Ask Monty’s – “OMRI Listed” versus “Certified Organic” labeling

By nancyc on June 9, 2012

What is the difference between plant food or fertilizer that is “OMRI Listed” and “certified organic?”  Who certifies these organic products?

Rick, Eagle Mountain, Utah

Rick:
This can be confusing and maybe even redundant, but the terminology and two endorsements actually work together and maybe even simultaneously.

First, the term “certified organic” can only legally apply to food and fiber products, and not to fertilizers or plant food.  Second, as mentioned in an earlier post, fertilizer companies can use the term “organic” to refer to organic — or carbon-based — content, without any verification that any or all of the ingredients meet specifications set out by the National Organic Program to be listed by OMRI (see below).

The USDA has established the guidelines to meet “organic certification,” which ensures that the end product — food or fiber — has conformed to their strict uniform standards, which are verified by independent state or private organizations. The certifications include:

  • Inspections of the processing facilities
  • Detailed record keeping, and
  • Periodic testing to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting the standards which have been set.

OMRI - Organic Materials Review InstituteThe Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) provides organic certifiers, growers and manufacturers and suppliers a listing of input products for use in the production, handling and processing of goods which will comply with the National Organic Program.  One example of an input product is the fertilizer used in growing a crop.  It is not the fertilizer that can be certified organic, only the food or fiber produced with the fertilizer than can ultimately be certified (by the NOP). The OMRI listing generally reads, “OMRI listed for use in organic production,” and should be accompanied by the OMRI logo.  Again, OMRI does not certify food or fiber (or fertilizers) as organic: OMRI works with the USDA in complying with their standards.

Monty’s is proud to have our soil conditioners OMRI listed.  For those seeking to improve the condition of their soil while being in compliance with the National Organic Program, but without the labor-intensive, and often expensive, nature of other options, Monty’s Liquid Carbon Organic Soil Conditioner is a terrific product.

For additional insights on labeling, please visit our blog posts from June 6 and June 8, or visit these handy websites:

  • OMRI – information that organic farmers, handlers, certifiers, and other members of the organic community might find useful.

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Ask Monty’s – Labels that read “All Natural”

By nancyc on June 8, 2012

In our last post we covered the plant food and fertilizer labeling terms “Organic” and “OMRI Listed.” In our next post we’ll cover the term “Certified Organic.”

Today, we’ll address the moniker “All Natural,” for which there is no regulation.

There is a growing belief as society becomes greener that natural is always better – better for individual health and for the environment. For this reason, many companies use that term to entice you into buying their product.

Using the term “all natural” is not federally regulated and is used by companies as a marketing tool. Just how “natural” a product is and how beneficial it will be is largely determined by the company itself.  Rather than muddying the waters further let me explain what Monty’s means when we use the term.

Some of our products, like our Liquid Carbon Organic Soil Conditioner, are OMRI listed for use in organic production.  Some, like our fertility products, are not. However, we can tell you, in full confidence, that our plant food products are naturally-sourced and derived.

How important that distinction is to you will be based on your objectives.  For example, if you are hoping to sell your vegetables in a local market as an organic product, then you could definitely use our Liquid Carbon Organic Soil Conditioners but we could not recommend our plant foods to you for that purpose.

However, if you are simply looking for a product with superior performance and that is not harmful to you, your family and animals, or the environment, then you can use our naturally-derived plant food products with confidence.

I hope this helps. I know it can be a bit overwhelming. For more assurance and to help you purchase with confidence I would encourage you to develop a relationship with an independent garden center retailer so they can help guide you to products — like Monty’s Plant and Soil Products — that will help you achieve your goals.

Listed below are some handy links to OMRI, USDA and organic growing websites.  Also, refer to our post from June 6, for information about the terms “organic” and “OMRI listed.” And stay tuned for our next post about the term “certified organic.”

  • OMRI – information that organic farmers, handlers, certifiers, and other members of the organic community might find useful.

  • USDA Organic Roots Collection – electronic collection of historic documents published before 1942 – a time before synthetic chemicals became widely used.  Find state-of-the-art information and data that is still pertinent for today’s organic and sustainable agriculture.

  • HowToGoOrganic.com – The Organic Trade Association offers this resource to help cultivate the growth of organic farming.

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Ask Monty’s – “Organic” versus “All Natural” labels

By nancyc on June 6, 2012

What is the difference between plant food or fertilizer labels that read “Organic SoilOrganic” and “All Natural?”
Derek, Calera, Alabama

Derek:
That is a good question and one that can be a bit confusing, so I’m going to address “Organic” in this post, “All Natural” in the next posting and “Certified Organic” in yet a third blog post.  Let’s look at “organic” first. It should be understood, as your question implies that there is definitely a difference between “all natural” and “organic” when it comes to plant food or fertilizers – and especially food products.  The terms are not interchangeable.

Organic fertilizers come from all-natural sources such as selected animal manures, mined rock powders, blood meal, feather meal, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, bone meal, fish extracts and seaweed by-products.  Simply put, organic fertilizers are derived from animal or vegetable matter.  Beyond that simple definition, though, things get a bit confusing.

The federal government has attempted to implement regulations on what it means to be “organic,” primarily with regard to the production of food and fiber.  A fertilizer company could place the word “organic” on most any fertilizer product it chooses to, and some do. After all, as we become a much “greener” society, these types of words have great power in the marketplace. In these cases the word really has little meaning at all, and may only refer to the fact that there is organic — or carbon-based — content, without any verification that all of the ingredients meet specifications set out by the National Organic Program (see below).  Therefore, the burden of proof and the task of sorting out these claims is on the government and the consumer.

Second — and this is where it gets even more confusing — is determining just how organic is “organic.”  For example, a company could blend cow manure with water and claim it is organic and it would be.  But the products produced by that fertilizer still may not qualify under the guidelines of the National Organic Program (NOP) instituted by the federal government.  This is where the organization known as the Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI) OMRI - Organic Materials Review Institutecomes in.  OMRI is an independent, non-profit institution which serves as the gatekeeper for products which meet the requirements of the NOP.  Input products cannot be labeled “certified organic“: rather, OMRI uses the term “OMRI Listed” for products which may be used in the production of organic food and fiber, under the guidelines of the NOP. Furthermore, the term “certified organic” can only legally apply to food or fiber products.

Use of the term “organic” on fertilizers is generally not regulated. Some of the products listed by OMRI are not, in fact, organic.  Due to a provision in their guidelines for becoming “OMRI Listed,” a non-organic product can be a listed product if no close, non-synthetic substitute exists.

Let’s try to summarize.

  • Products that claim to be organic may or may not be.
  • OMRI lists certain “raw materials” which may be used in the production of organic finished goods, but they do not technically certify the input products.  All they do is say this material will not disqualify the end product from participation in the National Organic Program.
  • The National Organic Program certifies producers and products, but only of finished goods, i.e., food and fiber.
  • In the end, much of what is meant by the term organic is based on the reliability of the company making the claim.

If you are looking for a product that you can use with confidence in your lawn or garden, buy from a reputable dealer who sells products from reliable companies, and look for the “OMRI Listed” designation . Even at that, though, Caveat Emptor!

Stay tuned for our next blog post about the term “All Natural.”  In the meantime, here are some handy links:

  • OMRI – information that organic farmers, handlers, certifiers, and other members of the organic community might find useful.

  • USDA Organic Roots Collection – electronic collection of historic documents published before 1942 – a time before synthetic chemicals became widely used.  Find state-of-the-art information and data that is still pertinent for today’s organic and sustainable agriculture.

  • HowToGoOrganic.com – The Organic Trade Association offers this resource to help cultivate the growth of organic farming.

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It Ain’t Called The Volunteer State For Nothin’

By Dennis on August 2, 2011

When I was much younger, though not raised on a farm, I was raised by a momma who was. And that is the next best thing I suppose.  It was from her that I learned to speak “country’ with the ease of a local using words and phrases like “on the halves,” “mess of beans,” and “good soakin’ rain.”  While other kids were watching Saturday Morning Cartoons, I was up around daybreak and headed out to a local farmer’s field she had discovered that week to pick green beans, or whatever was in season “on the halves”…now for you city-folk that means that you pick the beans for the farmer for free, in return you get to keep half of what you pick.  It is kind of a rural barter system that has worked for generations. Then throughout the week, while other kids got to just watch their TV shows in the evening, my mom believed that our TV was somehow mystically powered by the sound of snapping beans, shelling peas, shucking corn or whatever else was in season at the time.  She would give us a bucket full of the crop d’jour and we could keep watching TV as long as we were working on those crops.  If we stopped, the TV was turned off…and we had to finish working our vegetables anyway.  I am sure that I complained about it, you’ll have to ask momma.  But I also know that I did it and looking back on it, it was not a bad existence.  The real pay off came not only from a good work ethic, but from the tastes and smells of our country kitchen right in the middle of a Dallas suburb.

In addition to pickin on the halves at area farms momma also always raised a small garden of her own.  It was from there that I learned the joy of “volunteer” crops.  Volunteer crops are plants that come up on their own.  You didn’t plant them, didn’t plan on them, they were just God’s little extras. 

As a general rule the science behind this phenomenon is this, you raise a crop in year one, say corn for example. At some point during the year one of the kernels fall off of the cob either through the action of animals or harvest and lays there on the ground all winter.  In year two, as spring comes and you work the ground you accidentally cover up the seed with soil.  That’s all it takes.  Soon as the soil warms in the spring, the seed germinates and VIOLA! You now have a plant that you were not counting on…a volunteer plant.  Mostly these volunteer plants came up roughly in the area where they were planted the previous year.  But sometimes crops would come up in unexpected places or even from plants that you had never planted.  Those were the mysteries, the ones that made you scratch your head and say, “Now where on earth did THAT come from?”

I didn’t understand it then, but momma was always so excited by these extra blessings. I saw them as a nuisance.  It was the corn stalk that I had to work around when trying to cultivate the beans.  And may the Lord have mercy on you if you uprooted one of momma’s volunteer plants cause it was “in the way.”

Flash forward 25+ years. Now I am the one with the garden out back, pickin on the halves, and teachin my kids the value of shuckin corn. And this year, I built a retaining wall to hold a new flower bed in the front of our house.  I planted perennials, annuals, and some ground cover so that it could grow and develop into a great flower bed and add some color to the front of our house and our otherwise unremarkable landscape.  The one thing I did not plant was a tomato.

Imagine my surprise, then, when in early June, a small plant began to emerge right next to one of my purple pansies. I was about to uproot it along with the other weeds when it occurred to me, “That looks like a tomato plant.” I honestly have no idea where it came from; apparently it was in the leavings as a bird flew overhead and left a deposit. I was about to uproot it, but then the guilt and shame and my momma’s voice rang in my head and I didn’t dare. 

I thought, “Okay, we’ll see what this does. Who knows, we may get four or five tomatoes off of it.  It will be a great conversation piece and I can teach my kids about volunteer crops.”

This is one plant; one volunteer tomato plant.

6 weeks later and a few applications of Monty’s as I was spraying my flowers and it now OWNS my flower bed!  What I expected to be a small plant about two feet tall and spindly has far surpassed any of the cultivated and staked tomatoes out in my garden. This plant is at least 10 feet long, about 6 feet across, and 2.5 to three feet tall.  It has grown from its place in the center of the flower bed to where it is over-spilling my retaining wall on three sides and hanging over my porch on the fourth.  It, quite simply is massive, and full of fruit. (mostly cherry tomatoes). 

This volunteer tomato plant has overgrown the boundaries of my retaining wall flower bed and is spilling over the wall an about two feet out into my yard.

I knew that Tennessee, my current home, is nicknamed the Volunteer State.  I thought it had something to do with the historical nature of the residents to volunteer for battle when the country needed it.  Now I am beginning to suspect it may be due to their vegetables.

This volunteer tomato plant is the most productive plant I have this season. It came up on its own and has been left largely alone, jsut to see what it would do. Who knew?

Whatever the reason, the biggest, healthiest, and most productive tomato plant I have this season is a little plant that somehow mysteriously ended up in my flower bed. It is just a little something extra for a gardener who is just trying to learn and to put into practice all of those lessons I was taught following behind my mom with a bushel basket as we picked beans on the halves.

The lesson here for the rest of you.  Listen to my mom.  If it “comes up volunteer, leave it alone;” nature may be waiting to surprise you.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going in to add a fresh sliced tomato to my sandwich and enjoy my lunch with a little extra blessing on the side.

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Ask Monty’s for 8/30/2010 Rain Barrels, Tomatoes, and Herbs

By Dennis on August 30, 2010

Ask Monty’s:

“I want to put in some rain barrels at the bottom of my downspouts for all the right reasons.  I was wondering if it makes a difference as to what kind of material the barrels are made of.”

Lowell,
Clifton, Colorado

Lowell:

Welcome to one of the most rewarding and easiest forms of water conservation!  Your plants and garden are going to love your mineral rich rainwater, while slashing your water consumption by up to 40% depending on how much you use it.  Plastic or wood rain barrels are fine and are sold commercially.  The normally come in 25 to 100 gallon options.

Just something to keep in mind though as a note of caution, rain barrels that collect water from copper roofs or from roofs where wood shingles or shakes have been treated with chromated copper arsenate to prevent moss or algae growth should not be used on editable plants.  If you have treated your roof with any chemicals at all you won’t want to use that water either.

Two other notes on rain water collection barrels:

In your neck of the woods especially, you’ll want to empty your rain barrel when the weather starts to freeze over the winter.  If you don’t have a protected indoor area to store it, just turn it upside down and secure it to prevent animals from making a winter home in it or getting water accumulation in it which can freeze, expand, and potentially crack the barrel, especially one that is made of plastic.

Finally, make sure you keep a mesh screen over the top and that you clean it frequently.  The mess can collect debris which will interfere with collection and provide a place for mold and mildew to form.  However, without one all of those items will end up in your barrel and can foul your water.  Additionally, mosquitoes look for ponded, still water to lay their eggs.  An open rain barrel would make an ideal breeding ground for them.  Not only will that make time in your yard less pleasant, across the south this year there has been another outbreak of west nile virus. By eliminating standing water form your property you can greatly reduce mosquito populations for you and your neighbors.

If you are having trouble finding a barrel in your area, may we suggest you talk to one of our friends in Louisville?  This is the link to Naturally Horton’s  for those in the Louisville Metro, its in The Highlands.

Ask Monty’s: 

“When is the best time to harvest herbs?”

Carol
Aitkin, Minnesota

Carol:

The best time to harvest herbs is right before the flowers open.  This is when their aroma and taste in their essential oils are at their peak like thyme, basil and mint.  The preferred time to pick them is also in the morning when they are at their freshest and the most potent.  Never pick herbs in wet or humid conditions. Finally, Monty’s 2-15-15 works well to keep the plants in the flower cycle and may help elevate brix levels, which in herbs will increase the aromatics and flavors as well as improve shelf life.

Also, don’t forget one of our favorite places to visit and to visit virtually is Beagle Ridge Herb Farm in Wytheville, VA.  They are a great source for information for all things herbs, natural gardening, and GARLIC!  check them out here.

Ask Monty’s:

“I’ve read that instead of pulling out spent tomato plants, you can simply cut them back and keep watering them to encourage new growth and fruit.  Is there any truth to this?”

Mike
Norwalk, Iowa

Mike:

Depending on your weather cooperation, this is true and new growth will develop, along with a respectable new harvest.  Make sure you pick tomatoes often, keeping the weight off the stems and branches so they don’t break or bend.  It’ll also give your other plants more room to produce freely.

Once you prune them, you will want ot help encourage new growth as well as help the plant deal with the stresses involved with pruning.  Monty’s 8-16-8 should help with that, then once your plants have regrown and have begun to set blooms again, switch to Monty’s 2-15-15 to enhance flower set and fruit production.

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Ask Monty’s for 8/2/2010 – Containers, Planters, and Tomatoes

By Dennis on August 2, 2010

Ask Monty’s:

“I have two flower boxes that face to the north that never seems to be able to have a plant survive in them.  I’ve tried impatiens, marigolds, coleus, petunias, but nothing survives.  What could be the problem?”

Gilda

Linton, Indiana

 

Gilda:

Let’s start from the beginning.  As part of my own personal spring prelude to planting, I clean and sterilize my planters every year, so I would suggest we start here. It’s just a good practice all the way around.  I dip my planters in a mild bleach solution and rinse them well before I put soil and plants back in them.  This is one way to just simply get off to a good start.  Bear in mind also that potting mix, by definition, is sterile which means that it will have no organic matter to speak of, so even mixing in a little bit of top-soil and sand (1:1:1 ratio) can help.  Adding Monty’s Liquid Carbon (4 ounces per gallon of water, applied to the soil until moist, not saturated), once the sand and soil are there can help the organic matter flourish.

You may be putting too many plants in one planter, so overcrowding could be the problem.  If these are north facing planters you may be putting plants in them that prefer sun, such as the marigolds, coleus and petunias you mentioned.  Your impatiens should be fine, as well as begonias, asparagus ferns and pansies.  You may even want to try a few herbs in these boxes for something a little different and useful in the kitchen, such as mint, pineapple sage, lavender, chamomile and even basil.  There are different variations of herbs that will thrive in shaded areas, so read the labels carefully before you buy these particular plants or seeds.

Ask Monty’s:

“My yard is too small to consider an actual garden, so I’d like to do some container gardening next year.  What vegetables thrives the best in containers?”

Dorinda,

Savanna, Illinois

Dorinda:

Carrots, lettuce, onions and radishes will do well for you, and tomatoes and peppers for sure.  With some staking or trellis implementation, cucumbers, squash, pole beans and eggplant will do terrific as well. Broccoli and kale are also attractive container plants too.

Don’t forget, also, that square foot gardening is a great option for those with limited space.  You can get more information about square foot gardening on this site, from your local county extension office, or by conducting a web search.  Square foot gardening is a technique that took root (pardon the pun) in third-world countries where space and water were both concerns.  It requires a much smaller footprint, makes a smaller impact on the environment, makes the most of available resources, is easier to tend, and still produces excellent results if managed well.

Ask Monty’s:

“I put my tomato plants in very early this year hoping to get a jump on their production as they are my favorite vegetable and they seem to take so long to grow.  However, my plants are not doing any better than any of my neighbors who were probably three weeks behind me in planting. As a matter of fact, mine even seemed like they stopped growing.  Any insight on why I’m not harvesting early this year?”

Shay,

Springhill, Louisiana

 Shay:

I know it’s hard to be patient when it comes to some of our favorite vegetables and the thoughts of biting into the first harvest.  Spring weather can be a real fooler to the anxious gardener with the warm sun breaking through, but the bottom line is that if the soil is still cool when you put your plants in it will actually slow plant growth.  The soil must be warm for best results when it comes to gardening, so waiting the extra few weeks to plant will help your plants get off to a better start. You might want to consider cold frames next year if you want to put your plants in early and help warm the plant and the soil around them. You should have better results then.

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