r/organic

I’m on year 2 of raised bed gardening, prior I gardened in ground with fabulous soil (thanks Vermont 💚🌿). When filling my beds two years ago, I did 50/50 organic topsoil and mushroom compost - I didn’t have many options rurally so I just got a truckload. W have 10 8x4x2 beds. I’ve been growing tomatoes (rotating - never using the same beds year after year), blackberries, raspberries, green beans, carrots and garlic among some other experiments. We live in the high desert of Northern California, technically zone 6b, but at 6,000 feet with cold nights.

Ok I digress but wanted to provide some background info. this year we amended with some compost (eb organics) and some amendment. For the fall I’m interested in doing some cover crops that I could then tarp down in the spring to add some good organic matter back in my soil. Is this a good idea? How is everyone amending their beds year after year to maintain good soil health? I’m 100% organic, practiced crop rotation and. minimal tilling in the past but am new to raised beds. Please share success stories that helped you build long-term soil health. Thanks!

Ps. I hope my rambling postpartum sleep deprived brain makes sense to someone. Just a first time mom trying to keep her garden growing and thriving 🤪

I know, most people will call me stupid but I live to avoid GMOed products for a range of reasons. My personal choice. If you happen to fall in my tribe, then this might be of interest to you. CBAN is a Canadian group located in the Maritimes.

Genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) fruits and vegetables are a growing concern in Canada, as biotechnology companies continue to test the market this year with patented products like GM purple tomatoes and GM pink pineapples. There is no mandatory labelling and these products are not even sold in compliance with Canada’s voluntary standard for labelling and advertising genetically engineered foods. 

This summer watch out for the following unlabelled genetically modified fruits and vegetables in your grocery store: 

• GM Pink Pineapples from Del Monte The “PinkGlow” pineapples have been recently spotted at some Farm Boy stores in Ontario as ready-to-eat pineapple in plastic containers.  Take action:  Write to Farm Boy and ask them to stop selling unlabelled GM "PinkGlow" pineapple. 
• GM Empress Tomatoes from Red Sun Farms These GM purple tomatoes have been spotted at Loblaw’s owned stores like Zehrs, Real Canadian Superstore, Real Atlantic Superstore, and Your Independent Grocer. They have also been spotted at some Giant Tiger stores and at small “mom’n’pop” style grocery stores.  Take Action: Write to Red Sun Farms and ask them to stop growing and marketing GM tomatoes. (Their greenhouses are located in Kingsville, Ontario, with additional greenhouses in the US and Mexico).
• GM Sweet Corn There is very little GM sweet corn on the market in Canada but Whole Foods has been selling GM sweet corn in bins with the word “bioengineered” on the sign. If you buy sweet corn from a road-stand, ask the staff if they can confirm that the corn is non-GMO. The only large retailer who has committed not to source GM sweet corn is the Ontario/Quebec chain METRO. Take Action: Write to Whole Foods and tell them to stop selling GMO fruits and vegetables, like GM sweet corn.  (now that Whole Foods is owned by Amazon their priorities have changed)

For a complete list and more information about all the eight GM foods currently on the market in Canada see our handy chart below or visit cban.ca/GMFoods

Davis Finest sells henna and many other products in the UK labeled with the USDA Organic seal. e.g. https://davisfinest.com/product-category/hair-care/

But Davis Finest product labels do not identify their USDA-accredited certifying agent, which is required by USDA rules.

For example, here's the back of their Henna Indigo combo pack:

https://preview.redd.it/t1roz1znvlih1.jpg?width=1046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ad47837ffdb482d87fc5531fa72caaa8d7b38ece

USDA rule:

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-205/subpart-D/section-205.303

The certifier is important because it’s not enough for a product’s supplier or factory to be USDA Organic certified. The product’s ingredients - and the farms they come from - must also be USDA Organic.

It’s the certifier’s job to verify that a USDA Organic product is made in a properly certified facility using certified organic ingredients from certified organic farms - and to approve the label before the product is sold as USDA Organic.

Otherwise, a supplier with USDA Organic certification could simply put the USDA Organic seal on products made with conventional ingredients.

Can anyone verify whether Davis Finest products are actually USDA Organic?