Your Garden Might Not Be As Organic As You Think—Here’s Why
When shopping for fruits and vegetables, the green-and-white USDA Organic label tells you that the produce was grown without pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or biotechnology—at least that is what it’s supposed to because organic farming has had its fair share of scams and scandals. As a committed locavore, I prefer produce from a local farm that I trust practices organic growing methods rather than supermarket produce—even if it has the USDA organic label. Often, small commercial growers simply cannot afford the lengthy process of getting organically certified.
For home gardeners, there are pollinator and wildlife certification programs such as Certified Wildlife Habitat that let you put a sign in your yard for the world to see, but there’s no equivalent certification for organic home gardens. So how do you know the veggies you are growing would pass the organic litmus test? Here’s a checklist to see if you can call yourself an organic gardener.