My remark about common sense referred particularly to what the “organic really is better” article seemed to be reporting, that the composition, and therefore the nutritional value, is markedly different between conventionally and organically grown food. This makes sense to me if the conventional stuff relies on being blasted with a limited range of nutrients, while the organics are drawing their nutrients from soil that is producing the whole range of nutrients that healthy soil can produce (or in the case of livestock, from plants raised in healthy soil). If “you are what you eat” applies to people, doesn’t it apply to the plants and animals people eat as well? That seems like a common sense conclusion.

As for the learning in my first year, I was totally urban core big city, and never gave gardening much thought. The “soil” was something you stuck in a pot to stick a houseplant in, and then you fed the plant. I’m not totally stupid, just never had a reason or opportunity to see stuff growing. And once I saw how plants did grow, the “organic way”, without the synthetic NPK fertilizer that I’d first thought was critical to agriculture, the rest of what I was reading about organics seemed to hold up and to be…common sense.

That’s what I meant…sorry if it wasn’t all that clear!

Most of the synthetic advantages you mention have to do with pesticides, which is a whole other thing. I suppose that in one smaller garden, used here and there, they’re probably not a big deal, except maybe if it all adds up, as everyone uses a little up and down the block. There’s also pyrethrum, rotenone, BT, sulphur, other insecticides, fungicides, etc that anyone, including certified organic growers, can use, they all do a good job of killing stuff. In my slightly bigger plot, it seems too expensive, it’s easier to use, say, row cover than walk around spraying endless gallons of junk. Maybe if I was much bigger, the cost of spraying (including spraying gear) would seem relatively economically attractive again (as it does in a smaller home garden), compared to all the hand labor… Haven’t given it all that much thought. And I haven’t been saddled with disfigured veggies for my trouble, you can see the pics. :)

I don’t know about gardening down south (all in all, I only know a little, mostly just what I’ve done myself on this couple of acres), but one of the first organic farms I found when I started learning about micro-farming was Fairview Gardens near Santa Barbara, CA. I dunno if you consider that south, but it’s way south from here. And it seems like an amazing (organic) farm…where it’s nice and warm!

Tiny organic farming is a lot of work, but that’s what I’m doing! ;)

With inorganic fertilizer and the occasional zap of pesticide/fungicide, everything grows larger. Everything grows faster. Everything produces more. Everything has a better, cleaner, consistent color.

If you are willing to cut out the blemishes, remove the bug stings, etc., organic vegetables taste just as good as their less natural counterparts. That is small praise though, considering how much longer you have to work in your garden to produce them.

This is probably not true in the colder climates you may inhabit, but down here in bug-central, organic gardens have no place.

It’s like suggesting that people would be more healthy if they didn’t take inorganically derived antibiotics when they got sick, or washed their bodies with antiseptic soaps to not get sick in the first place. Synthetic stuff is just good. Good for people, good for plants. That’s why they make it in the first place.