planting the right plant for the right site so you don't need pesticides. I'm also pro-grow alternate hosts for beneficial insects, grow polycultures, and use a blast of water to wash off aphids. My goal is to help people think critically about what they're doing, not to attack organics, but undoubtedly some people won't see it this way, which is unfortunate, but probably inevitable.

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Thanks so much Jeff! I want to remind everyone that one lucky commenter will win a copy of The Truth About Organic Gardening. In addition, Jeff told me he'll be monitoring this post today and answering questions, so this is a great opportunity to pick the brain of someone who truly knows what he's talking about. Let's keep him busy, OK?